Noob questions and comments about GUE Fundamentals class

[humanbeing]

Hi,
I'm interested in taking this class, but believe me when I tell you that my skills are faaaaaaaaaar from being up to snuff with the requirements. I'm your basic OW scrub. I'm confident that I'll get there, but I need lots of time and practice.

It almost seems like the class is more of a test than a class, but it seems that can't be the case, since everyone raves about the class. The requirements are physical skills, which means that, like most other physical skills, they require repetitive practice. So how does it work when they show you the skills, and you only have a few minutes to practice them before they test your proficiency in them? And if you don't "pass," you have to pay to take the class again. I would only be interested in taking the class if I received a pass that would allow me to continue on with the other classes.

What exactly does the class teach? Is there a place where I can get a hold of some kind of practice routine or schedule to follow before taking the class? How have other people here gone from crappy OW to proficient? I live in MA and currently own these things:

BP/W
regs
wetsuit
fins
mask
compass (sk-7)
suunto vyper
gloves
boots

What makes sense to get next? It will take me quite a while to save up for a drysuit. I also want to get lights and tanks eventually. I'm interested in doing night dives once I get the lights, and wrecks further down the line. I'd appreciate it if anyone could recommend an order to get these things in.

Thanks!

 

[StreetDoctor]

A lot of your questions can be answered here:

GUE Fundamentals | Global Underwater Explorers

 

[Rainer]

I did my first 300 dives in MA. I was introduced to DIR practices pretty early on.

Your BEST local resource is Ed Hayes (GUE Fundamentals instructor) in CT. Do as I did, call him. He can help you meet other (more local) GUE-trained divers.

The best practice for GUE-F is just to go diving. If you can dive with other DIR divers, that can only help. You might want to get on the NE-UE board (http://www.ne-ue.info/) to see about finding buddies. There are no specific skills you need to practice before the class. Your goal should be the ability to float and remain still enough to observe the instructor and practice the skills while remaining neutrally buoyant. It all starts there. The rest you can learn in class. You will likely then go off and practice (ideally with your new team) for a month or so, then come back for your evaluation. If you don't pass, rinse and repeat. You don't have to pay for a new class (though probably a few bucks for a re-evaluation, no big deal). My GUE-F with Ed was some of the very best money I spent on diving. He's an amazing instructor.

A dry suit in MA is a really, really good idea. Look for a deal on a used suit. You can easily find something for less than $1000. Being able to dive all year comfortably will make diving a lot more fun and lead to much improved skills and comfort. You can worry about adding lights and other goodies later.

Hi,
I'm interested in taking this class, but believe me when I tell you that my skills are faaaaaaaaaar from being up to snuff with the requirements. I'm your basic OW scrub. I'm confident that I'll get there, but I need lots of time and practice.

It almost seems like the class is more of a test than a class, but it seems that can't be the case, since everyone raves about the class. The requirements are physical skills, which means that, like most other physical skills, they require repetitive practice. So how does it work when they show you the skills, and you only have a few minutes to practice them before they test your proficiency in them? And if you don't "pass," you have to pay to take the class again. I would only be interested in taking the class if I received a pass that would allow me to continue on with the other classes.

What exactly does the class teach? Is there a place where I can get a hold of some kind of practice routine or schedule to follow before taking the class? How have other people here gone from crappy OW to proficient? I live in MA and currently own these things:

BP/W
regs
wetsuit
fins
mask
compass (sk-7)
suunto vyper
gloves
boots

What makes sense to get next? It will take me quite a while to save up for a drysuit. I also want to get lights and tanks eventually. I'm interested in doing night dives once I get the lights, and wrecks further down the line. I'd appreciate it if anyone could recommend an order to get these things in.

Thanks!

 

[TSandM]

How have other people here gone from crappy OW to proficient?

I took Fundies at 60 dives. At that point, I had had forty dives worth of mentoring from a Fundies trained NAUI instructor, who taught me a little modified flutter kick and how to use a light for communication. From watching him, I got the idea of horizontal trim, although I couldn't maintain it when I wasn't kicking (some of that was unbalanced equipment). I floundered through Fundies, and my group -- the "silk purse out of sows ear" group -- didn't even get to all the skills, because we were so woefully awful.

It wasn't a horrible experience, though. The instructor was patient and kind, and I had known going in that I was no Fundies pass level diver.

And afterwards, I hooked up with a student from the class after mine, and we did some practice dives, and I also did a lot of other, just pure fun diving, where I got a chance to practice the most important skills of buoyancy, trim, kicks, and communication. Six months after I took the class, I passed a reevaluation dive.

Too many people, in my opinion, take the class with the idea that they HAVE to pass it the first time through. Since I agree with you, that it is nearly impossible to take the output of the standard OW class and bring that person up to Fundies tech pass (or sometimes even rec pass) standards in four days, that means people go out and try desperately to find someone to teach them all the Fundies skills before they get there -- which means the class IS just a final exam for them. I understand this in people who have huge logistical issues in getting a class together. If you are flying an instructor in from far away, and paying his airfare and lodging, as well as the class costs, then needing a reevaluation becomes painful. I was very lucky; we had a local GUE instructor when I took my class, so a reeval was not a big deal at all.

I think, in an ideal world, everybody interested in the class would take it in a single tank, about when I did, and work on their skills that way. They could then transition into doubles when and if they felt the need to go on, and do the tech pass reeval (which can be done at any time) to get the blessing to do the technical classes. That way, the class would be used as it is most productive, I think: to teach better skills to the people who need them, when they need them, and to have that teaching done by someone who's had some very good instruction in HOW to teach effectively.

Nothing in Fundies is esoteric, and nothing in Fundies is specific to technical diving. Fundies taken in a single tank is simply an introduction to better diving skills.

If you want to find out about the class, there are a ton of Fundies reports here on SB (in fact, there used to be a thread that simply listed the links to a bunch of them). If you want my take on the class, read my thread on "Fundies, my bottom line" that I wrote six months after I took it.

GUE Fundamentals was a pivotal experience for me as a diver. Even if you don't go on to any further training with GUE, it will change the way you dive.

 

[ringmod65]

As I've posted previously, I flamed out spectacularly in my GUE-F class. I should have done my homework, but figured I was a decent PADI diver with 100 dives and would therefore breeze through the class. The first time I was asked to hold a position on a platform in actual trim, I realized that I was in completely over my head. The good news is that by the end of the week, I had pretty much mastered the skills that I should have had prior to class.

As someone used to excelling at most anything I attempt, I beat myself up for weeks after my poor (non?) performance in class. Since class ended I have dived like crazy practicing skills on each dive. Recently I did some of my first warm water diving and when people asked why I didn't even want to view the video after the dives I replied that I had seen quite enough of myself diving on video, mostly with an insanely dedicated instructor who did everything but break out a protractor to measure degrees off horizontal trim. Much to my surprise, when I did manage to peek between my fingers and view the video, I had improved so much that I hardly recognized myself.

Oddly enough, with all that I have going on in my life (plenty, trust me) not a single day goes by where I don't spend at least some time thinking about the class, my teammates, my instructor, and especially my resolve to earn my "pass" in the Spring. As a matter of fact, this very morning on my way out of the house I told my wife that not a day goes by that I don't think of that class.

It is my understanding that GUE-F (DIR-F) was initially used as a tool to gauge whether a diver had sufficient facility with the "fundamentals" of diving to continue with advanced GUE training. So in that sense, GUE-F is more of a checkout than a class. This is one of the reasons that the organization is in the process of instituting more traditional Open Water training.

Perhaps the greatest part of my GUE experience has been the dedicated instructors. I am quite dedicated to becoming a safer and more competent diver. Once my instructor recognized this, he has gone out of his way to help me out in anyway he could.

Work on your buoyancy and trim, and master the use of your drysuit before class. Most importantly, if at first you don't - well, you know the rest...

 

[GShockey]

You may want to consider asking your local GUE instructor about the GUE Primer class. It is a non-certification class where you will spend at least two days working on your foundational skills of buoyancy, trim, and propulsion as well as team awareness. You will do a lot of diving in this class and work on those primary skills. You will also be introduced to GUE and some of the GUE ethos. It is 100% a learning experience class where you will have the undivided attention of your GUE instructor in helping tell and show you where you are on the learning "curve" as well as help show you what you need to do next to continue on this "curve". I just ran this class for three divers this past weekend who were not sure if they were ready for Fundamentals and the process was very rewarding. They increased their skill levels significantly to the point where if they choose to continue on this "curve" they will be very well prepared for future GUE classes and they can focus more on the learning process (trust me, you will learn a lot in Fundamentals) rather than have that learning process be overshadowed by fear of "failing" the class.

Best,

Guy

 

[AndyNZ]

It almost seems like the class is more of a test than a class, but it seems that can't be the case, since everyone raves about the class.

There seems to be a perception of that - I think in part driven by the fact that it is a challenging class, so people see it (as an ego thing?) as something to test themselves against.

The three GUE instructors I know personally, and others on online forums, are all of a like mind and try to encourage people to view it as a learning experience. The suggestion to phone your nearest GUE instructor and chat to them is a good one.

In my opinion, the best time to "master" the skills is actually after the class - the class itself is a chance to see the skills, to learn the mechanics of how to do them and get some personal feedback on what your strengths and weaknesses are and how to progress towards being a better diver.

The class is, again just my opinion, about much more than just the skills. It's about thinking about your diving, and nurturing abilities in things like situational awareness - which is something that it is never too early to learn about.

If the class interests you, go for it!!! Give Ed Hayes a call, and get his view on it and then his help in getting a couple of other people together who are in the same space as you - having a balanced team will make it much more fun, and you can share the same learning experience.

 

[mikeguerrero]

To the OP,

I don't know if you are familiar with UTD in your area, but if you are concerned about a Pass/Fail status you might want to consider one of their training classes.

Look up the Essentials class and see if it will work for you. I took the class and even though it was rigorous and tough, I came out with so much knowledge for future DIR diving.

I didn't have the pass/fail in the back of my head and that was a relief while in the water learning so many new skills.

Look at all your options before you make an informed decision.

Hope that helps out...

MG

 

[humanbeing]

Thanks to all, especially for the resources and the not looking at as a pass/fail thing. What's the tuition for the class,and what's the cost of the re-eval?

 

[Rainer]

Costs are determined by the individual instructors. Ultimately, it's very cheap for what you get.