Should There Be a "Cold Water" Course (not Ice Diving)?

[24940]

Why not teach the basic skills needed to analyze the environment and adjust to it in BOW or AOW? Stacking class after class just waters down the content of each of them.

I'm not tracking with you on this. What you are suggesting is to add material to a course which is typically too short to adequately prepare students on the fundamentals. Without extending the course, adding material means cutting other material. You can't fit 50 hours of material into a 24 hour course without compromising the material.

 

[ucfdiver]

I'm not tracking with you on this. What you are suggesting is to add material to a course which is typically too short to adequately prepare students on the fundamentals. Without extending the course, adding material means cutting other material. You can't fit 50 hours of material into a 24 hour course without compromising the material.

So what's wrong with extending the course? Frankly I'd rather pay for something that was all inclusive, rather than breaking it up into 50 sub courses. It wouldn't take that long to at least discuss the basics, as much of what was brought up in this thread could be taught in a classroom.

Out of the 9 things mentioned by the OP, here's the things that could be taught in most any climate
1)Free Flows
2)Redundant air supplies
3)Equipment,
5)Diving wet verse Diving Dry
8) How to deal with a Free Flow.
9) Gas Management

Every one of these were taught in my basic cave class, in 72 deg water. The equipment maybe not, but if I was told to use ____________ equipment in cold water, I bet I could easily adapt.

I left out 7 ( 7) Emphasis on "NOT OVERBREATHING YOUR REG"), because it's an equipment issue.

 

[24940]

How many hours for pool/academics and what would you consider a fair price for such a course?

 

[JeffG]

How many hours for pool/academics and what would you consider a fair price for such a course?

GUE wants ~$800. Which means almost no one will take it.

 

[ucfdiver]

How many hours for pool/academics and what would you consider a fair price for such a course?

NAUI Intro to Tech
GUE Fundamentals | Global Underwater Explorers

And these courses run $500-$800 or so.

 

[24940]

Has GUE ever provided a single piece of gear for a student? If the course fee and course intensity/duration doesn't scare them, plopping down 2K on gear for a sport you are just starting will hardly be motivating.

GUE OW doesn't even look good on paper, which is the only place I've seen it.

NAUI Intro to Tech
GUE Fundamentals | Global Underwater Explorers

And these courses run $500-$800 or so.

And none of them are OW courses. I might also mention that the <$500 course I did with 5thD-X cost me >$2K, after travel expenses and lost wages.

 

[JeffG]

Has GUE ever provided a single piece of gear for a student?

Not yet, but all their current classes as a certified diver. So I could see a GUE OW being different.

GUE OW doesn't even look good on paper, which is the only place I've seen it.

Vaporware.

 

[Scubadaddy]

This is a great topic for newb divers like me (since most of my diving will be in the cold waters of Canada ).

 

[ucfdiver]

Has GUE ever provided a single piece of gear for a student? If the course fee and course intensity/duration doesn't scare them, plopping down 2K on gear for a sport you are just starting will hardly be motivating.

GUE OW doesn't even look good on paper, which is the only place I've seen it.



And none of them are OW courses.

Neither of them are taught in an overhead environment (deco, ice, wreck, or cave), so I would consider that open water. If you're diving an environment where free flows are a concern, and redundancy is required, it's my opinion you need to OWN redundant equipment so that reactions are built into muscle memory.

 

[JeffG]

Neither of them are taught in an overhead environment (deco, ice, wreck, or cave), so I would consider that open water. If you're diving an environment where free flows are a concern, and redundancy is required, it's my opinion you need to OWN redundant equipment so that reactions are built into muscle memory.

OW course refers to uncertified divers becoming certified.