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

[Wagiman]

@ginti Thanks for the recommendations. I actually already did contact Peter in Leuven, and indeed he is busy until next year. Good to know that all GUE centers offer rental.

 

[ginti]

@ginti Thanks for the recommendations. I actually already did contact Peter in Leuven, and indeed he is busy until next year. Good to know that all GUE centers offer rental.

You're welcome.

Since you already contacted a GUE instructor, you may want to contact @johnkendall. Although British, he is very active in Malta, as far as I remember. He would probably be happy to have a chat to see whether he can help you. However, he teaches only GUE.

 

[Beau Holden]

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

Here's what I did and it worked great, for me;
1st, I changed my mindset; what I was doing was not good enough and I wanted better.
2nd, I started finding and diving with divers better than me. So I could learn and see how to do it.
3rd, I dove with people not as experienced as I was. Such as hanging with OW classes, so I could see what was bad and really bad.
4th, I bought, read and studied the DIR Fundamentals of Better Diving.
5th, Replaced all my open water gear and configured per the book and put into practice Chapter 3.
6th, Hung out and dove with any advanced, deep and other specialty class I could.
7th, Made more friends and went diving and put to rest all ego
8th, Mentored anybody that I could. Showing and helping is learning
9th, Started doing a lot on low to mostly no vis diving. Local NE Indiana lakes and wrecks in the pea green soup of Lake Erie, were 5 ft of vis was good and 15 ft was great. Low vis to no vis diving will teach you more about situational awareness, buoyancy and navigation than any class can.
10th, Took and passed intro and full cave driver. This has taught me more and made my a better diver in any type diving I do.

That was my 10 step process. After my rescue and deep class, I never took another certification class until cavern/intro to cave. Am I the best diver? No. Can I hold my own in most situations? Yes.

 

[bubblemonkey2]

People saying GUE is all open now sounds great, but I do know that when I was exposed to it, they had secret "not for the public" skills videos etc, as if the skills they were going over were somehow invented by GUE or protected special content. Like kick types and S drills. lol. Copyright is one thing, but there was a definite exaggerated "everything we're doing is more special and exclusive" vibe that went beyond that.

It's the whole "we're better and different than everyone else" thing, even though for the most part it's just standard skills that tech-level divers have already been doing for a long time under several agencies, before GUE existed--some of whom taught the GUE founders everything that they know. You can get those same skills, knowledge, techniques and discipline under other pre-existing agencies, often for less cost or self-serving branding and ego, and not have to buy into the "you're one of ours now, if you can measure [and pay] up" culture either.

Doing back kicks and S drills in formation again and again for six hours at 5 meters probably did improve my capabilities, but did I just pay $2000 for that? Once my back kick moved the sand slightly while spending hours <50cm above it on drill circuits in a completely open and surgy bay... OMG, I hath sinned mortally and will need to pay for another session!

'Oh, I have to go do my 20+ "R3" dives to 30 meters on trimix now, with only GUE people, so I can work up to my T series qualifications. Good thing I didn't just go do my helitrox Deep Diver/Tec40/45/50 or ExtRange/ANDP!'

I do understand that it works for instructors and shops because they can convince students/customers to spend quite a bit more money, try to meet high standards of performance, and keep coming back as captive customers for years and years to achieve those coveted upgrades. At some point though a lot of those students will realize that they would rather just be divers than GUE pilgrims.

 

[Lorenzoid]

People saying GUE is all open now sounds great, but I do know that when I was exposed to it, they had secret "not for the public" skills videos etc, as if the skills they were going over were somehow invented by GUE or protected special content. Like kick types and S drills. lol. Copyright is one thing, but there was a definite exaggerated "everything we're doing is more special and exclusive" vibe that went beyond that.

It's the whole "we're better and different than everyone else" thing, even though for the most part it's just standard skills that tech-level divers have already been doing for a long time under several agencies, before GUE existed--some of whom taught the GUE founders everything that they know. You can get those same skills, knowledge, techniques and discipline under other pre-existing agencies, often for less cost or self-serving branding and ego, and not have to buy into the "you're one of ours now, if you can measure [and pay] up" culture either.

@bubblemonkey2 , you're of course correct that GUE didn't invent the in-water skills they teach or are the only source for instruction in those skills. As I see it, GUE isn't necessarily "better" or "different"; rather, they just make it easy for divers to find this kind of training, from instructors held to high quality control standards. The GUE brand is some assurance that no matter what instructor you have, you will get the same quality training.

I don't know how long ago you're talking about when you mention supposedly secret skills videos, but nowadays GUE offers a video portal called GUE TV (www.gue.tv), and you do not need to have taken any GUE courses, be a GUE member, or drink any Kool-Aid to subscribe. Anyone is welcome to subscribe, and you can cancel at any time. It's possible that GUE TV was in part a response to people grumbling that there were hard-to-find skills videos out there. Now it's easy for anyone to find and watch them. I have subscribed on and off.

 

[crofrog]

People saying GUE is all open now sounds great, but I do know that when I was exposed to it, they had secret "not for the public" skills videos etc, as if the skills they were going over were somehow invented by GUE or protected special content. Like kick types and S drills. lol. Copyright is one thing, but there was a definite exaggerated "everything we're doing is more special and exclusive" vibe that went beyond that.

Those videos are on gue tv.

 

[crofrog]

'Oh, I have to go do my 20+ "R3" dives to 30 meters on trimix now, with only GUE people, so I can work up to my T series qualifications. Good thing I didn't just go do my helitrox Deep Diver/Tec40/45/50 or ExtRange/ANDP!'

What are you talking about

 

[beester]

People saying GUE is all open now sounds great, but I do know that when I was exposed to it, they had secret "not for the public" skills videos etc, as if the skills they were going over were somehow invented by GUE or protected special content. Like kick types and S drills. lol. Copyright is one thing, but there was a definite exaggerated "everything we're doing is more special and exclusive" vibe that went beyond that.

It's the whole "we're better and different than everyone else" thing, even though for the most part it's just standard skills that tech-level divers have already been doing for a long time under several agencies, before GUE existed--some of whom taught the GUE founders everything that they know. You can get those same skills, knowledge, techniques and discipline under other pre-existing agencies, often for less cost or self-serving branding and ego, and not have to buy into the "you're one of ours now, if you can measure [and pay] up" culture either.

Doing back kicks and S drills in formation again and again for six hours at 5 meters probably did improve my capabilities, but did I just pay $2000 for that? Once my back kick moved the sand slightly while spending hours <50cm above it on drill circuits in a completely open and surgy bay... OMG, I hath sinned mortally and will need to pay for another session!

'Oh, I have to go do my 20+ "R3" dives to 30 meters on trimix now, with only GUE people, so I can work up to my T series qualifications. Good thing I didn't just go do my helitrox Deep Diver/Tec40/45/50 or ExtRange/ANDP!'

I do understand that it works for instructors and shops because they can convince students/customers to spend quite a bit more money, try to meet high standards of performance, and keep coming back as captive customers for years and years to achieve those coveted upgrades. At some point though a lot of those students will realize that they would rather just be divers than GUE pilgrims.

Wooow someone got his "jimmies russled a bit" and is feeling a bit sore ;-) Wooohoooo bad GUE BAD GUE!!

Do agree on rec3 though that's a stupid course!

 

[beester]

@ginti Thanks for the recommendations. I actually already did contact Peter in Leuven, and indeed he is busy until next year. Good to know that all GUE centers offer rental.

Pm me if you want to get in touch with GUE-BE (although probably Peter pointed you already in that direction). Before I left for Italy they were super active and organised at least 1 dive per week, most of the time more.

Diving wet the season will be a bit shorter in Belgium for obvious reasons, but if you dive drysuit the season is year long. Next to training reaching out to these guys and girls is a good way to get some dives in.

There are some IANTD instructors in Belgium that I know teach a very solid essentials (the IANTD version of GUE fundies). 1 of them is a GUE T2/C2/CCR diver and IANTD cave instructor so he's very solid and basically teaches the same MOD as GUE. I can get you in touch with him as well. Of course if your plan is to continue technical training later with GUE that's not an option because the prerequisite for any tech courses with GUE is fundies.

Finally there are plenty of places in Europe, where you can advance your experience and training. There are good places in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece that I know of. The closest currently for me is Krnica (Croatia). Very good guy, but you need to contact him in advance if you are just coming for diving, because autumn tends to get very fully booked with GUE courses being taught there by travelling GUE instructors. You have a good base in Portofino, 1 in finale Ligure, 2 in Sardinia, and that's just Italy.

All of the above with a bit of GUE sunglasses on, if you want more general tips you can also pm me.

Cheers!

B from Italy (but still a Belgian ;-) )

 

[Dody]

C’mon, @Ayisha - this is ScubaBoard. Alongside masterful skills and extensive experience as an Advanced OW diver, the next important skill qualification as a ScubaBoard keyboard diver is to write well-researched opinions about GUE without ever having met a GUE diver in the wild. The pinnacle skill is to shroud the truth in conjecture and speculation. True masters will skip reading GUE’s publicly-available standards and offer improvisational accounts about GUE that they overheard while shopping online for retractable leashes, pokie sticks and rattles.

On the other hand, I was once again ridiculed mentioning GUE as an interesting diving agency recently in Thailand. Most of the other divers, DM, instructors with thousands plus dives had never heard of GUE, a few had but had never met GUE divers. Neither had I. Where do you guys hide? I would love to meet a GUE diver and have an extended chat. I don’t want to dream about diving with one… yet