Vie:
There was a lot of line work with the reel, simulated OOG, valve "failures" and "no mask" situations - a lot of the time all at the same time...
Imho, you should not try to practice any of the "new' skills before the class. My advice would be this. Work on all the skills you learnt in Fundies and get them perfect, especially buoyancy and trim and one-minute descent/ascent. Go diving in your doubles a lot and practice all the Fundies skills whilst using your canister light.
I am signed up for it, and the advice is basically as above, BUT you have to get those skills perfect floating in mid-water at 20 or so feet with just an ascent line, and in a place where you cannot see the bottom.
It makes the skills considerably more difficult not having a visual reference.
What we do is:
1) Descend as team, shoot a bag from 50-70 feet.
2) Ascend to 20 feet as team, stopping 1 min each 10 feet
3) at 20, each do a valve drill hanging at 20
4) each do an S-drill at 20, where each person donates and receives at least once.
5) 6 min ascent to surface
then, go back down
- each person ascends to surface maskless from 20 feet. with 6 min ascent.
Did that for a few weeks, then we add more complexity
1) do all of above carrying deco bottle (but not breathing it). Adds another level of difficulty with accessing SPG, Dumping gas etc
2) Mask off at 50 feet
3) OOA drill as we ascent to say 11 or 14 feet