GUE fundies training in the Southeast...? Need Instructor recommendations

[Lorenzoid]

I bought a halcyon BP&w from ebay, it still works fine.

I’ve never yet run into a bad GUE instructor. In Florida I’ve done classes with Mer and Mark Messersmith and some one on one with Kyle. They are all great, but different.

Dry suits tske the fun out of fundies. Don’t show ip with one you haven’t used enough to be very comfortable with. Doubles are not so bad, but it adds more stuff for you to master. I would work with doubles ahead of time.

To give you an idea of the issues, I got a rec pass in a WS and single and then a provisional in DS and doubles. It’s a lot more complex.

Good point. I recall in my second Fundies class (when I returned to turn the original provisional pass into a rec pass) there was another student with the full tech gear--drysuit, doubles and can light--who was clearly having a very difficult time managing it all. I think I recall him saying his drysuit was an emergency rental because his had developed a leak. Anyway, there I was in my wetsuit and single tank having plenty to chew on myself, and all I could think of was how much harder it was for that guy. I imagine he got a provisional.

 

[KevinNM]

Everyone in that class got a provisional. This included the guy with full cave. The problems we had varied, but we all had significant problems meeting the standards. We went to subway after the diving stuff was done, did the written and then he went over the standards and asked us if we felt comfortable we had met them. We’d all seen us on video, so we knew the truth.

Tech passes are hard. They don’t want you to meet the standard once out of the multiple dives, they want you to be able to be able to reliably do it nearly every time they ask you to do something.

 

[rddvet]

You’re in the southeast, so contact extreme exposure and talk to them. Lots of good gue cave instructors teach from there. I like Kyle. Hes a good guy and good personality. I havent seen his course. Ive overheard Meredith’s courses. Theyre really good. Lauren is very nice, never seen her course. If you call EE, talk to kyle. He may have an instructor looking to fill a spot in an upcoming class. They can also address gear issues.
The gue calendar isnt the best resource. Most of the instructors have dates that arent on the calendar. Or will work with your dates.

 

[rddvet]

I also forgot. A couple weeks ago I was talking to Kyle at EE and he said they are getting their “blem box” refilled by halcyon soon. You can get awesome deals from the blem box. Its basically items with minor blemishes that halcyon wont sell. The blemishes dont affect function and most of the time you cant even find them on your own. Not sure when the blem box replenishment will actually be happening though. Was just told soon.

 

[PullYourselfTogetherMan]

I'm an experienced diver looking to earn GUE fundamentals certification in 2020.

I have a couple questions.

1. Does someone have an instructor recommendation? I would like to be trained by a GUE cave instructor, someone who lives and breathes caves as that is my ultimate goal. I am willing to travel outside the Southeast.
2. Could I rent gear for my certification? I am working on upgrading my diving kit (buying a backplate, dry suit, etc.), but I will likely need a year or two to finalize my current kit to be GUE compliant.
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Hello from Augusta, GA

I took fundies with Mer Tanguay in April 2019 and had a wonderful experience. I highly recommend her. As far as gear goes, just make sure you have your own bp/w, wetsuit, hood and mask. You can rent everything else at EE. Message me with any questions.

 

[seeker242]

I would like to be trained by a GUE cave instructor, someone who lives and breathes caves as that is my ultimate goal.

I don't think you would need to limit yourself to just cave instructors. You would not lose anything by going with an instructor that is not a cave instructor in particular. There are a lot of instructors that teach fundamentals that are Cave 2 divers themselves. The quality of instruction you get from them would not be any less than anyone else.