RAID vs SDI vs GUE vs...

[TecRec50]

Hi guys,
As stated before, choose your instructor more than a training organisation but pay attention about the quality of the training materials, some agencies did not update their manuals for almost 20 years !
You must also decide if you do this tec training backmount or sidemount. If sidemount, choose an instructor really involved in it ...
Have a look also at the Utube channel of UTD but also ISE (InnerSpace Explorer), especially this last one is really great and then you might go for 1 of those smaller but great agencies ...
Kind regards and nice bubbles

 

[Cheizz]

Hi guys,
As stated before, choose your instructor more than a training organisation but pay attention about the quality of the training materials, some agencies did not update their manuals for almost 20 years !

Care to elaborate? Which agencies should I double-check or just avoid in this regard?

 

[TecRec50]

Care to elaborate? Which agencies should I double-check or just avoid in this regard?

I do not want to designate anyone but one of the major that you consider still uses the algorythm VPM in the part about decompression planning ... Just look at the pictures in the manuals : if you have dive computers whose production was stopped 10 years ago ...

 

[drakcheslav]

I suggest that you not fixate on an agency but on a instructor. It doesn't matter how good the curriculum is, if the instructor doesn't click with you.

Interview a couple of instructors, and see which one you get along the best. I had the luck that my OWD instructor is also a technical instructor so I had good guidance from the start.

I'm currently done with PSS Decompression Techniques (Tech 1), but due to the teaching style it's very DIR-centric since he's a caver, which I then applied to sidemount self training, for which I used any online resources I could find and tried to combine it with what I was thought though DIR.

Could have I gotten a better training though let say GUE or TDI or similar. Probably, but IMHO highly unlikely, since I consider that the main thing in any advanced training is your pro-activity, practice and self education. And I've witnessed more than enough helping around a dive center people who come as deep divers, advanced divers or even tech divers that don't know how to operate a spool and DSMB, let alone something else more advanced.

 

[Cheizz]

I do not want to designate anyone but one of the major that you consider still uses the algorythm VPM in the part about decompression planning ... Just look at the pictures in the manuals : if you have dive computers whose production was stopped 10 years ago ...

So you're saying: "one of these agencies still uses old materials, and I would avoid them. Just not going to say which one."
I would love to check out their training materials before I enroll in any course. Where can I find that material without having to enroll first?

 

[Marie13]

Care to elaborate? Which agencies should I double-check or just avoid in this regard?

PADI “tec” materials are horrid. A friend loaned me his from maybe 5 years ago. Very out of date looking and they even had a photo of a diver KNEELING in a pool with instructor trying to do a valve drill. I know I never saw anything close to that ridiculous in the TDI materials.

I’m betting the PADI materials haven’t been updated.

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

PADI “tec” materials are horrid. A friend loaned me his from maybe 5 years ago. Very out of date looking and they even had a photo of a diver KNEELING in a pool with instructor trying to do a valve drill. I know I never saw anything close to that ridiculous in the TDI materials.

I’m betting the PADI materials haven’t been updated.

And the picture for their Tec Sidemount Instructor course shows a tec sidemount diver with 4 tanks, only the 2 inner tanks running along the torso, the outer tanks crossing the inner tanks forming two X's.

The picture itself is gorgeous though.

 

[TecRec50]

PADI “tec” materials are horrid. A friend loaned me his from maybe 5 years ago. Very out of date looking and they even had a photo of a diver KNEELING in a pool with instructor trying to do a valve drill. I know I never saw anything close to that ridiculous in the TDI materials.

I’m betting the PADI materials haven’t been updated.

VPM ... deep stops ...

 

[drrich2]

An instructor affiliated with any of the major tech training agencies will get you where you want to go. The differences really do come down to the quality of the instructor, not what agency is listed on the card.

I'm curious about this. In past discussions about GUE on the forum, one issue that's come up regarding GUE Fundamentals is their required gear configuration. It's not just that they require BP/W, but stipulate what sort of harness (e.g.: it was my understanding my Hollis deluxe harness wouldn't meet their criteria).

I went to confirm just now, and interestingly, I see what used to be called GUE Primer is now GUE Fundamentals Part I per Wet Rocks Diving (here's the page); I then went to GUE's website and opened their general training standards, procedures and policies document and dropped down to page 28 and onward (the portion dealing with GUE Fundamentals).

It says applicants for GUE 1 have to be non-smokers have the GUE base equipment configuration. On page 117:

"Backplate system:

1. Is held to the diver by one continuous piece of webbing. This webbing is
   adjustable and uses a buckle to secure the system at the waist."

So, do the other options besides GUE have the same, or functionally equivalent, gear setup demands for people taking their courses? Do they care whether your harness is a single continuous piece of webbing or one of the deluxe type harnesses?

 

[BoltSnap]

So, do the other options besides GUE have the same, or functionally equivalent, gear setup demands for people taking their courses? Do they care whether your harness is a single continuous piece of webbing or one of the deluxe type harnesses?

NAUI requirements:

"Harnesses
• Harness
– Rigid
• Steel / Aluminum
– Plan for proper trim / weighting
• ABS plastic not preferred
• Continuous webbing
– No shoulder buckle
– Soft
• Not stable
• Plastic buckles can be failure points
Buoyancy Compensators
• Back mounted wings preferred
– 40 to 55 lbs (18 to 25 kg) lift for double cylinders
– 18 to 36 lbs (8 to 16 kg) lift for single cylinders
– No bungee cords"