DIR- GUE Why are non-GUE divers so interested in what GUE does?

[PfcAJ]

I think he's joking.

Lol I hope so

John can you confirm or deny?

 

[jadairiii]

Lol I hope so

John can you confirm or deny?

It was a joke! Tough crowd.....is this microphone on......

 

[Madddogggy]

It was a joke! Tough crowd.....is this microphone on......

After completing courses from GUE's red headed step-child, I was told the secret to overcoming the current was trim and bake-beans before diving.... but for some reason the bake-beans don't work on the Hydro or the St. Lawrence River....

 

[SlugLife]

I see GUE recommended from time-to-time across SB. It also appears (from my skimming) to follow a very strict gear configuration. I love sidemount diving and would generally prefer to stick with that. Is GUE strict about backmount doubles, or are they generally friendly to sidemount?

Standards - Appendix A & B | GUE

www.gue.com

 

[Wibble]

I see GUE recommended from time-to-time across SB. It also appears (from my skimming) to follow a very strict gear configuration. I love sidemount diving and would generally prefer to stick with that. Is GUE strict about backmount doubles, or are they generally friendly to sidemount?

Standards - Appendix A & B | GUE

www.gue.com

GUE apparently see sidemount as a tool for the job, not a general purpose diving style such as for open water diving. Their sidemount course requires you to be a qualified technical diver as a prerequisite. Fundies seems to need to be done in backmount.

A lot of the comments on here aren’t exactly warm to sidemount.

 

[SlugLife]

GUE apparently see sidemount as a tool for the job, not a general purpose diving style such as for open water diving. Their sidemount course requires you to be a qualified technical diver as a prerequisite. Fundies seems to need to be done in backmount.

A lot of the comments on here aren’t exactly warm to sidemount.

Good to know. I suspect it would be a bad mutal-fit. I have a tendency to try/mix/match/etc. I love some (safe) DIY, experimentation, optimizing, mixing/matching, etc. For example "sidemount" with offset sizes (AL 80 & AL19) or DIY gear. I also somewhat "self-taught" (using sidemounting.com) Sidemount, although I should probably stop talking before I anger the GUE gods.

(The funniest dive I've ever done was with a Steel 100 Sidemount on one side, and 6cu al on the other. I was just curious; I know going in it was a silly idea. After 5 minutes, I just accepted I was going to be swimming like a lopsided fish. I as only at 15ft, so nothing dangerous, just funny).

 

[ginti]

Good to know. I suspect it would be a bad mutal-fit.

I think I told you my perspective. Just do fundies in BM, then go back to your usual configuration.

Otherwise, if you really need to play with DIY configurations and equipment, just go for another agency.

I as only at 15ft, so nothing dangerous, just funny).[/I]

I don't know why you think it isn't dangerous at 15ft... Shallow depths are safe concerning decompression sickness, but more dangerous concerning barotrauma (ears and lungs).

True, it depends on your experience as well... I hope that your buoyancy and trim control when you did it were very good

 

[SlugLife]

I think I told you my perspective. Just do fundies in BM, then go back to your usual configuration.

Otherwise, if you really need to play with DIY configurations and equipment, just go for another agency.

I don't know why you think it isn't dangerous at 15ft... Shallow depths are safe concerning decompression sickness, but more dangerous concerning barotrauma (ears and lungs).

True, it depends on your experience as well... I hope that your buoyancy and trim control when you did it were very good

I simply meant relative to my experience, the conditions were safe.

I've done a decent amount of diving at 15ft or less, and you're absolutely correct that dives at shallow depths do produce their own challenges and dangers due to the rapid pressure changes. That includes potential compression/decompression issues as you mentioned. Additional hazards include larger/rapid changes in buoyancy, waves, and boats. I don't want to go too off-topic, but at shallow depths I generally avoid going up or down, and follow the contours of the shore.

Buoyancy was fine. Trim? Hahah, I was tilting about 35 degrees to the left, which was super-annoying, but front-to-back trim was fine.

 

[beester]

I remember this story here on SB, but if I recall correctly, the guy was already GUE cave2 and normoxic trimix with another agency (or maybe we are speaking about different stories...).

Taking t2 as the first GUE class, and passing it, is more than impressive. But I find it difficult to believe it, especially when you consider that many hypoxic trimix instructors or full cave instructors join GUE and have to do everything from scratch, despite knowing quite well some GUE IEs.

Not saying it is impossible, just... wow

The person who did this is a personal friend of mine ;-) So yes ... I can confirm that this happened and is not impossible, but I wouldn't be able to do it that's for sure!

 

[EFX]

Great post, decompression stress varies dive to dive, and if a diver learns to recognise how it affects them personally they can take measures to avoid getting bent on long deep stressful dives. Working deep in cold dark water is not the same as a casual dive in clear warm water to the same depth for the same time. You should listen to what you're body is saying, and shorten the bottom time or increase the deco.

I agree that listening to your body is good advice and can prevent a lot of emergencies medical or otherwise. But, I don't know how that applies to DCS. In my understanding symptoms of DCS don't appear until a couple hours after the dive. So, for dives that don't involve grossly violating deco procedures and ascent times it's too late to adjust bottom time or increase deco time.