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And I really was only trying to answer a question about why some people feel the way they do about DIR in general. But you're right, it's out of place in this thread. My apologize and I'm done with that now.
No worries - it's all good. There are "unfortunate" members in any group - Sorry you have to deal with some of them in your area.
I resisted posting about the fundies class initially or mentioning that I even took fundies but friends knew I took the class and at their urging of not keeping my experience in the closet, I posted. I realized that by not posting about the class, it would appear I was ashamed or embarrassed about being associated with GUE, and that is clearly not the case.
Sam,
OkI admit it - I am one of those friends who urged you to post this thread . I think anytime you stand for something people always have opinions. I am really glad you stepped out, connected with a new community and shared your positive experience with all of us.
Positive class reports from people like you may help to dispell misconseptions about this training, or at least make people wonder if they gave it an honest apprasial.
On a selfish note, it's really great to see more gals in this forum!
So Sam, promise me you won't just post this thread and then run away !
I'll echo what Ben said as one of the more exciting aspects of having gone through Fundamentals - if you're the type of person who hates having to worry about finding good buddies when traveling, whether the person you just met cares to do a thorough equipment check, make and stick with a dive plan, or act like a real buddy during the dive, DIR sets a really great "low bar" in this regard.
Of course you'll still find some people are better buddies than others, or more/less in tune with your style of diving, but the baseline for safe, consistent and communicative dive planning and execution is quite high with DIR. A number of us were on a liveaboard back in July, with people from NorCal/SoCal, Washington, and Arizona to name a few places. A lot of us had never met before. But it was amazing how any of the 20+ divers could just slip in and out of our buddy teams seamlessly. It's great to know that everyone is intrinsically on the same page as you, and that removes a huge stressor of diving with new people.
I'm sure many of the frequent fliers here (kathydee, TS&M) have numerous stories about how they could just hop into a dive with someone they've never dived with before and still be completely comfortable.
OkI admit it - I am one of those friends who urged you to post this thread . I think anytime you stand for something people always have opinions. I am really glad you stepped out, connected with a new community and shared your positive experience with all of us.
Positive class reports from people like you may help to dispell misconseptions about this training, or at least make people wonder if they gave it an honest apprasial.
On a selfish note, it's really great to see more gals in this forum!
So Sam, promise me you won't just post this thread and then run away !
Yes, you were def one of the few who nudged me outta the closet and let me tell ya girly, you have a bony elbow...ouch and ouch!!
In the perfect world, I wish everyone a positive experience like the one I had but we are in a less than perfect world so we make do as best we can.
Sam, Congrats! I'm really proud of you for one, taking the class, two posting your report and three, passing!!
I'm still not GUE'ed yet. I have the want, the drive and the gear for it, just haven't had the chance at the right time.
Having said that, I have nothing but the up most respect for GUE/DIR divers. That's ALL I've received from them. They've answered questions (TONS), put up with me hijacking threads (trying to not hijack this one) and actually (I've not met anyone of them in person) have had a few send me gear and tid bits of a SADK for me to borrow/keep.
Maybe I'm lucky and found the "good" DIRers... doubt it. Maybe it's the way one approaches them. If you go into a conversation with an attitude, you might get one back. Go in with an open attitude and a willingness to see the other side, you can have DIR friends for life.
Lynne is the first one I remember that is DIR that befriended me. So helpful and as Sam indicated, all of Lynne's post are insightful, informative and just plain fun to read. As are other DIR divers.
Congrats again Sam and the others.... too bad we couldn 't see that "dring" grab.
Sam..as a new diver I found your post Inspiring. One day I will be ready and I hope to also take the fundies course and become a better diver. Congrats!!!!!
Sam..as a new diver I found your post Inspiring. One day I will be ready and I hope to also take the fundies course and become a better diver. Congrats!!!!!
In my opinion, and I'd like to hear Sam's on this too, but I would recommend you take Fundies sooner than later.
It's easier to learn good things sooner rather than having to re-learn or break bad habits later on.
If you don't have decent buoyancy, Fundies is going to be a waste. Too hard to watch the skills, much less attempt them if you can't park yourself at a specific depth. Once you're stable in the water, doing a class like Fundamentals can be a huge help in moving your diving forward in a positive manner.
Being comfortable with the gear you'll use in the class (10-20 dives) might also really help.
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Originally Posted by Kingpatzer
. I think anytime you stand for something people always have opinions. I am really glad you stepped out, connected with a new community and shared your positive experience with all of us. 
