UTD vs. GUE

[ScubaFeenD]

Or how about NOT taking any class but, to the contrary, hire an instructor to give YOU the lessons YOU need for what type of diving YOU are going to be doing? Would it not be a better solution to just tailor the training to the individual rather than seeing which round hole this square peg best fits?

Much easier said than done. First, how do you make sure the instructor in your area can handle the full gamut of education you want. Second, how do you gain proof of education. I suppose that c-cards can be handed out for classes that were included in education, but it blurs the line. Third, how do you price something like this. Continued mentorship is hard to do when a distinct price cant be set due to the dynamic range of education that might be needed.

That all being said I have been lucky enough to find an instructor near me (not super close, but a few hours away) that has agreed to a mentorship style of education. I think an apprenticeship.mentoring style is the most effective, and this particular instructor certainly has many more qualifications and experience than is necessary. The reason I post the above paragraph is because I think it is hard for people to find the kind of instructor that is truly worried about giving the best education and not just discrete chunks. Peter, I would love if I lived in Washington state so that I could learn from both you and TS&M, but not everyone has access to the quality instruction that you can offer. For those people, classes like Rec 3 make sense.

 

[Peter Guy]

drdrd -- I've had this type of training and NOT from a local instructor. To the contrary, this instructor flew into the area about every 5 weeks (fortunately, he flew in for other business reasons so we just paid for his time working with us). BUT, we didn't have a set class or course curriculum -- we just worked on our issues. After three weekends he decided we had earned a card.

But getting the card didn't matter because what we did get was one excellent education. AS a result of that education, taking (and passing) some technical classes became much easier and so I got the education AND got the cards.

I'm a very big believer in getting the education - and if I get it, some piece of plastic will come my way.

 

[Jarrod]

Ack maybe in some GUE land it is.

GUE's Rec3 is completely bogus. Entirely wrong mixes and setup for that kinda of dive/duration.

Wakulla is finally clearing and I am heading out the door for a weekend of diving but when I return it would be nice to hear your rationale for such a statement. A RECREATIONAL diver doing min deco doesn't NEED any deco gas for this sort of dive. However, adding a small bottle enhances deco slightly and expands gas available for ascent. More importantly it refines a person's ability to manage a deco bottle while mastering a proper ascent (the most common problem among tech divers). Most importantly this is done with a deco gas that presents an extremely low risk of toxicity for RECREATIONAL divers who have not mastered proper control in free water ascents.

Best,
Jarrod

 

[Mayor]

I have not had a UTD class but really was impressed with the GUE-F class with Bob Sherwood. I have also taken TDI, PDIC, and PSIA intro to tech classes that have the same type of information with Trace Malinowski, another great instructor. Over this season these two have transformed my diving in so many ways. My feeling is the instructor makes the class so do your homework.

Is the Mayor ready for GUE Tech 1, not yet but I will work hard to get there for next season!