I drank the GUE Fundies Kool-Aid and survived!!

[Peter Guy]

As one who was brought kicking and screaming to the dark side, I too offer my congratulations to Sam and all the others.

Someone wrote

Once the weighing (sic) and wing issue got sorted out you found what Bob called the "sweet spot" and you were floating effortless in the water

regarding the teammate that "didn't pass." I'd say you DID "pass" if you were able to significantly improve your skills and if you learned a lot (and it sounds like you did). But this statement points out one of what I believe is a significant deficiency in the GUE (and quite frankly others) method of teaching -- the combination of teaching combined with evaluation.

I think it was Sam who wrote something to the effect that one needs to get ones buoyancy and trim dialed in before taking the class -- but I think that's backwards for many divers. Unfortunately they don't know HOW to get their buoyancy and trim dialed in and THAT is what the class should be teaching them -- at the very basic level. IF they have their buoyancy and trim dialed in, why take the class? (Rhetorical question I know -- yes, there is so much more.) I, for one, would NOT urge people to "practice their skills" prior to taking Fundies -- let the instructor teach you and THEN go practice what you've learned.

I also want to make one additional (critical) comment about something that was written -- that GUE/DIR training is "the best" -- no it is not, at least in my ever, and always, so humble opinion. AND I think statements like that lead to the negative feelings about GUE/DIR which are, for the most part, unwarranted. Good training is good training -- period, regardless of the initials behind (or in front) of the instructor's name. There are plenty of very good instructors out there teaching from OW to exploration diving and not all of them are "DIR" or "GUE" or "UTD" or whatever.

That written, Sam -- again, congratulations -- you've taken a big step towards making you a more competent, more comfortable and more delightful teammate.

 

[ScubaSam]

As one who was brought kicking and screaming to the dark side, I too offer my congratulations to Sam and all the others.

Someone wrote regarding the teammate that "didn't pass." I'd say you DID "pass" if you were able to significantly improve your skills and if you learned a lot (and it sounds like you did). But this statement points out one of what I believe is a significant deficiency in the GUE (and quite frankly others) method of teaching -- the combination of teaching combined with evaluation.

I think it was Sam who wrote something to the effect that one needs to get ones buoyancy and trim dialed in before taking the class -- but I think that's backwards for many divers. Unfortunately they don't know HOW to get their buoyancy and trim dialed in and THAT is what the class should be teaching them -- at the very basic level. IF they have their buoyancy and trim dialed in, why take the class? (Rhetorical question I know -- yes, there is so much more.) I, for one, would NOT urge people to "practice their skills" prior to taking Fundies -- let the instructor teach you and THEN go practice what you've learned.

I also want to make one additional (critical) comment about something that was written -- that GUE/DIR training is "the best" -- no it is not, at least in my ever, and always, so humble opinion. AND I think statements like that lead to the negative feelings about GUE/DIR which are, for the most part, unwarranted. Good training is good training -- period, regardless of the initials behind (or in front) of the instructor's name. There are plenty of very good instructors out there teaching from OW to exploration diving and not all of them are "DIR" or "GUE" or "UTD" or whatever.

That written, Sam -- again, congratulations -- you've taken a big step towards making you a more competent, more comfortable and more delightful teammate.

Nope, I definitely did not say one needed to be dialed in with their buoyancy and trim before class cause I definitely did not have my buoyancy and trim dialed in before Fundies. I can't tell you how many times Bob or Steve would tap my knees so that I can bring my leg upward while I was hovering on the platform, or how many times they told me to bring my head back nor how many times my teammates would tell me to fix my trim while we were underwater.

I believe hovering at the platform weeks before the class helped me handle the drills better not necessary well, but better than if I had zero hovering skills. For those who cannot take Fundies yet or for new divers, I believe it would benefit them to practice hovering while working on their buoyancy and trim is what I said. I will add now that your GUE instructor will definitely work on your weighing and your trim. Everyone in the class had better trim and buoyancy on the last day of class regardless of how badly they looked on Day 1.

 

[Randy43068]

what a good thread Sam!

Thanks!

Only thing I can add; DIR is for everyone in my opinion, however some people may choose not do dive the philosophy for various reasons.

I know, it's a matter of semantics I suppose, but when I hear the phrase " it's not for everyone " it makes me think, "oh but it is," to my mind it's a matter of choosing weather you want to improve your diving or not.

After taking it back in 2005, I was so excited about what I'd learned I wanted to share it with everyone.

Now if I had some Fundies divers to dive with on a regular basis, I'd be happier.

Again Sam, thanks for starting the thread.

 

[letterboy]

its only 7.5 hours to dutch and you can dive with Sam and team . . .

 

[kathydee]

Eya, Scubasam!

Congratulations on your GUE Fundies class! Good thing you gave in to Kathydee's "elbowing" techniques and posted your review I'm happy to read reviews like yours because they show an honest take on what GUE training is Lemme just share my experience as well for the benefit of those who would like to take the training courses (somewhat copy-pasted from my post from another thread).

I was fortunate to be certified and trained (PADI OW, AOW, and EAN) by a GUE practitioner whose influence had me diving with the DIR trim and kicks and using jet fins and a long hose even before my Fundies class last February, here in the Philippines. I thought I'd have it easy with all the skills and information intact, but I was pleasantly surprised that the course still taught me so much more than what I already knew. The Fundies was, to echo everyone's sentiments, worth every cent

The class teaches you the skills that allow you to maneuver better in ANY circumstance underwater (overhead environments, ripping current, silty bottom, etc.), and how the streamlined system makes everything easier. If there's anything that I would suggest interested parties should also work on is the swim. My GUE instructor mentioned that some people don't pass because of the swim test alone.

I found that while it's good to practice the skills prior to Fundies, everyone should remember that the course primarily aims to teach, not just test. I think this is also why GUE divers are also very open to sharing the info with fellow divers. In the end, it's all about optimal diving, not condescending your peers.

Cheers to more interested divers, then!

Hi Leslie,

It’s great to see you here! Another gal on board! For those of you who don’t know her, she is one of the very friendly GUE divers I just met while in the Philippines ;-). Leslie correct me if I am wrong but I believe there are 27 GUE Philippino divers.

Hope to see you on this forum more often !

Sam I love this thread!

 

[HenrikBP]

I think it was Sam who wrote something to the effect that one needs to get ones buoyancy and trim dialed in before taking the class -- but I think that's backwards for many divers.

Maybe you're thinking of something I wrote. I wrote something to the extent, that I was happy that I had gotten my weighting and weight placement close prior to class. And I was

You are however absolutely correct, that waiting until class, where you will get directions to how to make these adjustments correctly, is ideal.

I'm one of those people who keep track of everything in my diving in my dive log. I can tell you exactly how much lead I wore, where it was placed on the rig and how my trim and balance felt on that dive. In class I moved 2 lbs from one trim pocket to the other and felt well balanced. And I was very happy that I could focus my attention on all the other instruction we were given without having to figure out trim as well.

But then, I'm very "methodical" (yeah, methodical - that's the word ), and others may not see the same benefit.

Henrik

 

[contender]

You are not alone - I feel your pain. I recently took GUE-F and I definitely felt like a "third wheel" most of the time. I felt like I was holding back my team - although they will deny it because they are polite. I honestly think my skills were better during my OW check out dives Why? Because I was relaxed.

Gas management and dive planning was straight forward and somehow I managed to limp my way through the skills portion of class. I completed all of the skills - just not satisfactorily.

Can I recover an unconscious diver? Deploy an SMB? Donate my long hose to an OOG diver? Do a valve drill? Do the basic 5? You bet! Can I do those skills and stay within 2 1/2 feet of target depth? Not yet. Can I hover motionless in perfect trim? Not yet. However, now I know where I stand and I know where the bar is set at. I have been given the tools to succeed, now I need to get out and sharpen these tools by diving and practicing.

The pressure I put on myself while I was on camera definitely did not help my cause - and my instructor noted how I was much more relaxed when I was not on camera. He was always telling us to "relax and have fun"

I am relaxed now that class is over

Sean

Were you in the group I was photographing at Blue Grotto?

 

[trogloxene]

Were you in the group I was photographing at Blue Grotto?

When were you there? We were at Blue Grotto on August 8 & August 9. Our instructor was the only one filming us for the class.

Sean

 

[Sloth]

I think it was Sam who wrote something to the effect that one needs to get ones buoyancy and trim dialed in before taking the class -- but I think that's backwards for many divers. Unfortunately they don't know HOW to get their buoyancy and trim dialed in and THAT is what the class should be teaching them -- at the very basic level. IF they have their buoyancy and trim dialed in, why take the class? (Rhetorical question I know -- yes, there is so much more.) I, for one, would NOT urge people to "practice their skills" prior to taking Fundies -- let the instructor teach you and THEN go practice what you've learned.

I think it depends on your goals. If you are a certified tech diver or wannabe that wants to go down the GUE tech path and you want a tech pass then yes you should make sure your trim and buoyancy are in order before the class. Many divers can learn a lot of the basic skills just by watching videos and reading these forums and I don't think it should always be discouraged. If someone doesn't have access to a mentor and is an experienced diver then I wouldn't discourage them from working on trim and buoyancy and basics like donating a long hose and propulsion kicks. Some people are more then capable of getting the basic stuff on their own, it is basic stuff after all.

New divers that are purely recreational minded and only want the GUE experience to see what it is like should probably go into fundies with as clean a slate as possible like you suggest.

Mark

 

[contender]

When were you there? We were at Blue Grotto on August 8 & August 9. Our instructor was the only one filming us for the class.

Sean

I got you email via pm so I will be sending you the pics soon. Glad you liked DM, he is a good instructor and great diver.