GUE Meeting - Minneapolis

[VintageDiverMN]

Maybe it's all about making money $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[arcFlash]

DIR started getting heat as soon as they coined the name. It implies "Your Doing it Wrong" I myself fell for the DIR system as soon as I read my first outline on GUE.com. I'll probably drop the coil and take the class.

My problem isn't with the teaching it's with the crappy gear. Big puffy jackets with all kinds of padding and a gizmo for everthing.  If you've ever been in the water and had to fumble with something your geared wrong, IMO. I use the plate and 12 feet of webbing, nice and clean.

I would like to see a card on how to buy gear with the OW book. Something like DIR. You really can't get it wrong. If later they want the, air integrated super gonkulator 3000 with leg warmers, so be it.

[MAXFACTOR]

Unfortunately for me, I got there late as the plane I was in was late.  However, I did read all of the literature that Lonnie had posted the link to.  I thought there is definitely a place for much of it in diving.

I too agree with Vintage,   as the "fundamental course" seemed like a lot of money.  But further, if an instructor wanted to do a cross over regardless of how much experience he or she had,  the fee's are very hefty. 

I just wonder from a business point of view that maybe if the fee structure was reduced substantially, maybe the GUE people would have more participation from us average guys, who want to constantly improve our skills but don't want to take a 2nd mortgage to do it.

ONE THING..  I really agree with in GUE/ DIR     is   
NOT HAVING A TICKET FOR LIFE.  In other words,  under the GUE program,  you must make at least 25 dives during any 3 year period to keep they're certification.  I've been on many boats and dockside when people are saying they've been diving or got certified 15 years ago, and when the DM or Instructor asks them,  WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID A DIVE, and they say, about 5 years ago..... etc...    etc.   

One of the things the other agencies should consider in my opinion is not issuing a C CARD FOR LIFE.    People rely on old skills,  old gear, and former health conditions way to much. 

It was good to chat with some of the great divers that were there.  I am sure when it gets down to it, we are all brothers and sisters in a sport that requires more cooperation and consideration from peers then most any other sport.

Hats off to John Preston and the guys from Rochester that came all the way up to share they're excitement for GUE. 

maxfactor

[jpreston]

I appreciate all your comments whether critical for the negative or the positive. Let's recall that most of us if not all of us started out as a PADI, NAUI etc. diver certification. I too hold a deck of C-cards that I could redecorate my house with. That being said I always felt that something was missing from my diving, being skills or information. I to was critical of GUE/DIR concept, I questioned everything, I also thought how could they make my skills that much better when I'm doing 150+ dives a year. It took me a year to suck it up and put down the bucks for the DIR-F class. I was in my peak diving skills before the class and knew I could breeze through it.

Reality check...What I gained from it was team diving. The need and requirement of each person as a whole and how it effected those around me. It also allowed each of us to criticize each other in a way that improved our diving skills. No longer do I become defensive if a team member points out that my frog kick was too low or that I might be stirring up a little silt. We encourage each other to become better skilled divers. By doing so in such a short time our skill level increased dramatically and our overall team collective is second to none. We all know our SOP setup (Standard Operating Procedure), we never have to guess or assume anything, we all know the protocols for emergencies whether it be OOA to deco on the fly.

So what I spent on the fundies was too little. They gave me more than any class I ever had besides cave diving. Even so I'm looking at getting my GUE cave certification even though I'm already cave certified because I know I will get more than my monies worth and learn even more.

What the problem is for most divers is pride. No one, I mean no one wants to admit that they are not the best at what they do, it's only human nature. I cannot fault anyone for that. I too was the same way before taking the class. But once I got past it and kept an open mind and did the training it really changed everything for me. It was a humbling experience, I found a lot of things I could do better and until I saw it on video it didn't hit home for me. The real fun part is watching open water instructors taking the class, they really know how to screw up everything. Sorry guy's, instructors are the one's with the most pride and the last one's to accept the challenge of taking the class. BUT, the instructors that do take the class are able to improve the OW training just from what they learn in this class. Imagine going to a student horizontally and once done doing a skill backwards kick away from them without hand swimming or pushing off something. Makes you look really cool to your students and invokes a level of professionalism that you never had before in the water.

So to reduce the cost of the class for the average diver is not acceptable in my book, because we are not average divers. Also you get what you paid for and if that is the case I would love to have all the extra money I paid out for other c-cards because I know I paid too much for very little training compared to the DIR-F class.

By the way I work in a business that normally goes for the lowest price yet we are 2-3 times higher than anyone else and we have better sales and profits than the guy's cutting each other's throat. Why? Because some people know better products cost more but you get so much more out of it. Diving and dive training is no different.

John P.

[VintageDiverMN]

I guess I'll just keep doing it wrong, no BC, no pressure gauge, no second regulator, no compess, no knife, no computer, just my trusted 50 year old double hose regulator and J valve, just like Jacques Cousteau used to dive. Anyone want to go diving with me?

[Freedive WI]

Hey Vintage diver,

Why don't you join Fred and I dive like Jacque Cousteau did 75 years ago- NO TANKS!

When it comes to trimix diving I dive DIR- I've tried plenty of other set-ups and it works pretty well right "off-the-shelf".

For anything else putting a tank on is just too much hassle.

Jon

[VintageDiverMN]

And here I thought I scared everyone.