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

[PEDiver]

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.

Appreciate the recommendation! I have a buddy who took fundies with them as well and he spoke very highly of them.

 

[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.

I'll be the first to say there is always room for improvement and I'm always looking for ways to fine tune my skills in the water. This would be a great way to do it and now it's more about when vs. if!

 

[The Chairman]

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

@kierentec has already responded. @mer would be my other recommendation. Both are in High Springs Florida, and I think they are the best GUE has to offer. IOW, they are the best of the best, and I don't give out those accolades easily.

As with any instructor, it's imperative that you choose the best for you. Reach out and ask them some questions, either privately or publicly.

 

[jadairiii]

I can highly recommend Meredith Tanguay and Max Frenkel.

+2 on those. Also suggest Lauren Wilson, same area.

As other have stated, it wont hurt you. I was NAUI and IANTD through full mix, and had over 20 years of diving under the belt when I took Fundies. Great experience.
https://www.facebook.com/laurenwilson00?__tn__=,d

 

[AnotherDiverHere]

Class report incoming in the podcast?

I am trying my hand at a written report. I have most of it completed, now I just need to clean it up and make it presentable. After a week or two of self doubt and wanting to throw is in the trash, it should be ready for me to post.

The course did have an impact to the point where I have reached out to some GUE instructors for interviews to highlight the recreational side of GUE. Also, to discredit myths and misconceptions associated with the agency.

 

[The Chairman]

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.

Meredith = @mer

 

[rddvet]

Meredith = @mer

Just to clarify for everyone, Max Frankel and Mer work together. Both are great. I originally signed up specifically to take fundies with Mer. It ended up that she had a cave class, so my class was run by Max. I won't lie at first I was a little concerned as I didn't know Max at all. I also didn't really know Mer, but had overheard her classes multiple times and was impressed. I had some trepidations since I didn't know how Max taught, but I quickly learned I had no reason to be worried. Max is a great guy and an excellent teacher. His class was reminiscent of what I had overheard from Mer's class. I think that's a testament to the fact that GUE does a great job of standardizing the quality of their instructors and also the fact that Mer and Max work so well together. Besides gaining skills I didn't know I was missing and fine tuning others, I also met a great dive buddy in the class which is priceless.
I would recommend Mer and Max (wetrocksdiving.com), Jon Kieren, Kelvin and Ivo at Third Dimension in Mexico, and Mr G in Bonaire.

 

[Matan]

With all that being said, back to my original question: is it worth taking Fundamentals this late in the game? Has anyone been down a similar path? I know it's an investment of time and money, but the tradeoff could very well be worth it. Would love to hear some thoughts!

Yes.

Same as many people I had technical diving experience and 10+ years of diving before fundies.
But after fundies I was so amazed by how good can one really become on the basics that it really changed the way I looked at diving.

I have all sorts of "expensive" gear (CCR/DPV/tanks/suits/cameras/lights/etc.) - Yet the one thing I put most of my money on was GUE training (since I had to fly abroad every time) - looking at GUE fundies+T1+T2+CCR this was a lot of money on "just" training - But this by far the best "investment" I did in my diving (good training should not be cheap).

Go for it!

Matan.

 

[mer]

For the experienced diver, think of Fundamentals as a structured coaching program. Anyone in any sport can benefit from working with a talented educator who can take them from wherever they are to a better and more refined skill set. A talented scuba educator can adapt Fundamentals to the level of the students in front of them; same skills, different feedback and focus items to different level of experience students.

This coaching aspect I also view as one of the benefits of all GUE instructors having to requalify every 4 years. Besides the quality assurance part of this, the requal provides and opportunity for the instructor to get another instructor's eyes on them and get a coaching session. Dive skills and education skills are never complete; it's a constant journey of learning and small incremental refinements.

Thank you to all of you who have recommended me, Max, and others on the Wet Rocks Team. We greatly appreciate the recognition of our committment to quality (and also having a fun time while learning). Evolve. Excel. Explore. Enjoy!

You can check out the Testimonals page on wetrocksdiving.com to see some comments from experienced divers who have taken the class.

 

[PEDiver]

For the experienced diver, think of Fundamentals as a structured coaching program. Anyone in any sport can benefit from working with a talented educator who can take them from wherever they are to a better and more refined skill set. A talented scuba educator can adapt Fundamentals to the level of the students in front of them; same skills, different feedback and focus items to different level of experience students.

Love that thinking and approach - from all the responses so far, the student pool for fundies definitely seems like it can be a diverse group and being able to tailor it to each person with regards to feedback and areas of focus is important. And that's really what I'm hoping to get out of it - coaching and having someone teach me objectively where I can improve. I will definitely check out your website!