Signed up for Fundies

[H2Andy]

makes sense

 

[Doc Intrepid]

..."You DON'T want to be dealing with unfamiliar equipment during the class..."

Can't emphasize this enough. Either borrow gear far enough in advance to dive it a dozen times or so to get used to working with it, or use what you have now (well, the independent doubles need to be manifolded for valve drills). But don't show up for the course in gear that you just picked up the night before to take the course with. That will make the course a miserable experience, as you're trying to demonstrate precision moves in completely unfamiliar equipment...

 

[*Floater*]

is this a recent thing?

i was not aware of that. i thought there was only one DIR-F

It was in transition a little over a year ago when I took my DIRF. It's been discussed quite a bit on this and other boards. Here's what GUE standards say:

From required skills for DIRF:

16. Demonstrate proficiency with a primary light by using it during all skills except SMB deployment.*
17. Demonstrate efficient deployment and stowage of a reserve light.*
18. Demonstrate an efficient valve drill with double tanks.*
19. Demonstrate good buoyancy and trim, i.e. approximate reference maximum of 20 degrees off horizontal while remaining within 3 feet/1.5 meters of a target depth. Frequency of buoyancy variation as well as general diver control remain important evaluation criteria.*

*Skills and drills 16-19 apply only to students seeking admittance into Tech or Cave training. These students must perform skills 16-19 at a grade of 4 or above to qualify for registration into the Tech or Cave curriculum (see 1.3.1 Outline of Diver Training).

And for the equipment requirements:

12. Double cylinders with isolation manifold, and appropriately sized double-tank buoyancy compensation device.*
13. One primary light: A primary light should be minimalist in design; its power source should consist of a rechargeable battery pack residing in a canister powering an external light head via a light cord. Primary lights should produce the equivalent output of 50-watt halogen/10-watt HID lighting or greater.*
14. Two reserve lights: Reserve lights should be non-rechargeable with a minimum of protrusions and a single attachment at its rear. The light should be activated by twisting the front bezel toward the body, deactivated by turning it away from the body.*

*Required equipment 12 through 14 applies only to students seeking admittance into Tech or Cave training.

Those are the basic differences between DIRF rec and tech.

from: http://gue.com/Training/Standards/index.html

 

[amascuba]

is this a recent thing?

i was not aware of that. i thought there was only one DIR-F

There are a few more skills that you have to do to get a 'tech' pass on GUE Fundamentals.

• You have to do all skills with the primary light deployed.
• You have to demonstrate proficiency with stowing the primary and deploying the backup light.
• You have to do all skills with a three foot buoyancy window instead of five feet.
• You have to demonstrate proficiency at doing a valve drill.

I think that's about it, but you do have to do the class in a doubles configuration. The 'tech' pass only allows you to go further with GUE tech and cave training. If you get a 'rec' pass and want to go further with GUE training then you have to do GUE Fundamentals again with a doubles configuration and the extra skills, or you can do RecTriox with a doubles configuration and the extra skills.

 

[H2Andy]

thanks everybody ... i'm out of touch with GUE

 

[UWupnorth]

I just finished DIR-F yesterday. There is a lot of new changes to the class, to get a tech pass you also have to perform some of the skills to a higher standard, such as trim must not exceed 20 deg. from horiz. I would recomend going to the GUE web site and check the changes and standards.
That was the most rigerous class I have ever attended. I would recomend it to everyone. I practiced for the class for about 6 monts prior and was able to get a tech pass. Only two of five passed and was told that by our instructors that it is rare to pass on the first try.

 

[cmalinowski]

I just finished DIR-F yesterday. There is a lot of new changes to the class, to get a tech pass you also have to perform some of the skills to a higher standard, such as trim must not exceed 20 deg. from horiz. I would recomend going to the GUE web site and check the changes and standards.
That was the most rigerous class I have ever attended. I would recomend it to everyone. I practiced for the class for about 6 monts prior and was able to get a tech pass. Only two of five passed and was told that by our instructors that it is rare to pass on the first try.

Congrats on the pass. That's a great accomplishment. And you are correct about the pass rate. But most people don't go in looking for a pass. I guess if the class was in AK, I'd pass you too so I wouldn't have to come back

Chris

 

[Phil K.]

Congratulations UWupnorth. Who was the instructor?

 

[c555]

Hey everybody, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but if you recieved a rec pass in fundies would you be able to do a tech checkout dive to recieve the tech pass or would you need to retake the course using the tech equipment and standards?

 

[stiebs]

Thanks for all your input everyone. I think I've decided to get a harness and plate, and then borrow manifolded twins and a wing before, and for, the course.