db8us once bubbled...
First, GUE is not giving away Instructor-cards. I know at least one TDI-Instructor personally who has got his card without beeing a recreational instructor and without any formal "training", just because he was "famous".
Second, there are no shortcuts. I was a swimmer when i was young and i asked my GUE-instructor if i can skip the swimming, cause it was damned cold and raining and there was only a cold pool.
She said: if you were a swimmer in the past, go and hurry, you should be out of the water fast !
In both TDI and some IANTD classes it was ok to knee on the ground and do drills like stage-clipping. In both GUE courses it was mandatory to do it all perfect neutral and horizontal.
Also in the equipment part TDI just accepted everything, at Billy Deans we were at least talking about it, GUE went over every single piece.
Also TDI did not care about any buddy-awareness, IANTD Germany neither, but Billy Deans has and GUE strongly focused on that.
Also the spent "in-water" time was MUCH more in the GUE courses.
Billy Deans was equally good as Tamara when it came to general things. Once he kicked a guy out for always beeing late on the dock, because he said that this was the wrong attitude.
One specific deatil from the IANTD course.
We had to do an exam and when calculating the dive you came out with a CNS% of 103 when decoing on O2.
The "right" solution was to use EAN80 instead, since this was the prefferd gas for IANTD anyway.
I told Billy i think that is stupid since the 100% can not be kept anyway on long dives and that the CNS% was a pure statistical thing.
He said it was for the theory and the next day we decoed on pure O2, surface-supplied from the boat.
Today i can not keep the CNS under 100% on most of my dives anyway...
Michael
First I want to say this is the best thread i have ever seen on this board where DIR and the rest of the world are discussing their differences. how nice to learn some interesting stuff.
I would say that TDI is not in the habit of giving away cards either. if someone famouse got a card, i am sure it was earned. and it would not mean that it holds true for the general public. I wonder if the top dogs in GUE/DIR/WKKP all went through all the courses or did they get cards based on experience......we are obviously talking about the general population here and not the rare exceptions.
Guess what TDI doesn't even require swimming [on the surface], IANTD does. the swimming portion is to establish physical fittness and not much else. TDI will do it in other ways.
the kneeling on the ground is allowed [at the instructors discretion] on the first dive where bottles and tank shut downs take place say in an Advanced Nitrox/ Deco Prosedure course to get them used to how it works. the rest of the dives it is to be done in open water while hovering motionless in the water this last part is mandatory prior to passing the course. Gas shut downs and tank removal plus several other skills are performed on every dive, again hovering perfectly.
I will admit I have seen an instructor in the tropics not require his students to hover horizontal while doing the drills, I questioned him on this and he stated that TDI does not require you to complete the entire dive in a horizontal position and that there was nothing wrong with being vertical in the water say while comming up a deep wall as we where the students where required to perform the skills while hovering perfectly though. this mad since to me as I too don't believe that you need to do the whole dive horizontal as GUE suggests/requires
As for gear I would not say that TDI would ascept everything, it must be appropriat for the diving you are doing and in good condition ......etc...... but TDI does have an open mind to gear selection and placement.....heck they even ascept the DIR way.
most instructors will strongly influance their students on what works best for the type of diving they are doing. TDI is much more open minded on this subject...within reason.
I personaly spend the first meeting with my classes consintrating primarily on gear selection, configuration etc. everybody brings all their gear to class and i go over each peice of gear with them and make suggestions as required...i don't however require everybody to be exactly the same.
this is what i was taught by my instructor, and i think a lot of the instructors spend good quality time on the students gear
Buddies, this is a tuffer one to comment on as I think it is varied amungs different instructors and to different degrees depending on the dive. I think GUE is overdependent on their buddy, whereas TDI teaches a team approch yet completly self suffeciant....there is a fine line to walk and I have seen instructors on both sides of the fence.
I personaly like a three man team for very deep dives mainly in the event of gas loss emergencies.
I can't comment on in water time, i don't know what you guys spend in the water. I would say that there is ample time in the water for skill development, practice, and evaluation. and the time in the water deffinetly varies with different classes as needed.
As for attitude...welll lets not even go there, I think to each their own as to what they are willing to accept etc.
I don't quite understand the last part except to say that TDI does not teach standardized gasses...more a best mix gas plan for the dive you are going to do. this may include 80% or 100%
It is not really a boyance thing as much as getting onto a high Po2 earlier and longer, i would say because the travel/ intermediate deco gas is usauly switched to at about 100 feet. so it is more a switch sooner. 100% is great too it is just not the only choice or mandatory. 80% is deffinetly better on that old CNS clock isn't it.
Lastly i totaly agree that a DIRF class will put out a much better diver in regards to skills than a PADI open water class. but as allready been stated [and i totaly agree] the customer has to want that first, diving is easy, not very difficult or dangerouse for the recreational diver, who cares if he is vertical in the water, only last 15 minutes at 60 feet etc. he is only thinking about his cocktails and luau he has next on the agenda.
DIRF is teaching what i would consider technical diving skills to begginner divers....that is great......it just won't serve the masses
just a couple of questions for you now.
If i was a non diver, never been in the water, could i go take a GUE course and get a certification to go diving in Palau or Mexico or anywhere.?
Do they teach all the basic skills require to know for someone who has never been on scuba before?
I was talking to a friend who is going to take the DIRF course next month [he is a single tank diver] and he said one of the required skills was that he had to do tank shut downs. I said but you are only using a single tank why perform this task of shutting off your only supply of air. he said in case he ever gets doubles he will know how to do this. I am wondering if this is standard training to shut off your only gas supply just incase you decide to become a technical diver some day [well i should say a double tank diver]? and is this then adiquate training to become a double tank diver performing gas shut downs?
Again it has been good chatting with you in such a sival manner, I am learning a lot about the differences in styles
