My Official Introduction to GUE - Long Report with Mind-Numbing Detail!

[ScubaSam]

Speaking of hopeless, yesterday I went to the pool to see if I could do the Fundies required swim in the allotted time. The pool is 25 yards. The required swim is 300 yards. I did the math and came up with 12 laps. I did not do 12 laps in under 14 minutes. :depressed: However, I did figured out that I had the math wrong, and I only needed to do 6 laps, which is not a problem.

And thanks to everyone who has read my report and "liked" it!

I barely passed my swim test doing the 300 yards in about 12 minutes and took three tries to successfully do the one breath hold swim.

 

[HenrikBP]

The pool is 25 yards. The required swim is 300 yards. I did the math and came up with 12 laps. I did not do 12 laps in under 14 minutes. :depressed: However, I did figured out that I had the math wrong, and I only needed to do 6 laps, which is not a problem.

Sorry Lisa, I'm no "math geek" (geek - just not math ), but if the pool is indeed 25 yards then: 300/25 = 12 ... sorry

Henrik
(I went looking for the part numbers for the big SS hose clamps I used, but McMaster have lost the list of my previous orders. Let me know if you need more info, and I'll try to dig deeper)

 

[Beiji]

I barely passed my swim test doing the 300 yards in about 12 minutes and took three tries to successfully do the one breath hold swim.

But you did it! Did you try it before the actual test?

Sorry Lisa, I'm no "math geek" (geek - just not math ), but if the pool is indeed 25 yards then: 300/25 = 12 ... sorry
Henrik

Yeah, it's 12 lengths, but that's 6 laps. Right?

(I went looking for the part numbers for the big SS hose clamps I used, but McMaster have lost the list of my previous orders. Let me know if you need more info, and I'll try to dig deeper)

Someone told me I could probably find them at Home Depot but might have to change out the screw to SS. Do you know what size hose clamp you have?

 

[ScubaSam]

But you did it! Did you try it before the actual test?

I tried it at my gym's pool and knew I was sloooooooooow.

For the breath hold swim, after I could not clear half the pool distance on first two attempts, Bob walked over and gave me a pep talk, told me that I had to relax and glide through the water. So on my final attempt, I relaxed even shutting my eyes so I could feel myself glide through the water, then I opened my eyes and had cleared the half-way marker in the pool and KNEW I could finish the swim.

I owe it all to Bob's pep talk which was both firm and kind at the same time. How the heck does he do that???

 

[HenrikBP]

Yeah, it's 12 lengths, but that's 6 laps. Right?

I always put length = lap ...? But 12 lengths would make 300 yards. So if you can do 12 lengths in the allotted time, you're good to go

Someone told me I could probably find them at Home Depot but might have to change out the screw to SS. Do you know what size hose clamp you have?

Home D has big hose clamps. I just wasn't comfortable with their strength and rust resistance. Once you have to start messing around finding different screws, you might as well buy something that works out of the bag and will hold up.

I used McMaster part number 5682K19 (Vibration resistant, 316 SS, 4-3/4" to 5-5/8"ID range) for my AL40 - $8.72 for a pack of 2, and
part # 5682K24 (Vibration resistant, 316 SS, 6-3/4" to 7-5/8" ID range) for my AL80 - $9.79 for a pack of 2

I used hose clamp protector from Piranha to protect the tank: Cylinder / Hose Clamp Rubber Protector, Piranha Dive Manufacturing and 1" bolt snaps: 1" Swivel Bolt Snap SS, Piranha Dive Manufacturing

Of course, if you tally up those numbers, you're not too far off the price of a store bought rig , but I like making stuff, and you'll know how it all works and be able to tweak to your own preferences.

Henrik

 

[ScubaInChicago]

Good thing it was just a simulation of an OOA emergency because I would not want to go down in diving history as the person who killed Bob Sherwood (and I'm sure he would never really go OOA and if he did he could save himself at only 40 ft)!

Out of AIR, NEVER. OOG, maybe ... Nice write up.

 

[Beiji]

I owe it all to Bob's pep talk which was both firm and kind at the same time. How the heck does he do that???

That's a good teacher, but it must be that he also has a teaching style that works for you (and for me).

Of course, if you tally up those numbers, you're not too far off the price of a store bought rig , but I like making stuff, and you'll know how it all works and be able to tweak to your own preferences.

Thanks for the additional info, Henrik. I haven't even started gathering supplies yet, and I was hoping to get in a couple dives with it before I go up to the river on the 23rd.

Out of AIR, NEVER. OOG, maybe ... Nice write up.

Oops. And thanks.

 

[Beiji]

Oh, I think I had it wrong with 2 lengths = 1 lap. I guess each length is a lap. Henrik had it right.

 

[TSandM]

Great report!

A private day of instruction with people of Bob's caliber is an incredibly focused and intense way to acquire a lot of feedback and information quickly. The sad part, though, is that DIR diving is not a solitary activity, and training one-on-one with the instructor, although effective, doesn't give you much of a feel for the deepest core of GUE diving, which is working as a team.

When you get a chance to do that, you begin to understand why auxiliary bottles aren't a part of the GUE recreational diver's setup. If I dove routinely with more assorted buddies, I'd have a slung 40, or be diving doubles. With my trained companions, I have never worried at all about where my next breath was coming from. The one major problem I've had underwater, which was a violent freeflow that wouldn't stop, I had TWO buddies with oodles of gas, shoving regulators in my face. It was very reassuring.

Have fun working with your new skills. The greater your control in the water, the happier a dive becomes.

 

[Beiji]

Lynne, thanks for your feedback. If I end up taking Fundamentals, I'll get to experience team diving and see first hand what it's all about. Right now I have a pretty good idea, but I know it's not the same as actually doing it.