Starting GUE classes at what point?

[LiteHedded]

my fundamentals card says nitrox. although it probably shouldn't...

 

[eelnoraa]

That's odd, I don't recall ever showing a nitrox (or even trimix) card to anyone, I wouldn't expect to have to show it out of the states, especially. Is that the only place you've had an issue?

Most GUE instructors are instructors for other agencies as well, so I would just ask for a nitrox card and pay the fee.

I don't have problem filling 32% locally, at least havent. What I described happened while I was in a liveaboard in Thailand.

Anyway, this is off topics. Let's get back to OPs question.

 

[Griffo]

Well, i'm half way through my Fundies course. Today was a wash-out due to weather, so we finished the theory, and have to re-schedule the days dives. In a way, i'm glad, as it gives me time to get a good massage, and then hit the pool to practice.

The course is both easier and harder than I thought it would be. I found the theory easy, probably due to my decision to read both the "fundamentals of better diving" and the "beginning with the end in mind" books before starting. In fact I think I read the second one twice. Most of the theory was just adopting similar concepts to those I knew but with some differences.

When it came to dry-practicing skills, I found that there was definately and obviously a very sound reasoning process behind each skill, and way in which a skill was practiced. That was very evident. Nothing was done in a particular way "just because" but "because of a reason" which was always happily explained.

The pool work on the other hard was extremely frustrating. I thought that because I could do a hundred squats that I had good glutes, but they kept bailing on me, and I had to keep consciously switching them on to keep my legs up. I hope this comes in time.

Anyway, I didn't mean for this to turn into a mini fundies report, there's already loads of them. My point was going to be that as a new diver, i'm glad I did fundies now, as is my wife. I'm going to start my diving career with proper bouyancy, trim, and propulsion techniquest (well, I hopefully soon will have them down). I really just wish that i'd done a GUE Rec1 course in the first place. I will certainly be directing people that way in the future. While I may struggle through the skills more so than an experienced diver, I see it is simply shortening the time required to become a good diver. While I expect to not pass the course, passing was not really the point.