Question GUE - Is it much different to traditional agencies like SSI or PADI?

[NothingClever]

GUE fundies is, in some ways like taking BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL) trainining to be a better diver.

This is what drunk driving looks like on the internet.

 

[NothingClever]

Over the past few months, I have conducted interviews with GUE instructors for the podcast. The goal was to highlight some misconceptions one might have about the agency and training. Might be worth a listen for you. 2/5 episodes have been released, with more coming throughout the week.

Gemma Thomas: February 5th
Meredith Tanguay: February 6th
Annika Persson: February 7th
Jordan Allured: February 8th
Jon Kieren: February 9th

Podcast — "Off Gassing" A Scuba Podcast

This is truly great work.

Unfortunately, the general culture of ScubaBoard has shaped my cynical outlook that misconceptions will persist. It’s far easier to rest on a misperception and criticize than it is to face a challenge. I think most people on this bloated forum who dislike GUE are people afraid of or unfamiliar with organizations with high standards. If anything, ScubaBoard has made me want to flush it down the toilet and run with abandon to disappear into GUE’s community.

 

[lowwall]

This is truly great work.

Unfortunately, the general culture of ScubaBoard has shaped my cynical outlook that misconceptions will persist. It’s far easier to rest on a misperception and criticize than it is to face a challenge. I think most people on this bloated forum who dislike GUE are people afraid of or unfamiliar with organizations with high standards. If anything, ScubaBoard has made me want to flush it down the toilet and run with abandon to disappear into GUE’s community.

It's more a case of lagging perceptions than misperceptions. There was a time when a lot of DIR adherents, at least the ones that posted, were both exclusionary and very quick to boast of their superiority.

Just look at the name. The clear implication of Doing It Right is that everyone else was Doing It Wrong. And they would reinforce it by constantly referring to Rule 1 which was "Don't dive with strokes." "Strokes" being variously described, but again from the context it obviously meant everyone who wasn't hardcore DIR down to their black jet fins.

Thankfully this attitude has mostly died off and GUE in particular has become more inclusive of the larger rec community. But it's taking a long time for people who got burned by DIR keyboard warriors to realize they've moved on.

I find it kind of amusing that the new negative perception of GUE is that it's for status seekers with more money than sense. So it's gone from wannabe SEALS to Harley-buying dentists.

 

[justinthedeeps]

Sorry for my mild roasting, though I do think it was an accurate account of the GUE vibe around ~2018. Responses here are well reasoned. People who do GUE are good folks

Broader adaptability and flexibility is something I feel that I have personally gained by not confining myself to a single approach or training organization.

 

[iliketopetsharks]

But you are right that the Fundies-T1-T2/CCR1 training progression is for w*nkers with current helium prices.

I thought you don't Tec 2 for CCR 1?

 

[Cthippo]

This is what drunk driving looks like on the internet.

So I'm curious, what analogy would you use?

Is GUE-F not intense, physical, and largely geared towards building the skills necessary for cave and technical diving?

 

[34109411]

GUE is a name I learnt today from this forum.

I have since read about it and it appears meticulous and different to rushed OW certification approach the more common agencies have.

However, I wanted to know if it's actually different? And how so? It's dearer than OW courses, hence the due diligence.

I am OW certified recently so based on reading, would be looking at GUE Fundamental course.

Also there appears to be just 1 GUEF instructor and agency in NZ offering it?

Thanks.

Yes they are different .

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

So I'm curious, what analogy would you use?

Is GUE-F not intense, physical, and largely geared towards building the skills necessary for cave and technical diving?

Fundies have a mythical status because for many divers it might be the first time they actually need to perform well underwater and it might be the first "full time" course. What? No lunch? I need to bring a sandwich? It's not just two morning dives and a free afternoon? Actual dive theory? Perform skills with comfort?

Fundies contain no new skills that wouldn't be part of any open water curriculum:

• Pre-dive check and recreational-level no-stop dive planning
• Basic fin kicks
• Remove and replace mask
• Donate gas
• Deploy a DSMB
• Controlled ascent and a safety stop
• Bring an unconscious diver to the surface
• Basic fitness test (don't drown, and it helps to practice few times)
• Maintain team awareness
• For a tech pass, valve drills

So perhaps something like earning a more difficult scouting badge? . You do sleep well after Fundies but at least in my experience, I slept much better (coma or blackout) after other tech courses, whether GUE or other agencies - but there was always time to eat dinner, I doubt that NAVY SEALs have time to enjoy dinner .

I thought you don't Tec 2 for CCR 1?

My bad, I meant Fundies -> T1 -> CCR or T2. Still, from what I can tell at least on UK boats, most divers who plan to dive deeper wrecks simply skipped the GUE route completely (including myself). Incredibly few divers can afford to get the trimix experience dives and the rest simply fake it - by calling a 30 meter dive with 10 minutes of deco a "T1" dive.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Is GUE-F not intense, physical, and largely geared towards building the skills necessary for cave and technical diving?

Only for the student who takes Fundies with the goal of cave or tech diving. My original Fundies class consisted of my wife and me and another, similarly rec diving-only couple. It sure felt intense and physical to us, because all of our previous training was like what Muppet mentioned in the reply above. But it was geared toward the type of diving we students were likely to be doing in the foreseeable future, which was the typical rec-only stuff. Instructors can teach Fundies as a purely rec-level course for students whose goal that is.

 

[Kendall Raine]

@Zinman I'm pretty sure Cthippo has never taken a GUE class (correct me if I'm wrong),

Or been through BUDS, for that matter.