Why not Fundies?

[MXGratefulDiver]

Care to share the rules? Or does that take the secret handshake & decoder ring?
E

Ya gotta take the class ...

... just kidding ... I think the rules are an internet thing ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[BabyDuck]

ok, i'll go back to the original question, lynne.

i was interested at one point. there is one class taught here yearly, only an hour away. so if i got provisional, there's no way i could translate that to a pass without traveling to where ever the instructor actually was one weekend since he won't be back for at least a year. we (ncdivers) looked into setting up another class but couldn't find an instructor as i recall - jason, do you remember more details?

anyway, at this point, i'd love to take it but i'm really not sure it would be a step forward. in other words, i'd very much like the info but though i'm sure i'd learn tons, i felt past the stage of fundamentals and that this wouldn't have been the best bang for my buck.

maybe next year getting back into the swing? we'll see!

 

[SparticleBrane]

I understand where you are coming from and what I have to say is not intended as criticism.

IMHO you have to think about, and remember, where DIR came from. Not everyone who was around and involved in developing these "skills", "techniques" and "standards" went to work for GUE.
In fact I can think of one WKPP support diver, who incidentely is a member of this board, who has, afaik, never taken GUE courses.
She also teaches intro to cave and trimix.
In fact there are a few of WKPP members who are instructors with other agencies and not GUE afaik.

You are quite correct--I know several WKPP members who have never taken a GUE class. Although, the woman you're thinking of and the people I know are all part of the same group.

 

[jeckyll]

George III has never taken a GUE class either ...

Just a thought

As to the TSandM's post: I haven't taken the class either. Right now I'm off classes and I'm just diving. If Fundies classes ran regularly here in Vancouver, I probably would already be signed up. As well, I'm not in doubles now and would probably want to be if I took fundies as I'd want to be able to progress to tech courses after.

One day I probaly will take it.

 

[Ben_ca]

Just wait till TS&M gets her GUE Fundies Instructor Cert... That'll follow right after she get's her scooter

Seriously... When will one of the PNW Tech 1 guys step up to the plate and get GUE Fundies instructor certed? Clearly there's a need that isn't being met

 

[dsteding]

George III has never taken a GUE class either ...

Just a thought

As to the TSandM's post: I haven't taken the class either. Right now I'm off classes and I'm just diving. If Fundies classes ran regularly here in Vancouver, I probably would already be signed up. As well, I'm not in doubles now and would probably want to be if I took fundies as I'd want to be able to progress to tech courses after.

One day I probaly will take it.

Come down to Seattle and take fundies this winter-I'm looking at either December or January, depending on the schedules of myself and the person I am planning on taking it with. We decided yesterday to take the class together, he's an excellent diver and a good guy who will be fun to take the class with. If things mesh with your schedule, I'm sure we can arrange lodging for you at no or little cost during the class.

As for the doubles/singles thing, I've also wrestled with this. After talking to the local GUE instructor yesterday (who, btw, seems like a great guy) my plan is to take it in a singles rig, transition to doubles and re-eval to get a tech pass. Two reasons for this: It has taken me 3 months and 20 dives to even start to think I have a stable enough platform to take fundies, and I want to pick up the skills first, then transition to doubles and practice. I'd have to get into doubles now to get ready, and I think that may be rushing things a bit.

Second reason is this: since the standards for a tech pass are higher than a rec pass, it will take more work to get the tech pass anyways. Might as well learn the skills in the class, and then hone them over many practice dives. Then, re-eval when the team is ready. Speaking of practice dives, there are always plenty of us willing to do such dives--I actually enjoy them, which is probably one of the reasons I'm drawn to DIR.

 

[Jason B]

we (ncdivers) looked into setting up another class but couldn't find an instructor as i recall - jason, do you remember more details?

I did finally get a hold of the instructor(s) that teaches in our area. At the time I was trying to set up the class, they (Dave Sweetin and Tyler Moon) were heading out of the country for about 9 months. It now appears that Dave Sweetin has lost his work visa and can't work in the USA and Tyler Moon is doing something with planes and flying (that's what SparticleBrane told me) so it's tough to get one (instructor) in some areas. I even pm'ed the few DIR-f instructors here on SB to try and figure something out....never got a reply. Finally gave up on trying.

 

[TSandM]

Jason, did you try directly e-mailing them at the e-mail listed on the GUE website? I know a lot of folks don't check SB regularly, and may not get e-mail notification of their PMs. Hard as it is to believe, some people just aren't Scubaboard addicts

Ben, we have a very good GUE instructor in Seattle, and the whole reason I started this thread is that his classes aren't filling. Why do we need another one?

If I were ever to teach, I'd be strongly tempted to try to qualify to teach for GUE. It's a long, expensive road, and the hurdles are high, but in return, you get to teach highly motivated students things you believe in and keep your standards as high as you want. But I'd have to make Tech 1 or Cave 1 first, and to do that, I have to get over this midwater disorientation issue . . .

 

[Jason B]

Lynne, in all fairness, Dave Sweetin was the only one I ever corresponded with via e-mail. He was supper nice, timing just wasn't on our side.

By that point, I had started my cave training and was getting a lot of what I was hoping to get from a DIR-f class. Well, to be honest, I was kind of getting what I wanted; lucky for me, about that same time a mentor popped into my life and he completed what I was looking for.

 

[lamont]

I talked with Steve White yesterday. He's got a "back to basics" workshop which it sounds like is setup to address a lot of the concerns that people have about fundies. And I mentioned the issues with equipment being a barrier to entry, and it sounded like he'd be willing to work around equipment issues -- he would want students to borrow a long hose and that sounded like his major concern. I didn't have a lot of time to drill him in depth about what is course requirements were, but that workshop sounds like the solution to the people who were concerned about money and gear.