DIR- GUE Is it worth taking Fundamentals this late in the game?

[Twiny]

Have you taken fundies?

Nope, for the exact same reason that I mentioned.
But I would chose GUE path (or ISE or UTD) straight after OW certification without any hesitation if I had to redo my diving training from the start

 

[steinbil]

Nope, for the exact same reason that I mentioned.
But I would chose GUE path (or ISE or UTD) straight after OW certification without any hesitation if I had to redo my diving training from the start

Then maybe give the other posts in this thread a read, and it might change your perspective.

 

[steinbil]

I recently took a fundamentals class, around a month ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so that I plan to continue down the GUE path.

Class report incoming in the podcast?

 

[rddvet]

Hi, You are a TDI Trimix diver & IANTD intro cave diver with over 10 years experience in Tec diving.
I am pretty sure that the GUE fundies in itself won't help you in anyway. In case you might be willing to finetune something, you can anyway train it by yourself with good tips found on the web or from your GUE friends/buddies.
However, passing the GUE fundies (Tec version i.e with twinset & canister light) is a must if you want to enroll in GUE more advanced tec courses. In your situation I would only consider GUE fundies provided you want to go further.
Maybe (not sure about it), you would not have the same issue with the 2 other DIR-minded training organisations (ISE & UTD) : showing proof of an excellent TEC level, might be sufficient to go further with them ?

This sounds like it’s written by someone with zero first hand experience with fundies

 

[DavidFL]

I’d be open to any instructor recommendations in FL (ideally near cave country).

I can highly recommend wetrocksdiving; Meredith Tanguay and Max Frenkel. I recall that links are disabled for various security reasons but if you google it you'll find information about their classes in the High Springs and other areas.

 

[SpeedyJ]

I think my primary goals taking fundies would be:
1. Improve skills and close any gaps in previous training
2. Meet other likeminded divers and have a larger community to dive with

I’m not too far from cave country so I think I will talk to some local GUE instructors. That’s a great article @kierentec and reading that was helpful especially coming from someone who went down this route already.

I'm sure the SEUE community will help you along the way with both those goals. In addition to talking with instructors, I'd recommend talking with SEUE community members about different instructor options, and how you learn best. While you're going to get a high level of instruction from any GUE instructor and the same SOPs/standards, you'll find different backgrounds, personalities, and teaching styles.

I found an instructor who teaches a lot through stories, philosophical inquiry, and discussion on "why?" that is a great match for me. At the same time, my buddy is better paired with an instructor who takes a more direct, step learning approach. With a little chatting with the members of SEUE, I'm sure you'll find the right pairing for you.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

So there was this local (to me) dive pro with 20 years diving experience, thousands of certifications as an instructor, had been to Truk, SSI Platinum Pro, etc. (not sure exactly of what his tech training certifications were like).

He took fundies and washed out. Couldn't earn a rec pass at the first go around and was never able to meet the bar during his provisional period.

Just because someone has the certs, years of experience, number of technical dives, doesn't necessarily translate to skills. I'm not a cave diver myself, but I've heard complaints from friends who are (including instructors) about the bottom end of the skills range that exists.

@PEDiver I'm not pointing the finger at you. I honestly don't know what level you are at, and when it comes to cave diving, I'm not qualified to evaluate you. But one thing I've learned is that divers (myself included) usually are not as good as we think we are. It has been painful at times to see myself on video when I haven't practiced/dived in a while.

 

[rddvet]

Nope, for the exact same reason that I mentioned.
But I would chose GUE path (or ISE or UTD) straight after OW certification without any hesitation if I had to redo my diving training from the start

Then you probably should have not commented. The dir forum is too full of people like you that give an opinion but have nothing to back it up. I suggest reading and seeing what people say rather than posting a comment the op won’t get much when you clearly have nothing to use as a basis for your statement. It makes your opinion white noise

 

[rddvet]

I can highly recommend wetrocksdiving; Meredith Tanguay and Max Frenkel. I recall that links are disabled for various security reasons but if you google it you'll find information about their classes in the High Springs and other areas.

I took it with max and was very happy.

@PEDiverBut one thing I've learned is that divers (myself included) usually are not as good as we think we are.

[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]
never a truer statement. I felt as though I’d glean a tiny bit of knowledge and as a whole thought of myself as a good diver. At the end of the class I learned I was still a good diver, gleaned a lot of knowledge, but I also learned I had much room for improvement. And that’s exactly the point of the class for someone with tons of experience already. To learn things you probably don’t realize you don’t know.
[/QUOTE]

 

[Nitrogenius]

My motto is a training never hurts..
This is what I keep saying to folaks ranting about access restrictions with certain certs only etc.
So what just do the additioinal training and move on.
There is better trainings and there is worse, but I never had any training where I came out and said, well that was for nothing.
It is also up to the student to make the most of a training curriculum..