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

[AJ]

I used to be a GUE diver and I am still interested in that they are doing because it make me laugh.

I've never been a GUE diver. I did Fundies though with tech rating. Was planning to do Tech 1 but witched to CCR.

For me it's just a way of OC diving with certain buddy's. I don't care much about what GUE thinks about me solo, CCR non GUE style and Sidemount diving. That's my business, not theirs. I think we're both fine with that, and if not...their problem

 

[Doc Harry]

I think that's your impression because you have a pre-existing opinion about GUE and don't want to see it any other way.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. I used to fly combat jets from aircraft carriers. The Navy has a standardized program for flying, which I loved.

When I started my PADI OW training, my first impression of the training and gear was, "This is bull ****." While doing more research, I stumbled across GUE and I was all in. The standardized program is exactly what I was looking for. My first BC was a BP/W.

When I signed up for GUE training, I knew nothing of the controversies surrounding GUE.

I told Dean before the class that I was a new vacation diver (80 dives in 3 years) and I really needed good training and constructive feedback. I was tired of PADI instructors blowing smoke up my ass and always telling me I was doing great without offering help to correct my deficiencies. I told him that I didn't know if I was a good or bad diver because I never got effective feedback from PADI.

Dean put me in doubles for the class, with an oversized wing for steel doubles, and I did not receive any constructive feedback. He and the other two instructors viciously ridiculed me, blamed me for their errors.

Dean constantly ridiculed me for not contacting other Fundies students to get the class handout before the class, which I had no idea that I was supposed to do. Dean refused to give me a class handout, kept asking me questions from the handout, and incessantly ridiculed me for not knowing the answers.

They jerry-rigged the weight on my doubles set, against my insistence that I use a V weight. They ridiculed me, and demanded that I dive with the jerry-rigged weight. I even offered to buy the V weight, but they refused to sell the weight to me. When their jerry-rigged weight fell off during a dive and I had an uncontrolled buoyant ascent from 30 feet, Dean screamed at me and failed me on the spot for the weight failure, then reversed the failure. Later during the class, the instructors played the video of my uncontrolled ascent over and over again, laughing at me at making degrading comments about me for 20 minutes.

The entire class was like this. Every minute of every day. I could tell you about a few dozen other bad experiences. I got a provisional, and when I returned to Florida for a re-do the abuse was 10x worse.

I did everything possible to make GUE work for me, but GUE made that impossible.

 

[steinbil]

Nothing could be farther from the truth. I used to fly combat jets from aircraft carriers. The Navy has a standardized program for flying, which I loved.

When I started my PADI OW training, my first impression of the training and gear was, "This is ********." While doing more research, I stumbled across GUE and I was all in. The standardized program is exactly what I was looking for. My first BC was a BP/W.

When I signed up for GUE training, I knew nothing of the controversies surrounding GUE.

I told Dean before the class that I was a new vacation diver (80 dives in 3 years) and I really needed good training and constructive feedback. I was tired of PADI instructors blowing smoke up my ass and always telling me I was doing great without offering help to correct my deficiencies. I told him that I didn't know if I was a good or bad diver because I never got effectively feedback from PADI.

Dean put me in doubles for the class, and I did not receive any constructive feedback. He and the other two instructors viciously ridiculed me, blamed me for their errors. They constantly ridiculed me for not contacting other Fundies students to get the class handout before the class, which I had no idea that I was supposed to do.

They jerry-rigged the weight on my doubles set, against my insistence that I use a V weight. When their jerry-rigged weight fell off during a dive and I had an uncontrolled buoyant ascent from 30 feet, Dean screamed at me and failed me on the spot for the weight failure, then reversed the failure. Later during the class, the instructors played the video of my uncontrolled ascent over and over again, laughing at me at making degrading comments about me for 20 me minutes.

The entire class was like this. Every minute of every day. I got a provisional, and when I returned to Florida for a re-do the abuse was 10x worse.

Sounds absolutely horrible. If this is an accurate account, the instructor should definitely get sanctioned and you should get a refund. This is not something that anyone should have to experience in any class, regardless of agency. If this is your experience with GUE I understand your distaste. My experience have been the polar opposite.

 

[Doc Harry]

Sounds absolutely horrible. If this is an accurate account, the instructor should definitely get sanctioned and you should get a refund.

I wrote GUE a long letter detailing absolutely everything that happened in my GUE classes.

GUE never responded to my letter.

Dean kept teaching with GUE for years afterwards.

 

[AJ]

Sounds absolutely horrible. If this is an accurate account, the instructor should definitely get sanctioned and you should get a refund. This is not something that anyone should have to experience in any class, regardless of agency. If this is your experience with GUE I understand your distaste. My experience have been the polar opposite.

Agree, this is no way near how I perceived my GUE training. My instructor was firm but helpful. He understood why I was struggling and helped me to get a better diver. Which I did. Fundies laid a base I'am still enjoying every dive. That's how GUE and very other training should be.

 

[rddvet]

Nothing could be farther from the truth. I used to fly combat jets from aircraft carriers. The Navy has a standardized program for flying, which I loved.

When I started my PADI OW training, my first impression of the training and gear was, "This is bull ****." While doing more research, I stumbled across GUE and I was all in. The standardized program is exactly what I was looking for. My first BC was a BP/W.

When I signed up for GUE training, I knew nothing of the controversies surrounding GUE.

I told Dean before the class that I was a new vacation diver (80 dives in 3 years) and I really needed good training and constructive feedback. I was tired of PADI instructors blowing smoke up my ass and always telling me I was doing great without offering help to correct my deficiencies. I told him that I didn't know if I was a good or bad diver because I never got effective feedback from PADI.

Dean put me in doubles for the class, with an oversized wing for steel doubles, and I did not receive any constructive feedback. He and the other two instructors viciously ridiculed me, blamed me for their errors.

Dean constantly ridiculed me for not contacting other Fundies students to get the class handout before the class, which I had no idea that I was supposed to do. Dean refused to give me a class handout, kept asking me questions from the handout, and incessantly ridiculed me for not knowing the answers.

They jerry-rigged the weight on my doubles set, against my insistence that I use a V weight. They ridiculed me, and demanded that I dive with the jerry-rigged weight. I even offered to buy the V weight, but they refused to sell the weight to me. When their jerry-rigged weight fell off during a dive and I had an uncontrolled buoyant ascent from 30 feet, Dean screamed at me and failed me on the spot for the weight failure, then reversed the failure. Later during the class, the instructors played the video of my uncontrolled ascent over and over again, laughing at me at making degrading comments about me for 20 minutes.

The entire class was like this. Every minute of every day. I could tell you about a few dozen other bad experiences. I got a provisional, and when I returned to Florida for a re-do the abuse was 10x worse.

I did everything possible to make GUE work for me, but GUE made that impossible.

Sounds like an a-hole. That is not the experience of the majority of gue divers. If true, he should have been sanctioned.

 

[ginti]

Sounds like an a-hole. That is not the experience of the majority of gue divers. If true, he should have been sanctioned.

This is the third time I have read this story here on SB. As I said in the past, I think @Doc Harry is honest and sincere. I also understand his anger and feel genuinely sorry for him.

Here is the first time he spoke about it: Starting Technical diving GUE Vs TDI VS PADI?

To be frank, he does not want to discuss too many details. Also, although he is aware that the organization radically changed in recent times, he refuses to change his position and blames the agency of today for something it did not do (when this accident happened, GUE was literally something else: other BoD, other instructors, other members, other training curricula, and I can continue). This behavior is understandable but not productive to trigger any change for the better, to be honest. Anyway, enjoy the debate

 

[PfcAJ]

As probably the only other guy on SB who took a class from Dean, my experience was dead nuts opposite.

I had a great time on T1, learned a ton, and received valuable feedback. We started with three, one was unable to finish due to skills issues, but Dean was never ****** to him in any way.

 

[LiteHedded]

Actually, the best thing about being a Black Belt is having absolutely no need or desire to state to anyone that you are a Black Belt.

Agree to disagree. My favorite part is not dealing with instructors. Cheers.

 

[drrich2]

If you want to become an instructor, two other things will be a problem: solo diving and deep air.

Obviously people won't be solo diving as part of a GUE team, but I take it you're indicating GUE would take issue if it became known a GUE instructor engaged in solo diving. If so, is that something just thought be conventional wisdom to be the case, or is it actually stated anywhere? Is it assumed, or known for sure?

Richard.