GUE Fundamentals or similar near Denver?

[tbone1004]

Not if you knew Rob's path. He first became a GUE Instructor and was the original GUE Instructors in Colorado (as far as I know). But trying to start his business, work a full time job and have a family, all in Colorado, he could not commit to the GUE Tech Instructor's Internship's durations in Florida for the higher certifications. NAUI fit his time & budget availability better at that time.

still stupid to require a different agency course as a pre-req. He could easily have taught the NAUI course to the same standards as the GUE course, it sounds like he was trying to get his student numbers up with GUE as there was no reason to make the students take that course when he could have taught the NAUI version which if taught properly has similar standards and since we get flexibility with NAUI, you can teach an effectively identical course to GUE.

Edit
just saw your other post, so since he's no longer teaching for GUE, that explains my suspicions above, he was just trying to get enough fundies students with GUE to eventually crossover and then chose not to and is probably now teaching the same level of course and just certifying through NAUI

 

[Oldbear]

still stupid to require a different agency course as a pre-req. He could easily have taught the NAUI course to the same standards as the GUE course, it sounds like he was trying to get his student numbers up with GUE as there was no reason to make the students take that course when he could have taught the NAUI version which if taught properly has similar standards and since we get flexibility with NAUI, you can teach an effectively identical course to GUE.

Edit
just saw your other post, so since he's no longer teaching for GUE, that explains my suspicions above, he was just trying to get enough fundies students with GUE to eventually crossover and then chose not to and is probably now teaching the same level of course and just certifying through NAUI

Dude, is your tank always "half empty"? Calling someone stupid when you know NOTHING about them, or their programs appears you have a proclivity of "It's my way or the highway."

Rob just the liked the GUE Fundies program better than the NAUI Intro at that time. Speaking as a former student we did GUE Fundies for as a Fundamental Course in diving. And then if you wanted to move onto Tech Diving than took NAUI's Program as a Tech Program. At the end of the day, it was Rob who did the instructions, and I really didn't care what agency he used, I was after the training.

Show me any agency's training standards that states at this level of diving the course's pre-requisites need to be from a that agency.

And in Colorado's market today it doesn't make much since to keep paying for a training agency's fee when you teach so very few classes.

 

[tbone1004]

Dude, is your tank always "half empty"? Calling someone stupid when you know NOTHING about them, or their programs appears you have a proclivity of "It's my way or the highway."

Rob just the liked the GUE Fundies program better than the NAUI Intro at that time. Speaking as a former student we did GUE Fundies for as a Fundamental Course in diving. And then if you wanted to move onto Tech Diving than took NAUI's Program as a Tech Program. At the end of the day, it was Rob who did the instructions, and I really didn't care what agency he used, I was after the training.

Show me any agency's training standards that states at this level of diving the course's pre-requisites need to be from a that agency.

And in Colorado's market today it doesn't make much since to keep paying for a training agency's fee when you teach so very few classes.

The way it was stated is that he required GUE's Fundamentals as a pre-req for a NAUI course, that implies he didn't think NAUI's intro to tech wasn't good enough. The real reason is he was probably trying to keep his student numbers up with GUE, but in either instance I take a lot of issue with an instructor requiring another agencies course as a pre-requisite to the point that I would have actually had a serious discussion with him about it if I encountered it directly and would have opened a discussion with NAUI about it as that is very much not OK.
I have no issue if it was the way the pre-req is written which with NAUI is agency agnostic, but the way it was presented was that he required a GUE course prior to taking a NAUI course and that is not acceptable.

And as far as your training agency standards comment, GUE requires that their course pre-reqs are within that agency, UTD and ISE do as well. There is a bit of a gray area if you have a high enough level instructor that can do an in-water evaluation, but you effectively can't go straight into a GUE Tech 1 class without a GUE Fundamentals tech pass.

 

[Oldbear]

The way it was stated is that he required GUE's Fundamentals as a pre-req for a NAUI course, that implies he didn't think NAUI's intro to tech wasn't good enough. The real reason is he was probably trying to keep his student numbers up with GUE, but in either instance I take a lot of issue with an instructor requiring another agencies course as a pre-requisite to the point that I would have actually had a serious discussion with him about it if I encountered it directly and would have opened a discussion with NAUI about it as that is very much not OK.
I have no issue if it was the way the pre-req is written which with NAUI is agency agnostic, but the way it was presented was that he required a GUE course prior to taking a NAUI course and that is not acceptable.

And as far as your training agency standards comment, GUE requires that their course pre-reqs are within that agency, UTD and ISE do as well. There is a bit of a gray area if you have a high enough level instructor that can do an in-water evaluation, but you effectively can't go straight into a GUE Tech 1 class without a GUE Fundamentals tech pass.

This thread has gone off track from the OP's inquire about "GUE Fundies Courses in Denver" and has absolutely no added value to the OP's question. So no more replies from me on this off-topic sidebar.

It is a waste of time to argue with someone on the internet who believes they know something about someone else base on what they read on the internet. Hint: Don't always "believe" what you think is true based on what you read on the internet.

Tbone say what you want about a friend of mine who you know absolutely nothing about if that is what flips your trigger and the type of poster you want to become...an internet bully. I used to like the Tbone who actually added value to threads much better. I will concede to you though that GUE does require "their" course as prereqs for "their" programs. But again that is not what the OP asked for.

To the OP, Matt, my apologies for my part in diverting from your topic...It was never my intensions to hijack your post.

 

[tryerson64]

2) @boulderjohn - tried to DM you but since I lurk too much, I need to post 5 times to DM would be interested to connect if you’re still doing that workshop. Sounds interesting.

ha - in the same boat. Resisting posting this reply 4 more times... @boulderjohn, I'm going to message you elsewhere (until I legitimately get my SB post count up)

 

[tryerson64]

aw rats - reading further through the thread I see @boulderjohn has retired. Congratulations to you John, and sad to hear you're not instructing any more. Anyone you'd recommend in the Boulder area?

 

[boulderjohn]

aw rats - reading further through the thread I see @boulderjohn has retired. Congratulations to you John, and sad to hear you're not instructing any more. Anyone you'd recommend in the Boulder area?

Rob Calkins teaches out of Flatirons in Broomfield.

 

[tryerson64]

Very good - thanks John.

 

[Oldbear]

Rob Calkins teaches out of Flatirons in Broomfield.

Rob was hands down one of the best and influential instructors I had…which developed into a great friendship.

 

[Alex Dorgan]

Any of you Denver/Boulder area folks have a recommendation for something like the intro GUE courses locally? I don't have any immediate tech diving ambitions or even really need another card -- just want to become a better diver and maybe have an excuse to dive locally a bit this fall. Looking to know what I don't know and be a bit more self sufficient -- not necessarily a specific specialty/agency/etc.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

I teach the SSI XR Foundations course at Ocean First, Boulder and think it would fit what you are looking for. The course focuses on buoyancy, trim, finning techniques, positioning, communications, equipment configuration, and refining skills. I teach this course upon student request, so we would schedule around your availability.