GUE Fundies/Tech 1: Do Boat Operators Still Want AOW Card Too?

[rjack321]

Your subjective assestment of these divers as presumably representing the top 1%, aside. Is GUE actually teaching helium usage to students it feels aren't qualified to exceed 60 ft.?

Provisional triox students were advised not to be below 60ft. As in "not yet meeting rectriox standards"

Since the Channel Island charters tend to be shallow (20-60ft) and air diving, I'd be surprised if they require anything beyond an OW card. The one cattle boat I've been on down there didn't want to take us to the oils rigs. Too risky being without a bottom and all

 

[dsteding]

Your subjective assestment of these divers as presumably representing the top 1%, aside. Is GUE actually teaching helium usage to students it feels aren't qualified to exceed 60 ft.?

Read my post a little more carefully . . .

 

[CompuDude]

It was tongue in cheek as I've seen Fundies evolve from "An Evening and a Dive with Kane" format to the present day monstrosity of a multi day class.

Ok, I get the humor. But Kane's currently courses generally take two evenings of lecture during the week, and a full weekend of diving. That's certainly more than one evening and one dive, but... a monstrosity? *shrug*

 

[rjack321]

In all our trips, I've been with one dive op that cared to see anything beyond my OW card, and that was in Indonesia, where to my amazement, I was limited to 80 feet of depth because I hadn't brought my PADI Deep specialty card . . .

I can't imagine a charter operator restricting your dives because you don't have an AOW card, if you are carrying a card from any agency showing that you are tech certified. But then, I'm often amazed at the ridiculous rules people mindlessly enforce.

That's one thing I like about WA. All the charters I've ever used let us do our own thing. No card checking, no DMs blah blah

I did a hotel+diving package up in Sidney/ Saanich Inlet a few years ago. What a mess, we had a single tank air diving DM accompany us. He blithly dove alongside or below our MOD, going into deco about 30 seconds after I told him he needed to ascend. Then raced up to 15ft as his 'puter told him to.

 

[KMD]

That's one thing I like about WA. All the charters I've ever used let us do our own thing. No card checking, no DMs blah blah

I was sorta surprised that they didn't at least ask for us to write in our cert #s on the forms. Kinda nice though.

Fundies card is useless* (with one cavat) throw it in the drawer and forget about it.


*Note that I mean the card is useless not the training. Only use for the card is to proceed to upper levels of training within GUE.

 

[dsteding]

Fundies card is useless* (with one cavat) throw it in the drawer and forget about it.

Well, it is a nitrox card now.

 

[CompuDude]

Well, it is a nitrox card now.

True, but good only for 32% to 100', IIRC. I could see some boats with membrane systems that may put out 31%-33% or so getting nervous about that. Plus, you can be Nitrox certified without being AOW.

IMO, carry it if it's the only Nitrox card you have (else carry the regular card, usually good for up to 40%), but don't leave your AOW card at home, because you'll miss a dive if some uninformed idiot decides to get huffy... all to save yourself from carrying a card.

 

[dsteding]

IMO, carry it if it's the only Nitrox card you have (else carry the regular card, usually good for up to 40%), but don't leave your AOW card at home, because you'll miss a dive if some uninformed idiot decides to get huffy... all to save yourself from carrying a card.

Agreed. I'll still carry my AOW and nitrox cards, just easier to deal with. Fundies isn't really about the card anyways.

It seems like Tech 1 is universally accepted, and that is what would matter to me.

 

[rjack321]

The places I have called locally in WA and BC about fills all accept GUE cards. My money's as green as the next guys, they'd have to be a pretty unprofessional business to reject one cert over another.

I have gotten so accustomed to not being asked for cards that I often leave them at home. I suppose I should not do that just in case...

 

[OneBrightGator]

I am pretty confident in assuming that every GUE instructor is an instructor for another agency also (some may not be current I suppose). Why don't you ask him/her to do an AOW/Nitrox/Fundies class? It shouldn't be a big issue and then you'd be covered.