GUE OW Training

[DIR-Atlanta]

A couple of our DIR-Atlanta group members are headed down for the conference this weekend. One of them is an OW instructor, and I would almost bet that he will be attending the OW course presentation. I can post details here once I have them.

 

[ppo2_diver]

From what I've heard, there will be 3 levels of OW training. I doubt that their OW1 course will get many takers for the reasons listed already. But for OW2 and OW3, there might be a higher enrollment. With the economy in the crapper, people want more content for their money and are willing to pay a higher price for high quality training. This is why I have seen a big jump in the classes I teach.

 

[mwhities]

I haven't taken Fundies yet (plan to soon), I'd almost consider taking the GUE OW(1,2,3,etc?) courses. I'd hope the instructor would give advice on my gear configurations, help me with trim and maybe kicks. (I was told my little frog kick on my video look solid yesterday! )

I haven't looked but, has anyone seen what they are going to charge for it? I'd be willing to forget everything I've learned.. (In some cases nothing at all and others, a little bit.) and start "fresh" with these courses.

Not sure, maybe it'd be a waste of time for myself since I'm "more advanced" than the first time diver. I think it'd be great for newer divers to first time divers.I feel that GUE would care more about the diver and molding the "perfect" diver than just wanting to get one's money.

Michael

 

[Divin'Papaw]

That is what I hear as well. I've also heard that they will be rolling out scooter courses this year. Rumor also has it they are looking into wreck courses for the future.

Wreck courses ... now that's a GREAT idea!

 

[Divin'Papaw]

What is the rumor mill saying about fundies? Will there be any changes made to the Fundamentals course?

 

[ligersandtions]

I think it will be a little tough to market....a lot of people probably will not be willing to spend that much just to see if they enjoy diving. I had wanted to dive for a long time, but I was not sure if I was going to be able to because I've always had ear issues....I also figured I'd be a purely warm-water diver. Much to my surprise, I figured out my ear issues (for the most part) and absolutely love diving the cold waters of southern California.

Given that I could have taken a PADI OW class for $300 or a GUE OW class for $600 (??), I would certainly have gone with the PADI class. In hindsight, I'm sure I would have kicked myself for not going with GUE, but it would certainly be hard to convince a curious potential diver to spend the extra money just to see if they enjoy diving. I'm sure GUE's OW 2 and 3 will be a big hit because it will market to new divers who already know they love diving and want to become safer, more confident, and more competent (all reasons I'm dying to take the fundies).

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I actually know one of the guys who´s been developing some of the course materials and he´s been able to sell his "padi aow" for something like 2,5x the cost of a regular aow(it´s more life gue-f+) and he does get some people to take it. Mostly after seeing him or his students in the water or thru "referrals"...

I think it´ll be the same with the OW, people who know the instructor or who´s seen him or his students in the water might see the added value but most people won´t...

AOW is where I think the effort would be better spent. I've been offering an enhanced AOW class for a few years now, and if I wanted to I could spend my entire time teaching just this class. I don't work for a shop, and don't advertise ... and yet the more students I teach, the more people contact me based on referrals. Now other instructors are starting to teach a similar class (one has been from the beginning, because we co-developed the material). At this level, divers are beginning to figure out what they didn't get taught in OW, and are motivated to spend the extra time and $$ to learn it. Therefore the demand is greater.

There are a few practical problems with offering a GUE OW class. Foremost, as has been mentioned, unless you have a friend who's a DIR-trained diver who can steer you toward the class and convince you it's worth the extra time and effort, most (almost all) prospective students will be focusing on getting a card for less time and money, not understanding the difference in value between the GUE class and the mainstream one.

Second is GUE's teaching model ... a student get shown the skills, then goes off and practices for a while to acquire profiency to demonstrate them passably. That is not a practical approach for students who are not yet certified ... and therefore cannot go practice without the presence of an instructor. GUE will be faced with a choice between changing their approach or lowering their standards. Anything else will require far more instructional staff than GUE presently has just to allow sufficient time to give the students practice.

The only alternative would be to focus the class on universities ... where the class is a semester long, and the pool is pretty much always available.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Peter Guy]

Going with my experience in my OTHER wallet depleting activity (dressage), I agree with those who say that most people will stay away from GUE at the entry level -- just because they don't know any better. The majority of those people, after initial training, will stay where they are -- BUT a minority, those who look around and sense "This isn't as good as it could be" will continue to find more demanding education. IF GUE is able to actually produce and market the "AOW" type of class(es), I think those will be a success -- even in "this terrible economy."

I think there will be two keys to success:

a. Broad geographic access (which was a killer for 5th Dx "Essentials") -- there are enough Fundies instructors, and if GUE expands its instructor group for these classes, even better

b. Some marketing (dare I say advertising?) to non-DIR divers -- i.e., the MARKET for the classes -- the recreational diver who wants to truly enhance her skills

 

[rjack321]

What you all seem to be missing is that GUE doesn't want market share, they want elite. And another "DIR" agency rolling out shortly is aiming the same way.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

What you all seem to be missing is that GUE doesn't want market share, they want elite. And another "DIR" agency rolling out shortly is aiming the same way.

Care to share more info? :blinking: