Question How to improve dive skills as a rec diver - alternatives to GUE fundamentals course

[ginti]

Haha, me too for the only one that I have used, which is on my analyzer case, although the label needed shortening anyway.

We are more standardized than we think! I also trim out the logo

Right now I have them only on my jetfins, since there are so many around and I want to be sure which are my ones. I may add them to the canister of my next light for the same reason.

EDIT: Also, never had a GUE T-Shirt on me out of my apartment (except maybe during GUE projects or classes). But that it isn't true only for GUE... I just don't like logo-clothes: the same applies to my red cross clothes, Erasmus student network clothes, etc.

 

[Wagiman]

Let's conclude that diversity of agencies and their approaches is a positive thing, in that it allows us to choose what we think we need. I for sure appreciated the different perspectives, and have learned about quite a bit of options thanks to this forum.

Thanks all for the good advice.

 

[NothingClever]

This makes me wonder whether the negative perceptions about GUE divers is mostly a US thing?

Perhaps even narrower than that - it may predominately be a SB thing.

 

[boulderjohn]

I thought I would relate a story about GUE branding that I, at least, found interesting.

I was cave diving in the Yucatan with two GUE divers, and we naturally based our operation out of Zero Gravity, a GUE dive shop. I got very used to people walking around with tee shirts with G U E spelled out in huge letters. They were everywhere.

On one of our dives, we were exiting the cave and we saw that the same G U E letters had been scratched very carefully onto a wall in the cave. My friends were angry--they were outraged that someone would hate GUE so much that they would deface a cave in a way to make it appear as if a GUE diver had done it. I asked how they knew a GUE diver had not done it. Simple. No GUE diver ever does anything like that. It was inconceivable.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I thought I would relate a story about GUE branding that I, at least, found interesting.

I was cave diving in the Yucatan with two GUE divers, and we naturally based our operation out of Zero Gravity, a GUE dive shop. I got very used to people walking around with tee shirts with G U E spelled out in huge letters. They were everywhere.

On one of our dives, we were exiting the cave and we saw that the same G U E letters had been scratched very carefully onto a wall in the cave. My friends were angry--they were outraged that someone would hate GUE so much that they would deface a cave in a way to make it appear as if a GUE diver had done it. I asked how they knew a GUE diver had not done it. Simple. No GUE diver ever does anything like that. It was inconceivable.

And if I recall that anecdote from another time you told it, you said it was Lynne Flaherty, our dear departed TS&M, possibly the most reasonable personality ever on SB, who was one of the outraged persons who couldn't imagine a GUE diver would do that. I can understand how they felt. I mean, the three pillars of GUE that we see all over their websites, merchandise, etc., are "Exploration, Conservation, Education."

 

[boulderjohn]

And if I recall that anecdote from another time you told it, you said it was Lynne Flaherty, our dear departed TS&M, possibly the most reasonable personality ever on SB, who was one of the outraged persons who couldn't imagine a GUE diver would do that. I can understand how they felt. I mean, the three pillars of GUE that we see all over their websites, merchandise, etc., are "Exploration, Conservation, Education."

Yes, I was diving with Lynne on that dive. If you recall that incident, you will probably recall what happened a day or two later, when she was taking instruction. I was leading our group exiting a cave, and her instructional group entered. We were on a collision course on the line, and I stayed on the line, assuming that group (I did not know who they were yet) would get out of my way. When they did not, I moved off the line to let them pass. As they went by, I saw it was her group, with the instructor in the lead.

That night, over cocktails, I mentioned it, and she said it could not have been true. I must have been hallucinating. No GUE group would ever fail to give the exiting group the right of way on the line.

 

[BlueTrin]

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[Nick_Radov]

I just don’t agree with recommending a GUE class to someone that dives a few times a year and doesn’t own gear. Unless something has changed dramatically with their course work, they will be in over their head and will most certainly fail the class.

By the OP’s own admission, there’s some intermediate training and skill building that needs to happen here first.

This is a real misconception about the GUE Fundamentals course. It doesn't require any training or skills building beyond a basic open water certification. In fact it's usually better to do less additional training before taking Fundamentals because divers often pick up bad habits that they then need to un-learn. And if they fail the class, so what? A pass only matters if they plan to continue on with more advanced courses. Even if they fail they'll learn some new skills and get a realistic assessment of where they stand.

GUE Fundamentals | GUE

www.gue.com

The courses have low student-to-instructor ratios so they can accommodate divers of any experience level. And although it's always best to own your own gear, most GUE instructors and affiliated shops can arrange for suitable rental gear.

 

[beester]

And do you use all those tank stickers with your name on them? I have used some of them, but first trimmed off the end where it has the GUE logo.

This makes me wonder whether the negative perceptions about GUE divers is mostly a US thing?

Could be or more likely I have the people skills of an angry hippo, and just don't "read" the delicate signs of disapproval, discust or whatnot.

In any case with 1 or 2 exceptions, I've never noticed a negative vibe in the last 10 years. Before that for sure, but I believe people had good reason to feel that way, with a local GUE community just a bit up north (Netherlands) stomping around like they invented diving. Luckily this all calmed down quite a bit!

It's been a while since I've met people from the US in a diving context, last time was in Mexico a couple of years ago, but also there never a neg vibe.

How did GUE get such a bad rep in the US?

 

[Miyaru]

...
In any case with 1 or 2 exceptions, I've never noticed a negative vibe in the last 10 years. Before that for sure, but I believe people had good reason to feel that way, with a local GUE community just a bit up north (Netherlands) stomping around like they invented diving.
...

True. Especially the divers, not the instructors.