Really Bummed

[Mike Manthe]

...Heck, Mr Lundgren is a tech 3 instructor trainer!

First of all is Richard your Fundamentals instructor then and you can and will learn a lot from him. The course will be fun and you should take the class. I am really looking forward to taking the next course with him in september.

 

[Zephrant]

When I took the class, Rick was doing the filming. It was fun to watch him- He'd be filming another student, and I'd do this big hand-waving-whoosh to back up then put my hands back at "idle" in front of me. He'd see the flash of blue gloves, and whip the camera around and end up with a shot of me sitting there perfectly still with a "what?" look on my face....

Next time I use pea-green gloves for camouflage...

 

[Diver0001]

So I am a PADI instructor, also I do a lot of technical diving as I am TDI certified through Trimix. I recently took the Fundamentals class and didn't pass.

In fact, I didn't even get a rec pass, only a provisional.... I am feeling rather discouraged and am not sure where to go from here. I like the DIR style and practice, however, I am feeling like I am not that great of a diver after all.

Is it common to not pass on your first try? I had no practice of the skills prior to class.

I had an opportunity to watch (from a safe distance) a fundamentals course last year and what I understood is that this particular instructor gives everyone a provisional and "homework" to be reevaluated after 6 months.

His idea was that no matter how good you are, there's always room to improve and part of whether or not you get the official "DIR" stamp on your forehead, the way I understood it, has to do with your *commitment* to work on the homework items and show improvement over the period immediately after fundamentals. The commitment aspect obviously cna't be evaluated in the few days it takes to go through fundamentals. (as I understood it)

This probably varies somewhat from instructor to instructor but my point is that getting a provisional isn't necessarily as bad as you might be thinking it is.

R..

 

[b1gcountry]

I don't like that approach. Kind of ruins the original point of the class, IMO.

 

[ivobj]

This thread has been very helpful for me. I am terrified about taking fundies, but I think I have an opportunity to take it with Richard Lundgren this summer. I am nowhere near competent in the water, and really nervous about being an underwater gongshow in a GUE course. I have been feeling like taking a few hundred more dives before trying fundies, but when will I get a chance like this again? Heck, Mr Lundgren is a tech 3 instructor trainer!

So, any thoughts on how to balance terror with opportunity? I hope this isn't a hijack -- seemed on topic, albeit a little self-centered...

Many already posted, keep your mind open and don't think having a lot more dives before fundies would do any good, maybe you would just have a lot more bad habits to change...

Best of luck...

 

[Shawn@IReallyloveScub]

In my class 4 students 3 instuctors and all of us failed. I thought I was a good diver untill I saw the GUE instructors be one with the water in a Zen way! My failure made me go home, work hard for a year with my buddy who was with me on the first attempt, we then went back and passed. Me barely him with flying colors. The other first timer students did not get full passes. When I say "Failed" this is how I look at it for me due to the intent for me is to take the TECH and CAVE classes, but be clear that this class improved my skills so much that even with the non-full pass it was an eye opening life changing thing for me.

 

[liuk3]

I had an opportunity to watch (from a safe distance) a fundamentals course last year and what I understood is that this particular instructor gives everyone a provisional and "homework" to be reevaluated after 6 months.

Not sure where you got your information. Your understanding is incorrect.