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I just posted on the noobie forum about a new DVD released by 5thd-x. I believe the DVD is meant to be complement to the Essentials class that they teach. Most of the folks in this forum have probably already taken fundies and should be familiar with what content is covered in the DVD. However, I thought some of you might be interested in having a video of the skills as shown by an instructor.
if u do a course through 5th d are u credited with GUE or not?
Okay Jim, there are a few things to be clarified:
1) There are 2 5thDs. 5thD in WA and 5thD-X in No. CA. Depending on whom you're speaking with, there is a huge difference.
2) Essentials is a workshop that is taught by the 5thD-X crew and is not a GUE class.
3) 2 of the 5thD-X instructors are GUE instructors (Delia M and Joe T), so you could take Fundamentals (not Essentials) class from them that is GUE material.
4) Chances are, if you wish to "pass" (such an arbitrary term) Fundamentals, you're going to end up taking it more than once, so.....
Well, I dunno. I am not affilitated with those guys other than being a student/customer. As a whole, I really like them so I try to get the word out to my fellow divers when I see that they are offering something that I personally find helpful.
if u do a course through 5th d are u credited with GUE or not?
Short answer: It depends on which class.
Long answer: There are two separate companies. One is called Fifth Dimension or FifthD (www.fifthd.com). They are based in Washington state. The other is Fifth Dimension X or 5thd-x (www.5thd-x.com) now based in California. The company that produced the video is the second company. Both of these companies used to be owned by Andrew Georgitsis and used the same name. He sold off his interests in the part of the company that is in Washington state which is why there are two different organizations which have very similar names.
5thd-x currently has two instructors who are qualified to teach GUE classes (fundies, rec triox). If you take those classes from 5thd-x and pass, you get GUE cards. 5thd-x has also come out with their own classes that are not at all related to GUE. Because of their backgrounds, the classes created by 5thd-x are very much rooted in DIR. However, most of those classes are created under NAUI. As such, you get a NAUI card if you pass. The one exception is the "Essentials ot Recreational Diving" class.
5thd-x felt that fundies was not a real good fit for new recreational divers and divers not familiar with DIR. Just read up on all the threads where people "who practice" prior to going to fundies. There are several reasons for this but the bottom line is, 5thd-x wanted to offer much of the content of fundies without making students feel intimidated or compelled to "practice" prior to going to class. So they came up with a workshop called Essentials. Again, this is not GUE class. In fact, as a workshop, it is not even a class that you get a card for.
The implicit question - why did I think this DVD would even be vaguely interesting to the DIR minded divers?
I think the DVD in itself is useful in that they provide videos of a lot of the basic skills that are covered in fundies, a class that most who post in this board have either taken or interested in. They supposedly explain some of the why's of what they teach. I don't have a copy of the DVD yet so I am going on what I was taught during the class and the descriptions provided those who have seen it (Chris Cali). If nothing else, I believe the DVD will either be a useful resource for those have started their journey in learning DIR or it will be a useful intro to those who are curious about DIR but not yet ready to invest time and money into an intro to DIR class.
It's not plug unless the person plugging gets paid some dinero. Is it a plug if I tell you that I love my Halcyon Light? No. I don't get a penny neither does Adobo. I'm friends with AG and the 5thd-x team and I like to see my friends succeed however to be honest if the DVD sucked I'd be hiding out not saying a word.
The DVD is insanity. AG shows how it's done. Period. You can't fake complete control in the water and we ALL know that. This is where the buck stops. This is "the bar". All the higher level DIR divers know how freaky he is (GUE or not) Hell, he trained most of them.
I have had several opportunities to dive with AG this past year and just by osmosis I have become a 10x better diver. Think "playing tennis with someone that's REALLY good" it's just like that. This DVD basically does the same thing. I have a copy and I have watched the drills over and over and I'm amazed at the precision, I'm amazed at the stability and I am absolutely DRIVEN to be that good someday.
I have watched so many random clips here and there trying to see cool DIR stuff but this DVD puts them all in one spot. Finally.
The DVD is insanity. AG shows how it's done. Period. You can't fake complete control in the water and we ALL know that. This is where the buck stops. This is "the bar". All the higher level DIR divers know how freaky he is (GUE or not) Hell, he trained most of them.
Green Screen and computers
Can't wait for mine.... I heard they shipped out already
Just finished watching the DVD. Especially the trim section, it does look green screened - it's too unreal.
Very informative, and especially appreciated the step-by-step break down of the major steps in the skills.
Great to have all the skills in one compilation that is easy to view (and review). Very much worth the $20, especially when you consider the PowerPoint of the Essentials class is also included.
Well, I got the DVD a week later than I thought but it is well worth the wait.
My first impression was.. hey, they covered more material in the DVD than we covered in the class!!! It looks slightly modified/improved as well. It looks like they really thought through the feedback that many of their students had provided. It's about exactly what we asked for.
Included in the DVD are:
- presentation used during the lecture.
- a printable copy of the presentation (presumably something the student can use for note taking
- videos that show clear examples of how each skill is to be performed. Each skill is done at normal speed first and then re-run with step by step instructions on the proper way to perform the skill. The instructions come as text captions.
- They also included a couple of extra skills that I suspect they might never ever really cover in the class... these include toxing diver rescue and shooting an SMB.
Overall, I would say that video is very well done. Certainly they are easier to look at than the 2" x 2.5" videos that are available for download on the web. And the step by step instructions really are helpful. Now if only I could translate demonstrated skill into personal profeciency. One word of caution though.. for those of you who have had no formal exposure to DIR diving, I would suggest that you not assume that you "get it" simply because you watch this DVD. While the content is incredibly good, I think a qualified instructor setting context to the material is crucial.
I am curious to see if those who have taken DIR-F would agree that the content between the two classes overlap in most areas. Regardless, I believe it would be difficult for any of us to find a better way to spend $20 in this sport.
Well, I watched the video this morning, and I reiterate my take on the skills videos: AG is unreal. The contrast between him and Faisal, who is clearly quite competent, is just amazing. AG looks as though he is hung by puppet strings, because nobody can be that still in the water. I want to go e-bay my gear because I'll never measure up
They should have had some music, though. I understand that AG didn't want anything to distract from the skills, but some soft, neutral music would have made the video seem more professional.
I have not gone through the class presentations to compare them with Fundies, but there are certainly more pages.
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Originally Posted by maccajim
