Yes, I did a Funi tec pass and Navigation/Rescue primer bri GUE. The training was great. The only thing that bothered me is that I need vacation to attend the course. e.g. Tec1 min 7 days. Sure, the instructor can come to me, but I still have to take vacation for it. With IANTD I can spread the course over weekends. I prefer to take 7 days off when I have the course so that I can really enjoy the dives. With Fundi I didn't have time to enjoy the surroundings.
GUE or IANTD
- Thread starter Tobias24
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AJ
Contributor
Time and location flexibilty was also one of the reasons for me to choose IANTD. Another thing to consider is how you want to progress? Do you want to dive rebreather in the future?Do you like the GUE rebreather setup? Maybe go Sidemount?
Answering this question may steer your descision.
Hallelujah! Definitely choose the instructor; the agencies (GUE excepted) are all producing the same resultsChoose your instructor, not agency. However, agency does impact what you can and cannot do, so choose wisely.
Getting a cert to 70m/230ft makes a big difference in UK diving compared with 60m/200ft -- if the certificate limits mean anything to you.
The extra 10m/33ft opens up a lot of wrecks as many dive boats will do MOD2 weeks between 60m and 70m. This is especially the case in Malin and most other deeper locations.
Not in my opinion.
Agreed, there was no specific manual for the MOD2+ I did with IANTD. However, I do find that the books they provided are really good to read later on after the course.
Most of MOD2 is about resolving problems with your unit, so is very unit-specific and very little is transferable between, say, a JJ and a Revo. Generic planning is done with tools such as MultiDeco including bailout volumes, etc. The rest is a more or less a review of MOD1 skills, admittedly with an additional deco bailout cylinder.
I would write some GUE instructors based in Germany/Central Europe and ask them about options. I did my Tech1 class split over two weekends with a couple of extra nights, to accommodate the busy schedules of my team, and we were lucky to have an instructor that went the extra mile to make it work. She even managed to squeeze in a Fundamentals class with other divers here between our weekend, so it worked out perfectly for everyone.
If you enjoyed the Fundamentals class, you might end up missing some of the ways of doing things that sets GUE apart from other agencies. I know I really appreciated the way Tech 1 was a continuation of my Fundamentals class, and that all the things I learned there made even more sense when I got to Tech 1. Also, if you would want to do further GUE classes or projects in the future, it would probably suck to have to retake a technical class after already having completed and paid for another similar class. Just things to keep in mind, that might affect your decision.
flymolo
Contributor
The quality of education you get in an iantd course is entirely dependent on the instructor you choose.
With gue there is more of a consistent experience because the standards are more widely upheld (and much higher).
Being a gue diver also gives you access to a large community of divers all around the world that dive the same way which is great, although with an iantd instructor who dives/teaches according to DIR standards it may be hard for anyone else to tell the difference.
Iantd does teach you about aligning your chakras and nutritional supplements in its textbooks though
With gue there is more of a consistent experience because the standards are more widely upheld (and much higher).
Being a gue diver also gives you access to a large community of divers all around the world that dive the same way which is great, although with an iantd instructor who dives/teaches according to DIR standards it may be hard for anyone else to tell the difference.
Iantd does teach you about aligning your chakras and nutritional supplements in its textbooks though
justinthedeeps
Contributor
I was still correcting some of the wrong IANTD exam question answers in 2021, e.g. about simple properties of gases that you can now verify on Wikipedia.
justinthedeeps
Contributor
5-10 years ago, the GUE Fundamentals course was the only course available where your proper execution of team buoyancy, trim, and communication during drills had to be impeccable in order to pass the course.
In spite of strict written standards, some non-GUE tech instructors (incl. IANTD) might let you pass with weaknesses in any of those things (and others). But it is instructor-dependent. I have seen non-GUE instructors hold people back too. The gap could narrow between agencies, but I suspect differences can still be seen.
Many [non-GUE] instructors don't want to be a meanie and get bad reviews, or just want to get the courses done, etc. Next, please.
The GUE instructor culture says you cannot cut corners, and sells this to trainees as you need this, and it's worth the extra time and money. The strictness is part of what you are paying for--to be tighter in your skills, a better teammate, safer etc.
Frankly I think the GUE spirit--which began as an elite cave diving movement--gets a bit too cavey for open water divers. Like a little sand gets kicked up on one less than perfect back-kick and OMG YOU SILTED THE BEACH WE ARE DEAD NOW
(sorry guys, kinda true though)
So yeah definitely do the GUE courses if you don't think there is any other instructor who is going to be honest (and strict) with you about proper skills. You'll be a pleasure to dive with after that, more skilled, better control, safer, respect rules, excellent communication, sloppiness corrected.
You could also try asking a qualified IANTD TDI SSI PADI person to be extra strict on you (and give them the extra time & money to do so).
In spite of strict written standards, some non-GUE tech instructors (incl. IANTD) might let you pass with weaknesses in any of those things (and others). But it is instructor-dependent. I have seen non-GUE instructors hold people back too. The gap could narrow between agencies, but I suspect differences can still be seen.
Many [non-GUE] instructors don't want to be a meanie and get bad reviews, or just want to get the courses done, etc. Next, please.
The GUE instructor culture says you cannot cut corners, and sells this to trainees as you need this, and it's worth the extra time and money. The strictness is part of what you are paying for--to be tighter in your skills, a better teammate, safer etc.
Frankly I think the GUE spirit--which began as an elite cave diving movement--gets a bit too cavey for open water divers. Like a little sand gets kicked up on one less than perfect back-kick and OMG YOU SILTED THE BEACH WE ARE DEAD NOW
(sorry guys, kinda true though)So yeah definitely do the GUE courses if you don't think there is any other instructor who is going to be honest (and strict) with you about proper skills. You'll be a pleasure to dive with after that, more skilled, better control, safer, respect rules, excellent communication, sloppiness corrected.
You could also try asking a qualified IANTD TDI SSI PADI person to be extra strict on you (and give them the extra time & money to do so).
flymolo
Contributor
Oh nice- so like, pay extra to get a proper education?
You seem to be mixing up different types of insurance and I don't understand what you're trying to say. There is diving accident insurance, travel insurance, life insurance, and disability insurance (among others). The policies that I have don't mention anything about certification agencies or depth limits. Perhaps insurance policies work differently where you are.
Trip organizer requirements for participation are a separate issue. I understand that some trip organizers might require participants to dive within certification limits in order to limit their own liability and weed out divers who are totally unqualified. But if a student is looking to get a certain depth limit number on a card just so that they can participate in a trip then they're really looking at the issue backwards.
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