I never drank Kool-Aid while growing up

[geoff w]

When I was a little kid, my parents never let me drink Kool-Aid, so I never really appreciated the concoction until Hunter S Thompson opened up my eyes to the beverage. Before I found ScubaBoard, I couldn't even spell DIR, and now LeeAnne's account of her journey to enlightenment has me completely spellbound. In my years of diving, I always thought I've been a decent diver, certainly more competent than 99% of the other people on dive boats when we've been on vacation in warm tropical places, and getting progressively better with each series of dives. I finally got around to taking the PADI rescue class this year, which was pretty straightforward, and with the drysuit certification got a shiny PADI card that said "Master Scuba Diver". While doing the drysuit class, we got talked in to doing the Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty, which consisted of swimming around and hearing that we're totally competent at buoyancy (by PADI standards). I consider myself a safe, competent recreational diver, who likes to get in the water and see cool stuff

Reading about LeeAnne's experience, I'm now totally confused at what constitutes recreational diving. One of my reasons for diving is to get away from the regular world and enter a different world to the extent possible, and maximize my enjoyment while doing so. I understand basic physics and can still do some math, but I don't have to get wet to do that, and don't want to solve physics problems underwater. A good friend, dive buddy and very serious tech diver hasn't done any of the GUE classes (he was into tech diving long pre-GUE), but indicated he thought it was the best recreational dive class out there.

My question for the collective wisdom out there is, if I'm a safe, competent recreational diver (about 200 dives since getting certified in '94), and have no interest in stage bottles, overhead environments, decompression diving, or mixed gas more exotic than the Nitrox I can get for recreational diving, will I get much benefit from the GUE fundamentals class (or UTD equivalent)? Or would I be just as well off diving more, reading more, staying in semi-decent shape, and diving with people better than me?

 

[liuk3]

If you have a good GUE Fundamentals instructor, they'll be able to make you better regardless your level of proficiency. Even if you don't want to go down the GUE pathway long term, I still recommend people take GUE Fundamentals. The skills you learn there will be applicable to your diving even if you decide to train with other agencies in your dive progression. I won't say that GUE is for everyone, but I do feel like the skills taught in GUE Fundamentals are universally applicable.

I was in a similar situation as you when I first took Fundamentals. I had about 200 dives (primarily beach diving in socal), and I had certification cards from LA County, NAUI, YMCA, PADI and TDI. I felt very comfortable in the water and felt like I had pretty good control in the water. GUE Fundamentals showed me precision diving techniques. They made be better and safer. Not that I was unsafe before, but they definitely made me better. I also feel like I could honestly take the class over again today, and it would still make me better.

Also, there's no pressure to move into technical diving after you take Fundamentals. In fact, it's probably better to just get out and get more experience diving right after taking the class. The class will show you the techniques, but it is really up to you to work on honing them. You'll have time to figure out how (if ever) you want to progress to more technical diving later. Fundamentals really taught me the most about precision diving which has just made my recreational diving more fun with more control. While I still do value the training I received previously from other agencies, Fundamentals really covered topics that I hadn't received in my other classes.



EDIT: One caveat though is that you do have to buy into some of the basic gear configuration should you decide to take the class, e.g. backplate/wing, longer hose configuration, no split fins, etc. I went into the class with an open mind to get information. I told my self that I would take the class and then make my own decision in terms of what parts I wanted to keep or throw out. In the end, everything really just made sense to me about how they dive, and I decided to eventually move forward with their progression. I would also highly suggest calling up your local GUE instructors and just picking their brains and getting a feel for them. I'm sure they would welcome the opportunity to talk to you. Have fun!

 

[zamburinha]

While doing the drysuit class, we got talked in to doing the Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty, which consisted of swimming around and hearing that we're totally competent at buoyancy (by PADI standards).

If you feel that way about the PPB class, and you like to get some good instruction and feedback about your diving, you won't go wrong with a Fundamentals class. The class really drills control and awareness in the water. It is meant to tell you where you need to improve and give you the tools to do it, but it a pass in Fundamentals is something that you earn, not pay for. Apart from that, it is an introduction to technical equipment configuration. Whether you like or adopt that configuration later on is up to you, but it is really useful is to go through the reasoning behind the different the choices.

 

[ChrisM]

I took fundamentals way back when with John Walker. Maciej was in my clas (he's now an instructor). I am arecreational, single tank NDL diver, take a few photos now and then, but no interest in deep/deco/stage/cave diving. Just like to have fun. Sometimes I dive solo. I use a computer. I am not the DIR/GUE posterboy.

Without a doubt the fundies class (as it was then) was very good for my diving. The equipment configuration is far superior (in my opinion only) to that taught by any of the agencies, and sme of the ideas are brilliant (I know they didn't come up with them all, etc....). The bungeed backup. Don't know how I dived without it. Bungees for comp/compass.

Also learned some new skills that I use to this day that have made me a much better diver than I was before.

 

[TSandM]

It really depends on what you want out of your diving.

Fundamentals may (and likely will) show you a higher bar in terms of precise control of your position in three dimensions in the water, and show you some techniques you might not know for controlling it (like the back kick). It is my personal opinion that better control makes for an easier, happier dive, and improves safety, too.

Fundamentals will introduce you to some concepts of gas management and dive planning you might not have heard before (especially since gas planning is never taught in the PADI recreational curriculum at all), and will introduce some new concepts with regard to decompression which may change the way you execute your dives. For me, I immediately noticed feeling better at the end of the day when I began to manage my ascents the way they teach to do them.

Fundies will show you a different way to manage emergencies, which I personally think is better thought-out than the hodge-podge of approaches that are out there in the diving world at large.

But the biggest thing that opened MY eyes with my Fundies class was the intense focus on situational awareness and team. Can you write on your slate or wetnotes, and keep your depth, and keep track of your buddy, and know where the anchor line is? Can you handle an air-share and ascent and make your stops, and not lose your orientation to the shore? Do you turn around in the water and kick your buddy in the face, because you've forgotten he's there? Do you get frustrated because you're constantly looking for the person you're diving with?

That is, to me, the most valuable and most elusive quality of a Fundamentals class, and of DIR diving in general, is the training in situational awareness. Once you have begun to dive this way, and with other people who are similarly trained, then diving with a buddy who doesn't pick up signals, or who doesn't pay attention to the dive plan or to where you are, is very frustrating, because you know it doesn't HAVE to be that way.

It's a different way of diving, and I constantly wish I could convey more vividly why I love it so, and why I feel so incredibly lucky to have stumbled into this world (for which ScubaBoard bears no small responsibility).

So yes, I think a Fundamentals class would be an eye-opener, even if you are a good, solid recreational diver. I have read stories of technical instructors from other agencies who have taken Fundies and come out completely stunned. (My mentor was an open water instructor with about 1500 dives when he took it, and IIRC, he didn't pass the first time around.)

 

[lobstah]

I took fundamentals way back when with John Walker. Maciej was in my clas (he's now an instructor).

Ah a memories . But to the point.

The way coolaid drinkers shape their training is centered around a team not individual diver. Once you start from there, most of it is a pretty obvious and simple stuff. Literally first step is getting to know what you don't know.

 

[Peter_C]

As far as training goes it is the best bang for the buck. Take the class, then come back and tell us all how much you learned.

BTW I do not think there is a bad GUE or UTD instructor out there. Some may be brash and what not, but they do their job of training at a very high level. Never have I seen a post regarding these agencies saying they didn't learn anything in the classes.

The gear they require makes sense and will also help you make diving easier and safer.

 

[Leejnd]

Hi Geoff…and garsh, thanks for saying you’re spellbound by my account!

I completely understand all of your questions – those are all the same questions I had. In fact, I posted a bunch of similarly-veined questions in here not too long ago, and received some illuminating answers. Here’s the link to that thread, in case you haven’t seen it yet:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/socal/352660-questions-dir-divers.html

You’ve received some excellent responses in this thread already, so I’ll leave it to the people who’ve already completed the class to give you more details. I just want to add that I, like you, really have no intention of every going “tech”. I have no interest in cave diving, and only marginal interest in wreck diving (really, penetration doesn’t hold a whole lot of appeal). I might consider looking into decompression diving, for the main purpose of being able to go deeper/longer to see cool stuff I might not otherwise get to see, or possibly learning to use a scooter…but that’s not why I’m taking this class.

I’m taking this class because many aspects of the total system appeal to me. The gear configuration – you don’t really need the class for that, you can use it without it, but I wanted to be able to maximize my benefits from using it. The team concept – I REALLY like that! The drills – I really like the idea of having specific drills to perform regularly to ensure that I develop, and retain, muscle memory for dealing with the most common underwater emergencies that I might encounter. I could possibly have figured out how to create my own drills, but why bother when there’s this great course that has it all scoped out for me already, and there’s this whole community of people who do it the same way so I can practice my skills with any one of them at any time?

I REALLY like the “Minimum Decompression” concept, which I’m not even going to try to explain…it’s one of those things that didn’t make sense to me until I heard it in the context of the whole thing. The propulsion techniques – yeah, those will be awesome for my underwater photography, which has become increasingly of interest to me lately.

There are others as well – it’s all still percolating inside my head, and I’m sure I’ll be able to spew it out more articulately when I’m done. I’ll just say that I feel I will be a more skilled diver in many areas – dive planning, underwater skills (propulsion, buoyancy, trim, ability to avoid damaging the environment), and safety (ability to handle an emergency).

I don’t think it’s the ONLY game in town, but I really like it.

 

[geoff w]

Lots of good comments - thanks all for these.

Hi Geoff…and garsh, thanks for saying you’re spellbound by my account!

LeeAnne - I've now read several DIR accounts here, but since you're going through it now, your account is the most currently spellbinding as the experience unfolds!

I completely understand all of your questions – those are all the same questions I had. In fact, I posted a bunch of similarly-veined questions in here not too long ago, and received some illuminating answers. Here’s the link to that thread, in case you haven’t seen it yet:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/socal/352660-questions-dir-divers.html

I hadn't seen this post before, but many good tidbits in there as well, which serve to further pique my interest in the whole DIR philosophy. I'm not rushing to replace my computer, jacket BC or split fins yet.

You’ve received some excellent responses in this thread already, so I’ll leave it to the people who’ve already completed the class to give you more details. I just want to add that I, like you, really have no intention of every going “tech”. I have no interest in cave diving, and only marginal interest in wreck diving (really, penetration doesn’t hold a whole lot of appeal). I might consider looking into decompression diving, for the main purpose of being able to go deeper/longer to see cool stuff I might not otherwise get to see, or possibly learning to use a scooter…but that’s not why I’m taking this class...

Even if I was interested in diving into 300' deep caves to find lost planes on a scooter in a Clive Cussler kind of way, it won't happen as long as I want to stay married! My wife / dive buddy would never stand for it, so blowing air bubbles and seeing pretty stuff is most of what I plan to do.

When I look at the areas I see myself wanting to improve my diving, underwater navigation skills rank at the top of my list, but I never see that mentioned in the DIR descriptions. I'm comfortable enough underwater in pretty much any situation I get myself into, but my biggest challenge is always getting back to a known point, or getting to one in the first place. I've been working conscientiously on my nav skills, and slowly improving, but from a risk / safety standpoint, that's my top priority right now. While diving with a couple of very serious tech divers earlier this year, even they got lost as to exactly where we were and what was the direction back to the boat!

I can't see my wife making the time commitment it looks like it takes for the DIR class, much less not relying on her computer. How do teams work when one person starts getting into the DIR mindset and the other doesn't have any idea what it's about?

From what I've read here so far, it sounds like my next step should probably be to attend one of the local freebie GUE demo days when it's held again, and pay more attention to what my tech diver friends are actually doing to dive when we are in the water.

 

[kathydee]

My question for the collective wisdom out there is, if I'm a safe, competent recreational diver (about 200 dives since getting certified in '94), and have no interest in stage bottles, overhead environments, decompression diving, or mixed gas more exotic than the Nitrox I can get for recreational diving, ?

I was in a similar position, about 250 dives and 5 C cards when I took Fundies. 200 dives later I'm still a recreational diver but feel more confortable, confident, and know diving is much safer and more efficient ;-).

will I get much benefit from the GUE fundamentals class (or UTD equivalent)? Or would I be just as well off diving more, reading more, staying in semi-decent shape, and diving with people better than me

Will you get much benefit from taking Fundies? The short answer is: YES!