The most ridiculously overstaffed Fundies class ever taught . . .

[DaleC]

Uhh.. good question.

Depends on the buddies I think. Would it be considered a GUE dive-I don't think so. One team member would not be able to behave as a GUE diver is expected. Could a capable GUE diver/s do such a dive with me-I think so. I think it comes down to the divers capacity and planning. If members of the team did not have the capacity to adjust then it would be an unsafe dive. If they had the capacity, and thought of alternate ways to be safe (three person team maybe) then it could be safe/r. Capacity also varies for depth, commitment and conditions. Divers may have capacity for a relatively shallow rec dive but not for a harder dive etc... Sort of like monkey diving. GUE divers do it sometimes but don't consider it GUE diving.

We kinda talked about this concept in the class. One of the instructors (forget who) said: There aren't really GUE divers, there are only GUE dives.

 

[danvolker]

I think you could easily have a vintage diver with his buddy, ocean diving in a 6 or 7 person group, where a "GUE 2 or 3 man buddy team" is also diving.....

I don't think the objective of GUE certs is to ONLY be able to dive with GUE divers....I think the idea is to have great adventures, safely, to know your buddies and you are on the same page, AND you can enjoy time in the water in groups with others that are not GUE--at least with certainty on recreational dives in ocean....If we are talking a serious cave or tech dive, where the GUE divers see that some divers outside their team, that want to dive with them, are clearly NOT geared safely for the dive, that is entirely another story....and one that has almost nothing to do with recreational ocean dives

 

[TSandM]

That question reminds me of me asking Alex what a GUE divers does in a destination where there is no Nitrox available.

We're thinking divers. All dives require a risk assessment, even if you only do it subconsciously. A double-hose diver, for all practical purposes, cannot donate gas, so he's not part of the team gas resource. If I have a third teammate with donatable gas, then for gas purposes, I'm diving in a team of two and planning should be done accordingly. If it's just me and Dale, either I bring some redundancy (doubles or a slung tank) or we keep the dive shallow and simple enough that I can deal with a gas problem by myself. Dale, if you want to go do some video at Edmonds some day in your vintage gear, let's do it!

 

[ScubaInChicago]

As a fellow GUE diver, not partaking in the class, I would also like to thank Guy, Koos, Joe, Liz, Alex, Dave, and Dennis. They all have personal lives, loved ones to come home to, and chores to keep up with. To take valuable time out of their busy lives to help conduct the course speaks TONS about their character and the GUE community at large. Great job everyone

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

To speak in general terms to the question about GUE divers diving with non-GUE divers ... yeah, it happens all the time around here. One of the most remarkable things that happened when Koos and Lynne took leadership roles in our local GUE community is that it went from talking about being inclusive to actually doing it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DaleC]

Lynne you said it...

I think it would be cool to hook up and do a skills dive and then a fun vintage dive at Edmonds. I could even bring a photographer friend or two along to meet you and who ever shows up. In the meantime I'm doing my best with my leaky old suit and borrowed suits until my DS comes back from repairs... hopefully in 2015.

 

[TSandM]

I might even bring one of our double-hose regulators to play with!

 

[Beiji]

What great reports from Lynne and team! Thanks for taking the time to not just write up your experience, but, as others have said, to take the time and trouble to go and have the experience! I could relate to much that was said, and I think this thread will be very helpful for those who are thinking about or anticipating taking Fundamentals.

 

[TSandM]

So, I just had to add this, because it's kind of funny: Peter and I went out to do a Deep class with a student today, and when we set up our gear, we discovered that Peter had a major leak. We were unable to fix it at the site, so I gave him my regulator. Everything was pretty much the same -- hose lengths were the same, clips were in the same places, fittings were all compatible -- and off he went (leaving me on land to go down to the local dive shop and see if we could fix the problem). Standardization pays off again!

Another thing that was kind of funny was that I spent those four days in Canada thoroughly annoyed with myself for being hopelessly klutzy in comparison with people like Koos and Alex and Guy. Today, our student said with admiration, "How do you guys DO it? I'm watching you do your ascent, and you're both horizontal and not moving and just going up. It's amazing!".

We are all on a continuum, indeed.

 

[HenrikBP]

What an absolutely wonderful story, and great write-ups. Thank you to everyone involved. What fun