When to start GUE Fundamental Skills course ?

[elgoog]

LOL, I took the scenic route to a Fundies rec pass.

Jul '15 - Fundies 1 rec provisional in wetsuit+single tank - 28 total lifetime dives
Jan '16 - Fundies 1 rec pass in drysuit+single tank (converted during a 1 day drysuit workshop) - 42 dives
Aug '17 - Fundies 2 rec pass aka regular Fundies rec pass in drysuit+doubles - 110 dives (I had been diving with our local GUE chapter for around a year already before this)

 

[Pao]

I took it with 20 odd dives under my belt without doing much research . It was good and bad at the same time. Good because I did not have time to develop any bad habits yet and I learned a lot that shaped how I dive from that point on. Bad, because I think I was ill-prepared for the course since my buoyancy/trim/propulsion skills at that point were kinda dodgy. I did not fail outright but got a "provisional" or something with one year to complete it. I never completed it, maybe someday I'll shoot for a tech pass then do tech1. Was it worth the $$$ even at that point in my diving career? Definitely.

 

[CrumhornDiver]

I will second the suggestion that you contact Bob Sherwood.
GUE Instructor resumé | Global Underwater Explorers
All About Scuba North, Bob Sherwood owner and educational director | Northeastern United States/Upstate New York/St Lawrence River Scuba diving training from beginning open water to advanced technical diving

I believe he does a lot of diving in the Thousand Islands and is a very well regarded GUE instructor. It may be a little far, but well worth the drive for a good instructor. Last year I lived in Upstate New York and was going to contact him about a drysuit course. I never pulled the trigger. At the time, I had no idea what DIR or GUE was. Knowing what I know now, I kick myself for not having done so. Would have at the very least increased my learning curve and goal setting.

As for the xDeep products, I second the suggestion to look at the Zeos over the Ghost. The Ghost is a really nice looking BCD, great for tropical diving. Probably not a good investment if you plan to do ANY local diving. Of the xDeep single tank wings, I would get the Zeos over the Xen over the Ghost. PM me if you want more info. I have nothing against xDeep, in fact I recently purchased a Stealth 2.0 Classic sidemount rig.

Finally, I plan to take a Fundies course as soon as I can. I will go in with no expectation of passing, learn as much as I can, and improve my diving as much as possible. At this point, that's the goal of any course I take. If I don't meet the requirements, there is likely something important I should improve on. Not everything can be learned on the first try without practice. I'm at the point that I will put care into the instructors I learn from in the future; in doing so, I will trust their judgment.

Hope this helps.

 

[stevensamler]

Navigating on ScubaBoard on the past few weeks I read a lot of positive comments about the GUE Fundamental Skills course and how it can do wonders concerning trim, buoyancy, and other key aspects of diving.

I would like to know at what stage in a beginner's diver experience would it be really pertinent and profitable to attend such a course ?

After a few dozen dives ? Or after a hundred dives, or more?

Also, I understand that they have very specific recommendations about the gear you need to have to attend the course.

This is OK for me, as I have always rented my gear up till now, so these recommendations will help me decide what kind of gear I look to purchase in the near future.

For instance, a dive shop in my area sells the XDEEP Ghost BC, so I will enquire to find out if I can rent this equipment before deciding to buy.

Thanks in advance to any and all recommandations.

Don't do Fundies unless you're in a drysuit and doubles , you will fall in love with this type of training and it will open many doors to your diving future. Start right finish right.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Don't do Fundies unless you're in a drysuit and doubles , you will fall in love with this type of training and it will open many doors to your diving future. Start right finish right.

A single tank is fine for a rec pass.

 

[AJ]

Yeah, but you will get addicted and ambitious. At least that's what happened to me

Having done SSI OW+AOW+Rescue I feel I really learned to dive doing Fundamentals, It was tough, but rewarding. Now I am looking at Tech1 and Cave 1. Far beyond what I ever considered myself capable of as a diver.

 

[KevinNM]

Navigating on ScubaBoard on the past few weeks I read a lot of positive comments about the GUE Fundamental Skills course and how it can do wonders concerning trim, buoyancy, and other key aspects of diving.

I would like to know at what stage in a beginner's diver experience would it be really pertinent and profitable to attend such a course ?

After a few dozen dives ? Or after a hundred dives, or more?

Also, I understand that they have very specific recommendations about the gear you need to have to attend the course.

This is OK for me, as I have always rented my gear up till now, so these recommendations will help me decide what kind of gear I look to purchase in the near future.

For instance, a dive shop in my area sells the XDEEP Ghost BC, so I will enquire to find out if I can rent this equipment before deciding to buy.

Thanks in advance to any and all recommandations.

I took fundamentals with two divers who had about 20 dives., I had 100some. They did fine, we all got rec passes. The rec pass requirements are challenging, but doable for most any diver who is willing to work hard at it. And it will be hard no matter how experienced you are, because the instructor will scale the challenges they want you to overcome to your skill level - everyone gets their money’s worth.

 

[_Ralph]

Equipment ...

Ask the instructor if they have (or the community) has the equipment you can rent/borrow for the course. I haven't met a GUE instructor (out of their home area) not have a small dive shop worth of gear available .. nor a community not being able to outfit a few divers at a time in 'spare' equipment... (sometimes including exposure protection!)

They'd rather you use the "right" stuff, than buying the "wrong" stuff (for the course), only to re purchase something more suitable later down the road. - note, I am not talking about Brands.

_R

 

[AJ]

I took fundamentals with two divers who had about 20 dives., I had 100some. They did fine, we all got rec passes. The rec pass requirements are challenging, but doable for most any diver who is willing to work hard at it. And it will be hard no matter how experienced you are, because the instructor will scale the challenges they want you to overcome to your skill level - everyone gets their money’s worth.

Yep, it gets really hard wanting to earn a Tech pass (high skill level). But no matter what level of skill, they know how to challenge you to become a better diver.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Don't do Fundies unless you're in a drysuit and doubles , you will fall in love with this type of training and it will open many doors to your diving future. Start right finish right.

I was strictly a warm-water diver before Fundies, and I am glad I took the course in a single tank and wetsuit, because that's the kind of diving I had long enjoyed (and still do). I also think it's a much easier route to take Fundies in single-tank configuration if that's all one has ever dived. I think delaying taking Fundies in order to learn how to dive a drysuit and doubles would be a mistake.

Also, I am an advocate of the idea that rec-only divers can have a permanent place in the GUE universe. Although I suspect the majority of Fundies students who take a liking to GUE go on to learn tech diving, it can still be a great way to dive even if all one ever wants to do are lazy dives on coral reefs. I suppose it can be hard to find GUE teammates to do those kinds of dives with, though.

That said, it is almost inevitable that the seed gets planted once one starts hanging out with tech diver types, even if only taking a rec-level course from a GUE instructor. I eventually got a drysuit (and doubles), which indeed is opening doors for me. One step at a time, though.