Rec diving philosophies? (vs. tec DIR/Hogarthian/etc...)

[Hepcat62]

Unless you and some randomly chosen class mates are all Wunderkinder that can nail the team coherence - which depends on each member's buoyancy and trim skills - in one day you are wasting your time and money in Fundies. Trust me, I just did.

I'm sorry to hear that... It seems to me that it really depends on what your goal for the class was/is.

I didn't pass my first run through Fundies - I came away with a provisional. There were a lot of reasons for that (which I'm happy to elaborate on for anybody who's interested), but ultimately I had two choices following that...

1. Be sad, angry, or feel that the class was a waste of time.
2. Take away the knowledge (rather detailed knowledge) of WHY I didn't pass, and go practice. Then realize that I ALSO took away some excellent instruction on HOW to practice properly, so that my practice results in real forward progress.

I did a fair amount of practice, but I only did one dedicated training dive. Mainly I just tried to dive a lot, apply the things I learned consistently, and throw in skills (especially the ones I needed work on) periodically on each dive. A few months later, I did my re-checkout dives and got my rec pass. The difference in comfort was night and day, and the checkout dives were - dare I say it - FUN.

The best thing about GUE training is that you pass when you should pass - the cost of the course buys you the training, not the card. Coming out of class, you know exactly how to get the card... Now you just have to do the "work".

 

[FritzCat66]

I find that the longer I dive, the more tolerant I become of those who don't dive like me

Agreed, and of course ironically enough, when I do go diving with companions, my techie buddies are some of my favorites because I don't have to worry about them and they know me well enough to move on down the reef and just let me do my own thing. I've been used to diving with tech divers around since I initially took lessons - my first instructor being Joe Odom, it kinda came with the territory.

I know I'm conflating tech in general here with UTD-style approaches, which is not accurate, although it does seem like technical diving styles naturally lend themselves towards team-oriented diving moreso than purely recreational styles.

Which, to my way of thinking, is actually a pretty darn good reason to stay comfortably on the rec side of the fence.

And Lynne, I agree that in this case, the OP looks like a good fit for team-oriented diving. But it's still worth bringing up an alternative perspective, especially when the topic specifically mentions recreational diving philosophies. Because it's a perspective that I think often gets drowned out here on SB. Team-based approaches simply are not always a good fit for all divers, even if some of the specific techniques might be useful.

 

[Dhboner]

This thread reminds me of a quote attributed to the actor, Al Lewis (Grandpa Munster if you're old enough to remember that show).

He said: "The secret to enjoying life is, first to find something you love to do...then learn to love the way YOU do it."

My son has totally embraced the DIR philosophy. His brother and I have not, but we all love to dive and we all dive safely at all times.

Bob (Toronto)

 

[DevonDiver]

The GUE fundies has a simular humbling effect to other tech orientated training courses. Being shown your limitations is a very enabling thing.... for some people.

 

[waterpirate]

Ego and a lack of wisdom is what drives that wheel. The phrase "they are a legend in their own mind" is very true in all aspects and levels of diving. Dismissal of ego and a true assesment of ones own capabilities is wisdom,
Eric
The method or agency or philosophy you employ to get "wisdom" is the least important aspect of the outcome.

 

[Lobzilla]

I talked to a couple of you, and it was clear that trying to form a good, cohesive team was a challenge for everybody. For some folks, it apparently really didn't happen during the class . . . but did you feel that, on the fun dives of the weekend, you were no better at it than you were when you arrived in Florida? I would be surprised if that were true.

One of the things the class does is point out areas of weakness. It is not always possible to repair them in the time frame available (and it doesn't matter if we are talking about Fundies or Cave 2 here) but one should leave with a clear idea of what requires improvement, and how to go about improving it. It's true that team skills are harder to practice without a team -- but if you dive with a buddy, you can always work on better communication, work on your own positioning, work on your own awareness, and I would think most buddies would recognize that working on good buoyancy control on ascents and descents is worthwhile.

I said in Florida, and I will say it again: The class was a waste of money only if you think it was. If you take home lessons and put them to work, it will not have been a waste of anything.

In never said that the class was a waste of time. I said: "I wasted my time and money..." because I did not do my homework and I listend to the ego-stroking suggestions that I was ready for this class. I made a bad judgement call. This one only cost time and money. The next venture in an environment that is over my head may be more costly. That's why I personally and privately do not like to gloss over bad decisions. Do not let your ego get you into places that your skills cannot get you out of.

I appreciate you guys trying to make me feel better; I promise to keep subsequent entries in my list of bone-headed moves to myself for the sake of collective happiness.

However, do you agree that 1)GUE Primer 2)practice with GUE diver 3)Fundies would be the smarter route?

 

[Rainer]

However, do you agree that 1)GUE Primer 2)practice with GUE diver 3)Fundies would be the smarter route?

For whom? You? In hindsight only? Perhaps.

For everyone? No.

 

[TSandM]

I didn't really mean to come across critical, and I empathize with frustration.

I talked to Bob and Errol about the idea of making Primer the entry class (in other words, no Fundies until Primer) but it doesn't work, because some people come into the GUE system with a lot of mentoring beforehand, and some have had extensive training elsewhere. If you are unsure of your readiness, I think Primer is a great place to start -- either that, or if you are in a place where it is possible, find a trained diver to do some diving with, and get some mentoring and some feedback. We do have a thread here where folks have listed themselves as willing to do that, although I don't think anyone has added themselves to the list in a long time.

 

[Gombessa]

However, do you agree that 1)GUE Primer 2)practice with GUE diver 3)Fundies would be the smarter route?

I apologize ahead of time for commenting without reading through the entire thread, but to this statement, it really sounds like it depends on your goals for the class. If your goal is to *pass fundies* then there are ways to practice and prepare, and mentorships or taking Essentials/Primer is definitely time well spent. If on the other hand you want to learn the practices and principles that the class teaches, doing so earlier rather than later definitely has strong advantages.

I can definitely relate to the frustration in your posts though. If I took Fundamentals at 25-50 dives, I'd have flubbed it hard, and probably come out fairly demoralized. But I took Essentials with around that number of dives, and flubbed that class really badly too, and it's not even pass/fail. But I still decided to take away the lessons from the class and start applying it to my everyday diving, and that helped me much more than earning any kudos or card from an instructor for coming in "ready to demonstrate rather than learn."

 

[lamont]

In never said that the class was a waste of time. I said: "I wasted my time and money..." because I did not do my homework and I listend to the ego-stroking suggestions that I was ready for this class. I made a bad judgement call. This one only cost time and money. The next venture in an environment that is over my head may be more costly. That's why I personally and privately do not like to gloss over bad decisions. Do not let your ego get you into places that your skills cannot get you out of.

I appreciate you guys trying to make me feel better; I promise to keep subsequent entries in my list of bone-headed moves to myself for the sake of collective happiness.

However, do you agree that 1)GUE Primer 2)practice with GUE diver 3)Fundies would be the smarter route?

I took Fundies when I only had 25 dives. Did not pass, but it was far from a waste of my time or money, and i came out of it not remotely demoralized.