GUE Fundamentals 7/21-7/25

[ScubaFeenD]

The Fundamentals of Better Diving 7/21/10-7/25/10

I thought I knew what fundamentals was going to be like. I thought I understood the GUE/DIR unfitted team diving concept. I had read the books, prepared my buoyancy, and practiced the skills required for the class. I had no idea that what I would "learn" would be totally different than I expected.

I had spent a few months back and forth on the telephone with Bob Sherwood, one of the only GUE instructors within 1000 miles of baltimore. We had talked about equipment and chatted briefly about whether I was ready (i only had about 35 dive when i finally took the course) or not for the course. With Bob's supportive words, I finally decided to take the plunge, and months of anticipation and preparation ensued.

Day 1: Introductions:
Since many of the students in this class were friends we all stayed at the same hotel. Accordingly, Bob Sherwood was at the hotel bright and early (he is never, EVER late) and we were all introduced to each other a little more while having the chance to meet the fifth, previously unknown member of the class. After introductions we plunged right into lecture, and completed two hours of that before moving on to the equipment check and dives. I was a bit apprehensive about the equipment check, but as it turned out the inter webs arrant always wrong and the guidance I received both in person and on dive forums served me extremely well--the check was surprisingly gentle.

The first dive of the class went relatively well. We covered propulsion techniques, which all went off without a relative hitch. We left the water invigorated for the week ahead, and probably more confident than we should have been.

Day 2-4 Getting down to business:
After day one we all showed up to the dive site ready to kick some more butt underwater. Well, that wasn't in the cards for this fundamentals class for the remainder of the week. Instead, we had to work hard to continue to add skills to our individual and collective diving repertoires while learning the skills to be a cohesive team. The difficulty started when the requirement to maintain position in the water column while doing skills became a necessity. Buoyancy constantly needed to be adjusted and for all divers involved, getting used to the pressure of working in a very cohesive and closely dependent team became far more psychologically and physically challenging than anything we had collectively prepared for.

We managed to push our way through the week, learning new skills in the team environment and in a way and to a standard we had never held ourselves to before. Each skill built on previous skills and eventually we were doing timed descents and ascents while air sharing--a far cry from where we were at the beginning of the week. However, not only were the skills to be done right and within a specific window, but we were working as a collective instead of solely a bunch of divers individually getting better. As a result, we all struggled to become better together as opposed to just succeeding in isolation.

Personal frustrations did arise for many of us (especially me) when things weren't coming as quickly as we all had hoped. However, the video review at the end of the day was always a great source of entertainment and decompression. Bob is great at narrating the videos with the most humorous commentary imaginable; To this day, we can all still joke about the silly things that we did underwater while i can still hear Bobs play-by-play (a cross between madden diving and a stand-up comic).

Day 5 Paying the piper:
Day 5, the evaluation day, came on what began as a really pleasantly sunny day. As anyone who has read about GUE fundamentals can imagine, we were all really nervous. While no one was there with the strict goal of passing, the validation a GUE card lends to a divers skill cannot be denied--we all wanted to pass. We started the morning with the written test, which was as fair as I could have hoped, and we finished the morning with a friendly group swim to get wet and in the water, and we all got to have a little fun with the new halcyon Tech scooters thanks to the really great timing of a halcyon demo day. After the friendly swim we continued with the pre-dive briefing regarding what skills we would perform and in what order so as to finish up the dive in a timely manner.

I wont divulge any more information regarding other students in the class or individual performances, because I do not feel that it is my place. I will say, however, that everyone in the class improved significantly over the week, even after the first day high. It is truly amazing to see divers learn and hone their skills in such a short period of time, and the successes of everyone in the class should be applauded.

Personally, I did not learn what I thought I would, and I now have an even deeper appreciation for DIR. Admittedly, when I undertook this endeavor I thought it was all about skills and gear. How to perfect technique and use the most minimal rig setup possible to achieve the goals of the dive. However, after taking fundamentals, what I have learned about TEAM is far more valuable and has become the most rewarding aspect of the training. Sure, I learned about appropriate dive planning, gas management, "adult" deco, and better techniques, but I see all those as simply plugs in a foundation of dive experience and education--they were the repairs of deficient previous training. However, it is the team communication and cooperation that makes diving AMAZING. I have had the opportunity to dive many times now with fundamentals + trained divers and, they have been the MOST comfortable dives ever.

I am really glad that I had the opportunity to receive this training and I look forward to continuing with GUE in the future. I now have more control in the water than I ever could have hoped for, and while I am fully aware many divers can be equally/greater skilled even if not GUE, what has really hooked me is the team aspects and not necessarily the other stuff.

I want to thank Bob Sherwood for a great class and for putting up with my constant questions about decompression theory and gear, and my teammates Donna (drydiver), Eric, Keith (keithdiver), and Jim (gypsyjim)for a great week of diving education.

[CJM]

Thanks Tim.. Some good reading here and as always it's motivating to see write ups like this.

[ScubaSam]

Tim - Fundies definitely gives you a better appreciate for basic diving skills and team diving.
Many thanks for posting your Fundies report.

When are we gonna do some fun dives together??

[gypsyjim]

It was a tough, but very rewarding week. I still have a long way to go, before I can fulfill every GUE skill requirement, but I came away from the week with a lot more skills than I started with, and as you say, a much deeper appreciation for the meaning of teamwork this type of diving involves.

All of us in diving are familiar with "The buddy system", but this GUE/DIR team building is an entirely different breed of animal, and quite rewarding to be a part of, even at our basic, beginner's level.

It was great diving with you, Tim. Look forward to doing so again, and good luck with your future DIR training.

[HenrikBP]

Congratulations on taking the class and thanks for the write-up.

Henrik

[TSandM]

Great writeup! It reminded me strongly of my Fundamentals class. Like you, I knew the gear and skills stuff was coming, and I'd read about team . . . but TEAM was the big light bulb from the class, even though no one in my group came anywhere near achieve enough skill to resemble anything like a team.

Team is what keeps me diving the way I dive, with the people with whom I dive. It really makes diving different.

[kathydee]

Congratulations Tim!

Thanks for your class report! It’s been great watching your journey. I agree, after Fundies I also had much more control in the water than I could have ever dreamed possible, and it only seems to get better ;-)!

One of my favorite benefits about passing fundies is access to an incredible network of excellent partners both here and around the globe.

If you pass through San Fran some day -- let’s go diving .