Question

[CALI68]

After rereading your post, I want to add this: GUE did not start out intending to teach non-divers how to dive. GUE was started to teach divers how to properly tech dive.. and as they came to realize that current OW instruction was a serious impediment to this goal, they are now introducing OW classes to circumvent the problem entirely. This is my opinion of course.

FWIW, GUE instructors are all OW instructors and some of them still teach OW classes. I believe at least some of the ones who do teach it in a bp/long hose, etc, with an emphasis on proper finning, trim, buoyancy, etc.

Yea but how great is going to be when they can teach it under the blanket of GUE?

 

[jonnythan]

Pretty nifty.

Getting anyone to take the class will be the hard part.. most people don't know they were shortchanged until after it's already happened

 

[OneBrightGator]

Talk about vapor-ware...

If you wanna get your friend started on the right track there has got to be a DIR or DIR-leaning instructor in SoCal, or just throw him in any OW class and work with him afterwards, he's probably gonna need a mentor anyway.

 

[novadiver]

how would they work the fundies into openwater?Or would they still teach fundies after open water? That's a lot to learn in one class. Maybe they would do a fundies 1 and a fundies 2

 

[headhunter]

CALI68,

Even though I have not taken my DIR-F class yet (plan to soon), I've actually been thinking about this myself since I have non-diving friends that ask me about learning to dive.

Since I believe that people should be well trained to dive, I have trouble recommending "just anyone" as an instructor.

I've only been able to come up with 2 choices.

1) (I feel that this may be a waste of money.) Have them take any open water class just to get certified and then have them take DIR-F later.

2) (This is the one I'm leaning toward.) Find a GUE instructor that also teaches OW classes for another organization. For example, I believe that Marc Hall in San Diego teaches OW classes. I also believe that he introduces many of the DIR-F concepts in that class as well.

Hope that helps.

Christian

 

[jonnythan]

how would they work the fundies into openwater?Or would they still teach fundies after open water? That's a lot to learn in one class. Maybe they would do a fundies 1 and a fundies 2

Not that you actually care, but for anyone else keeping score:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=844357&postcount=102

My impression is that it will be quite a class.

Imagine. Teaching the fundamentals of diving in an Open Water class!

 

[novadiver]

Not that you actually care, but for anyone else keeping score:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=844357&postcount=102

My impression is that it will be quite a class.

Imagine. Teaching the fundamentals of diving in an Open Water class!

Actually I do care, My children are almost old enough to start diving and I'd like them to be well trained.

BTW, In the old days,(1978) The open water class took all summer to complete and the divers were better off right out of the gate. I guess the GUE class will be close to the old ow padi course.( back when they cared)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

CALI68,

Even though I have not taken my DIR-F class yet (plan to soon), I've actually been thinking about this myself since I have non-diving friends that ask me about learning to dive.

Since I believe that people should be well trained to dive, I have trouble recommending "just anyone" as an instructor.

I've only been able to come up with 2 choices.

1) (I feel that this may be a waste of money.) Have them take any open water class just to get certified and then have them take DIR-F later.

2) (This is the one I'm leaning toward.) Find a GUE instructor that also teaches OW classes for another organization. For example, I believe that Marc Hall in San Diego teaches OW classes. I also believe that he introduces many of the DIR-F concepts in that class as well.

Hope that helps.

Christian

There are other alternatives ...

Not everyone who teaches at GUE shops is a GUE instructor ... and those non-GUE instructors who teach OW classes are generally very good, and teach in a way that prepares their OW grads for DIR-F. If you take an OW class at 5th D, for example, you will be taking it from an SSI instructor. That doesn't mean the class is somehow deficient ... far from it, it's an excellent curriculum.

Besides, given the current, limited supply of GUE instructors I can't see them spending a lot of time teaching OW classes. There seems to be enough demand out there for DIR-F and above to keep them plenty busy.

There are also lots of non-DIR instructors out there who provide great OW training, and many well-trained divers out there who have never taken a DIR class.

It's a mistake to assume that everyone who signs up for DIR-F does so because they feel that their OW training was deficient ... in many cases it's just because they're motivated to learn more.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[CALI68]

CALI68,

Even though I have not taken my DIR-F class yet (plan to soon), I've actually been thinking about this myself since I have non-diving friends that ask me about learning to dive.

Since I believe that people should be well trained to dive, I have trouble recommending "just anyone" as an instructor.

I've only been able to come up with 2 choices.

1) (I feel that this may be a waste of money.) Have them take any open water class just to get certified and then have them take DIR-F later.

2) (This is the one I'm leaning toward.) Find a GUE instructor that also teaches OW classes for another organization. For example, I believe that Marc Hall in San Diego teaches OW classes. I also believe that he introduces many of the DIR-F concepts in that class as well.

Hope that helps.

Christian

I agree with you 100%

 

[CALI68]

There are other alternatives ...

Not everyone who teaches at GUE shops is a GUE instructor ... and those non-GUE instructors who teach OW classes are generally very good, and teach in a way that prepares their OW grads for DIR-F. If you take an OW class at 5th D, for example, you will be taking it from an SSI instructor. That doesn't mean the class is somehow deficient ... far from it, it's an excellent curriculum.

Besides, given the current, limited supply of GUE instructors I can't see them spending a lot of time teaching OW classes. There seems to be enough demand out there for DIR-F and above to keep them plenty busy.

There are also lots of non-DIR instructors out there who provide great OW training, and many well-trained divers out there who have never taken a DIR class.

It's a mistake to assume that everyone who signs up for DIR-F does so because they feel that their OW training was deficient ... in many cases it's just because they're motivated to learn more.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

True Bob, I for one didn't mean to imply that at all. My OW instructor was great and a real nice Guy but I also gathered some very bad habits over time and that could be avoided from the get go with "DIR OW" or something like that. Not the least if witch is being totally reliant on my computer. I'm doing all I can to break these habits before I take DIR F in January.