I took the DIRF class in November with only 40+ dives under my belt. Within those 40+ dives I had reached Rescue certification. The reason I turned to GUE for training was because I didn't feel like I was really learning anything and that my training was not helping me be a better diver. I went into the class enthusiastic about DIR but skeptical about GUE, only because of my previous experiences with training. The class provided me with direction. The skills that are taught will carry through to everything I do in my diving. The mindset, philosophy, and approach to diving that GUE and DIR instill in divers is the greatest benefit though. The students in my class ranged from me (the newbie) to guys who had been cave diving for years to an instructor who was curious about it. We all walked about with the same feeling...we have a lot to learn, but it's do-able and very beneficial. From my experiences around other divers after the class I find there are two reasons why people don't pursue DIR - one, they don't know about it, and two, when they see the equipment configuration they interpret it as "tech only." DIR is not tech only. So there's some feedback from a newbie.