Interested in taking Fundies...

[everlasting]

I've been lurking on these forums for a while now, and while I'm not sure if I'm interested in the DIR way of diving, I am really interested in taking the Fundies course.

Would it be possible for me to rent the gear required for the class? Would my instructor help me with that or would I basically be on my own with that part of the course requirements?

Also, do you know of any non-DIR (either tech or rec) that would be equivalent to Fundies and wouldn't require me to change my gear (I have DIN regs and a back-inflate BC)?

Just to be clear about this, if I was really convinced that I wanted to dive the DIR way, I wouldn't hesitate to update gear. I'm interested in Fundies because it sounds like a rigorous class that will improve my diving, even with non-DIR gear.

 

[Bismark]

Yes, maybe,maybe,no.

That is the short answer. The long answer is that I am sure you could rent the gear (If you lived near here you could borrow some of mine....) and most instructors have been asked this question and could probably direct you.

The second part of your question is more complicated. You won't get the biggest bang for your buck if you attended a Fundamentals course without using a bp/w and the other bits and pieces. Too many people get hung up on questions about "gear" without understanding it's role in the skills you will learn and practice in your course. The standard equipment load out makes the skills you will learn much easier. Trust me, you will want all the help you can get at this point and why not make your training easier if you can. At that point, you can chose to do what you wish, but I don't know of very many examples of someone reverting back to their original gear if it was not GUE-F compliant in the beginning. Take a look at the GUE website, and scroll through the instructors in the San Diego area. There are at least a couple. Mike Kane and Marc Hall come to mind. Marc is in Vancouver most of the time right now but he will be headed back to San Diego pretty soon I think. Email either of them and ask the questions you want from them directly. They will be very helpful.

BTW, you are taking the class for the best of reasons: to improve your diving. Remember to have fun

 

[everlasting]

I actually already looked at the GUE website, and found both Mike and Marc's names, but it said they were located in "California" and not "San Diego" so I wasn't quite sure which part of California. Good to know that it's San Diego!

I chose the gear that I have now because it was recreational gear that I felt was versatile enough to allow me to transition into the tech world when I felt ready for it. I can buy a backplate and use the same wing I have now to get a bp/w instead of a BC. My regulators are already DIN, so except for the addition of long hoses, I don't think those would have to be updated. My rig definitely wouldn't be DIR, but I think (maybe I'm wrong, I can't pretend that I know much about tech diving) it would work for mild/moderate tech purposes. But for right now? I love my gear and it's exactly what I need for the type of diving that I'm doing. I want to take cave courses, but I'm very cautious and anxious. I need WAY more training and experience before I rush into that, and I feel like I want to wait and have my gear grow with me instead of buying new DIR compliant gear.

But at the same time, it seems like the Fundies class has a lot to offer, even if I go back to my BC right after the course is over. That's why I want to take it. I love the concepts it emphasizes (with the exception of standardized gear, which I can see both benefits and disadvantages to), and I feel that those are things that every diver should know.

Of course, this is all speculation. I might take Fundies and fall in love with DIR and never use my BC again.

Feel free to tell me if any of this is really naive or just me getting the wrong idea! And thanks for the helpful answer!

 

[Naram]

IMHO you're missing one point.
While gear IS important, it is not the MOST important thing of the three that actually make - in my mind - the DIR training so effective (being the other two team approach and shared procedures).
So in theory you could rent the equipment or temporarily adapt yours and take the Fund.

But I'm betting you'll find the gear cfg so versatile that you will not need or want to change it back again.
The point is that you do not need to have a completely different gear for different dives.
You have a basic configuration:
On deeper/longer dives you'll add equipment and each component will fall nicely into its place.
On shallower/shorter dives the same ease of use and efficiency will make your dives safer and more comfortable.

Between the so-called recreational dives and technical dives the foundations of the configuration are identical. The base logic of my gear works well in the Red Sea at 18mt of 26°C water, using a single S80 o in the cold deep waters of Italy's northern lakes with double 15s and stages, towed by the scooter.

I wish I had learned that at the beginning of my diving "career": I'd have saved me tons of money in not-used-anymore items

So take your course as you feel better but be prepared: at the end of it you will quite likely kiss your old gear goodbye

 

[Vie]

Also, do you know of any non-DIR (either tech or rec) that would be equivalent to Fundies and wouldn't require me to change my gear (I have DIN regs and a back-inflate BC)?

You could try the Essentials class from 5thD-X/Breakthru Diving... You will still need to have a long hose and will probably need to use Jet (or similar) fins though.

Discussion of class: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/139235-essentials-great-class.html

Brief class description: 5thD-X/Breakthru Diving

The class is not a Fundies equivalent but will give you a good introduction.

 

[coldsmoke]

I think all you need for fundies is a bp/w, rigid non-split fins, and a long hose for your primary. I know you don't need din regs. You will need a smb and spool, but you can borrow those pretty easily I'm sure. If you want a tec pass you need doubles and a can light as well.

Lots of people think there's a lot more gear requirements than there actually is. Sure there are many recommendations (like din regs, spring straps, etc) and they'll tell you why it's a good idea, but it's not required for fundies.

Good luck, it's a great class.

Hunter

PS, While I don't know anything about Essentials with Breakthru diving, wouldn't it be pretty similar to fundies? After-all, wasn't AG pretty instrumental in the current model of fundies?

 

[Rainer]

After-all, wasn't AG pretty instrumental in the current model of fundies?

Nope.

 

[coldsmoke]

Well, I sure don't know, but wasn't he the director of curriculum or something like that?

Hunter

 

[Rainer]

Training director. The Fundies course existed before that time. Talking to people who took it then, the fundamental aspects of Fundamentals were JJ's doing, not AG's. I think you'd be hard pressed to assert AG was "pretty instrumental" in bringing about the current Fundies class. In any case, this is quite orthogonal to the OP's question.

 

[coldsmoke]

True, unless the OP is trying to evaluate whether to take fundies or essentials. Your're right however, it doesn't make any difference who created the courses -just the content. I had always thought that essentials with break-thru was similar to fundies that's all. In fact I was hoping to take Tech 1 with break-thru for a "same but different" approach. I have since decide to go a different route, but I might still go that route some day.

Hunter