Nicole, I think we've said everything there is to say about the incident . . . now the discussion is enjoying a segue, as conversations do -- and minimum deco is far less likely, I think, to get the thread derailed!
Bill, if you think about it, all dives involve decompression. GUE felt that a linear 60 or 30 fpm ascent to the surface or a shallow safety stop, especially from deeper recreational dives, was a "bend and mend" approach to the offgassing that everybody has to do. Their idea was to build ascents, from the very beginning of diving, that have the shape of ascents generated by deco software. That is a relatively rapid ascent when deep, slowing as one approaches the surface (that shape being dictated by the assumed exponential nature of gas kinetics). In keeping with the principle of beginning as one means to go on, GUE students are taught to do stepped ascents from the outset. This not only is likely to be a more conservative and useful ascent strategy, it also builds the skills needed for efficient and accurate profiles if one goes on to more advanced diving.
There is no research of which I am aware, to support this approach. (And don't bring up Marroni, because his ascents were slow all the way from the bottom, and not comparable.) However, I know quite a few people, including myself, who noted a decrease in post-dive fatigue when they adopted the minimum deco procedure. And yes, we do a stop on the way up from a 30 foot dive -- but it's at half maximal depth, so in practice, it's your 15 foot safety stop! And the ascent from 15 feet to the surface is far slower than typical; we try to take two minutes to do that, if conditions permit. It's good for you, and it's good practice!