No crotch strap??

[c6six]

Ok, a new instructor. That is kind of what I thought, but would it be ok to still do stuff with him, and do things my own way?? He had no problem with me keeping the crotch strap on, he just recommended going w/o. Or since I am young and impressionable will I be picking up other bad habits?? I don't know of any other tech instructors around me...... The only other route that I know of for right now is going the GUE way. Which I intend on doing, I just thought that I could go through and do a bunch of courses with this guy first, they wouldn't be as demanding and I would get a bunch of practice ( I don't want to practice bad skills though). Should I just get the practice on my own and then go after the GUE thing, or am I at risk of picking up too many bad habits??

Thanks for all of the help!!

Maybe I should just pick up the GUE course books read them through to get an idea of what I should be doing and then go and see how I can do w/o any formal instruction for a while.

 

[c6six]

Oh, and I can touch the top of my back plate easily, but maybe it does need to be tighter. I do think I just need practice, but someone who could help me would be a big plus.

 

[Rainer]

Ok, a new instructor. That is kind of what I thought, but would it be ok to still do stuff with him, and do things my own way?? He had no problem with me keeping the crotch strap on, he just recommended going w/o. Or since I am young and impressionable will I be picking up other bad habits?? I don't know of any other tech instructors around me...... The only other route that I know of for right now is going the GUE way. Which I intend on doing, I just thought that I could go through and do a bunch of courses with this guy first, they wouldn't be as demanding and I would get a bunch of practice ( I don't want to practice bad skills though). Should I just get the practice on my own and then go after the GUE thing, or am I at risk of picking up too many bad habits??

Thanks for all of the help!!

Maybe I should just pick up the GUE course books read them through to get an idea of what I should be doing and then go and see how I can do w/o any formal instruction for a while.

If your intention is to eventually go GUE, then do so now. Take the GUE-F class to start. That will be a very good introduction, and would likely be extremely useful regardless of which agency you pursued for tech training.

 

[cool_hardware52]

If your intention is to eventually go GUE, then do so now. Take the GUE-F class to start. That will be a very good introduction, and would likely be extremely useful regardless of which agency you pursued for tech training.

I agree. Some of the best time and $$ I ever spent on dive training.


Tobin

 

[TSandM]

Agreed. You have a couple of GUE instructors in your general area, and the one in CT does a buoyancy class that gets rave reviews. One advantage of doing that is also that you can get plugged into a nearby DIR community and find buddies and mentors.

 

[stiebs]

Do you actually have problems reaching your valves, or is your instructor just assuming you will. From your posts, it doesn't sound like you've had any training where valve shutdown is a requirement.

If your harness is a good snug fit and positioned properly (which it sounds as if it is), you should have no problems reaching your valves.

One mistake that a lot of people seem to make is simply using the wrong technique. It seems to make sense to many that the best way to reach behind you back is to put your hand at your ear, then swing your elbow out wide away from your torso. This requires waaay too much flexibility that necessary.

The easier way to do it is to keep your elbow pointing straight ahead. If you do the movement standing up on land, your elbow will be pointing directly in front of you, and then make an arc so it end up pointing directly at the sky.

Hope I described that well enough

 

[c6six]

Well I guess that was a pretty clear response. So I am putting money away for my dry suit, and GUE fundies. Could someone tell me what a fundies class might cost.

Agreed. You have a couple of GUE instructors in your general area, and the one in CT does a buoyancy class that gets rave reviews. One advantage of doing that is also that you can get plugged into a nearby DIR community and find buddies and mentors.

This sounds great TSandM. Looking at the GUE site there is only 1 instructor in NY, and 1 in CT. It should be pretty easy to figure out. Could you tell me more about this buoyancy class. Is it a separate class offered by this instructor in CT. Or is it something that is/would be included if I did the GUE fundies class with that instructor?

Another great plus as you mentioned would be finding a mentor.

 

[c6six]

Do you actually have problems reaching your valves, or is your instructor just assuming you will. From your posts, it doesn't sound like you've had any training where valve shutdown is a requirement.

If your harness is a good snug fit and positioned properly (which it sounds as if it is), you should have no problems reaching your valves.

One mistake that a lot of people seem to make is simply using the wrong technique. It seems to make sense to many that the best way to reach behind you back is to put your hand at your ear, then swing your elbow out wide away from your torso. This requires waaay too much flexibility that necessary.

The easier way to do it is to keep your elbow pointing straight ahead. If you do the movement standing up on land, your elbow will be pointing directly in front of you, and then make an arc so it end up pointing directly at the sky.

Hope I described that well enough

I have only done doubles drills in the pool, I just got my double wing, and have just began to practice in it. I can reach my valves fairly easy, but I was definitely doing it more the elbow pointed out way. What you are saying makes sense I'll try it that way this weekend if I can.

Thank you all once again! I would be lost and planning on removing my crotch strap w/o you!

 

[Rainer]

There are THREE instructors locally (Bob Sherwood in NY, Ed Hayes in CT, and George Bouloukos in CT). I've taken a class with the latter two, and will be taking another class in two weeks from Sherwood. It's Ed Hayes who runs the intensive buoyancy classes (which are separate from the Fundamentals class) at Scuba Shack. Call him up and chat. Let him know where you want to take your diving, and he'll help you plan to meet your goals. He's an incredible instructor. Fundamentals classes here in the NE are somewhere around $550. It comes out to about $10/hr. Some of the best money I've spent on this hobby/activity.

 

[c6six]

Nice, I have looked at Bob Sherwoods website before and thought I would take classes with him eventually. I will get in touch with Ed Hayes and start working out a plan.

Oh, and I don't know if I went overboard thanking everyone, but it's a big help to me.