preparing for fundies

[FishDiver]

This question comes up with a fair degree of regularity on this board. Maybe it'd be a good subject for a sticky or a FAQ? Just a thought.

I have not taken fundies. I would suggest a sticky of the specific agenda and curriculum for the class.

 

[Ben_ca]

GUE Fundamentals Course

Purpose

The GUE Fundamentals course is designed to cultivate the essential techniques required by all sound diving practice, irrespective of level or environment.....

more on GUE.com

 

[lucybuykx]

thanks Ben.

Though I think I might enjoy the underpants-made-for-two definition more

 

[rhlee]

thanks Ben.

Though I think I might enjoy the underpants-made-for-two definition more

underpants == team resource? I suppose

 

[Carribeandiver]

Quick question from a numptie - whats "fundies"?

I've tried google and I have a choice of health food store, a selection of objects for adult fun or passionate christians.

Presume you guys mean something else...?

fundies = fundamentals. particularly referencing GUE DIR Fundamentals. Calling it fun because the S & M diving crowd enjoys the torture of it all.

 

[pengwe]

Thanks for all the responses. Class will be in May.

I've done 2 dives with a bp/w now. It's so easy to dive this set-up, it's hard to think what I should be practising. I didn't expect there to be that much difference to a jacket BC, but it is amazing. I practised taking my mask off underwater, which I haven't done since OW class. That was a lot more unpleasant than I remember, and did terrible things to my buoyancy. I thought if I was neutrally buoyant I was neutrally buoyant, and task loading shouldn't really affect that, but it does. Does that mean I'm not really neutral, and compensating with breathing and movement, so when I have to do something else as well, I lose it? Given that your lung volume changes as you breathe, is it possible to be actually neutral, without need for micro-adjustments?

I'm concerned about the 15m breathhold swim. Seems like I can't get past about 12m, no matter how hard I try. I try to go a little bit further each time, but each time I come up at exactly the same spot. I can swim on the surface just fine, but I'm really lousy at holding my breath. I read all the advice in other threads - hopefully that will work out.

Question: I've tried 4 different jacket type BCs (incl one rear inflate) and they all seem similarish, bp/w was very different, much more solid. I've only tried the one kind of backplate though, will different backplates all be similar? Do different brands, or different material make much of a difference to the stability?

 

[Bismark]

What worked for me was integrating my drills with my breathing. Try taking your mask off at the half-way point of your exhale. You won't tend to suck in a big breath right away and it gives you face a chance to adjust. Also, think about your breathing pattern... a lot... The first time I tried a simple regulator remove and replace I took a big breath, removed the reg, and guess what, I started moving up and had to quickly exhale, then I had no air left in my lungs to clear my reg and had to purge it. (considered a less than cool way to clear your reg in drills!) If you have any DIR folks near you, have them take a look at your BP/W and see if it is fitted properly. Really important to have your shoulder d-rings at the right height. Then you can get used to clipping off items with one hand. This is an incredibly useful skill as you don't have to move much and screw with your trim as you clip off your primary light or your long hose on drills. See if you can get in the water with someone else and hover facing each other and try to maintain a set depth. Then try to do your basic five drills while facing your buddy and hovering at the set depth. Hint: pay strict attention to depth and halt any slide in depth with your breathing as soon as you can detect it. It is a lot easier to adjust 1 foot depth as compared to 4 feet. This basic stuff can be very challenging and frustrating but hang in there. It will come and you will look back and go "how could that be so difficult". Then you will go dive with your buddies and watch them flounder all over the place while you are waiting motionless for them to get their act together!!

 

[TSandM]

Really pay attention to whether you can hover absolutely motionless, and I mean without any fin movement at all. What I found out after Fundies was that part of the reason I went vertical when task-loaded was that I was weighted out of balance. When I was not distracted, I was maintaining my trim through finning (without being at all conscious of it). But when I was task-loaded, I'd forget to do whatever it was I was doing to stay horizontal, and I'd tip. The problem essentially went AWAY when I got my weight distribution sorted out, but it came back with the switch to doubles, because I haven't yet got the same ideal balance underwater yet.

 

[WJL]

...I practised taking my mask off underwater, which I haven't done since OW class. That was a lot more unpleasant than I remember, and did terrible things to my buoyancy. I thought if I was neutrally buoyant I was neutrally buoyant, and task loading shouldn't really affect that, but it does. Does that mean I'm not really neutral, and compensating with breathing and movement, so when I have to do something else as well, I lose it? Given that your lung volume changes as you breathe, is it possible to be actually neutral, without need for micro-adjustments?

When people have a problem with buoyancy doing skills, it is almost always because they take a big breath when they start the skill. As soon as they take in a big breath, they start to ascend. The effect is accentuated in the shallow depths where these skills are tested in a fundies class. The simple answer is don't take the big breath. Don't gasp a big breath and just continue to breathe normally when doing the mask removal and replacement. Of course this is easier said than done when the water is so cold, like it is around here now, that it makes your eyeballs hurt.

It is harder to overcome the psychological urge to take a big breath before performing the regulator removal skills, but that's what you need to do. Practice makes it easier, as you get comfortable with the fact that you've got plenty of time to do the skill before you need to take another breath.

Question: I've tried 4 different jacket type BCs (incl one rear inflate) and they all seem similarish, bp/w was very different, much more solid. I've only tried the one kind of backplate though, will different backplates all be similar? Do different brands, or different material make much of a difference to the stability?

Just about all metal backplates that I know of are pretty much the same. They all are similar regarding general geometry and placement of slots for harness straps and holes for wing and tank mounts. Aluminum and stainless steel plates have different weights but otherwise perform similarly. There are plastic backplates out there, but I'm not familiar with them personally, so I can't comment on how they perform.

 

[S0ckm0nk3y]

Question: I've tried 4 different jacket type BCs (incl one rear inflate) and they all seem similarish, bp/w was very different, much more solid. I've only tried the one kind of backplate though, will different backplates all be similar? Do different brands, or different material make much of a difference to the stability?

While I've only completed my Internet DIR certification and haven't even been in the water with my wing and bp... I'm 6'5" and decided to buy a long plate from Deep Sea Supply. In air it was hands down more comfortable than the Halcyon.

In fact when I tried both the DSS and the H in my LDS's pool the normal sized DSS felt great on my big frame. The H felt odd and tight no matter how I adjusted it. The DSS was great right from the moment I put it on and floated around.

There is much talk about the angle in which the back plate flares with respect to comfort and stability. Might be worth checking out in the BC and Hogarthian forums (where my here post belongs). Or you can PM Tobin from DSS he can explain the whole bp shape thing and he is rightously helpful.

-Eric