Unified Team Diving

[lamont]

In fact, I specifically remember several questions on the Fundies instructor evaluation form that asked if the instructor removed gear from you or had you remove it yourself. It looked like it was there as a QC assessment/enforcement tool.

I did have a fundies class where a student lost a mask, but that was a guy who had flunked out of T1 and was taking remedial fundies. That was also... 2004?

 

[Gombessa]

I did have a fundies class where a student lost a mask, but that was a guy who had flunked out of T1 and was taking remedial fundies. That was also... 2004?

That sounds fair to me, like he's getting some personalized attention in the course of a Fundies class.

Also, I assume cases like this were a good argument for implementing either the P/NP or rec/tec rating of current fundies?

 

[rjack321]

Also, I assume cases like this were a good argument for implementing either the P/NP or rec/tec rating of current fundies?

P/NP was implemented because students were not critical enough of themselves after the old workshop format and were showing up for T1 still underprepared.

GUE-F-Tec was created because students were showing up for T1 having taken DIRF in a single tank and trying to learn how to dive doubles and a deco bottle in a 5 day T1 class. E.g. I took DIRF in 2003 and in ~2003-4 I took T1 with 6-8 dives in doubles before class.

GUE-F-Rec was created to retain a single tank GUE-F format for those who only wanted that.

This is the rough development history, I forget the dates of this evolution...

 

[GShockey]

P/NP was implemented because students were not critical enough of themselves after the old workshop format and were showing up for T1 still underprepared.

GUE-F-Tec was created because students were showing up for T1 having taken DIRF in a single tank and trying to learn how to dive doubles and a deco bottle in a 5 day T1 class. E.g. I took DIRF in 2003 and in ~2003-4 I took T1 with 6-8 dives in doubles before class.

GUE-F-Rec was created to retain a single tank GUE-F format for those who only wanted that.

This is the rough development history, I forget the dates of this evolution...

Good summary Rich.

Now back to my previously recorded finale to "So you think you can dance".......

 

[JamesMottUTD]

Within the UTD curriculum we understand that there are different levels of divers, as well as different levels of instruction. To teach a class where the instructor gratifies him/herself by stealing equipment and making that the focus of the class, especially when all the student can think about is, how does the back kick work? is useless, to say the least.
Destroying the students’ confidence is not the focus of UTD’s Essentials or Intro To Tech courses. The purpose of these classes, are to bring the already certified diver into the world of UTD/DIR diving, and what we feel are essential skills that every certified diver should know and utilize. Unfortunately, many divers are lacking in these areas… hence the success of the UTD Essentials, Intro to tech and other Fundamental classes.
DIR in 2009 does not begin with the premise of everyone sucks, this is why…. The UTD program illustrates a clear, understandable and most importantly… attainable goal for all divers to achieve.
Stealing a students’ mask, in order to make the instructor feel cool, does no service to a developing diver. Nor does it benefit the awareness and understanding of the instructor, especially at the higher levels that UTD builds in our Instructor Development Course.
To a student, the stealing of a mask, failing of valves or calling an air share… are just a bunch of things your instructor does to mess with you; however as a UTD instructor there is a place and a purpose for everything. A mask is never removed for amusement, it is taken to force a decision in the dive team, and an out of air is never called haphazardly. It is called for a very specific, very discussable, very understandable reason that everyone can learn from in the video debriefs that follow the UTD dives.
Critical skill classes, like those involving air shares/failures such as Rec 3, Tech, Overheard, etc, are different than skill development classes like Essentials and Intro… for very specific reasons.

 

[Scott L]

Within the UTD curriculum we understand that there are different levels of divers, as well as different levels of instruction. To teach a class where the instructor gratifies him/herself by stealing equipment and making that the focus of the class, especially when all the student can think about is, how does the back kick work? is useless, to say the least.
Destroying the students’ confidence is not the focus of UTD’s Essentials or Intro To Tech courses. The purpose of these classes, are to bring the already certified diver into the world of UTD/DIR diving, and what we feel are essential skills that every certified diver should know and utilize. Unfortunately, many divers are lacking in these areas… hence the success of the UTD Essentials, Intro to tech and other Fundamental classes.
DIR in 2009 does not begin with the premise of everyone sucks, this is why…. The UTD program illustrates a clear, understandable and most importantly… attainable goal for all divers to achieve.
Stealing a students’ mask, in order to make the instructor feel cool, does no service to a developing diver. Nor does it benefit the awareness and understanding of the instructor, especially at the higher levels that UTD builds in our Instructor Development Course.
To a student, the stealing of a mask, failing of valves or calling an air share… are just a bunch of things your instructor does to mess with you; however as a UTD instructor there is a place and a purpose for everything. A mask is never removed for amusement, it is taken to force a decision in the dive team, and an out of air is never called haphazardly. It is called for a very specific, very discussable, very understandable reason that everyone can learn from in the video debriefs that follow the UTD dives.
Critical skill classes, like those involving air shares/failures such as Rec 3, Tech, Overheard, etc, are different than skill development classes like Essentials and Intro… for very specific reasons.

James,
Any classes scheduled in SE Florida in the near or not so near future? Thanks! Scott

 

[JamesMottUTD]

We can try putting something together, for this fall... Maybe Key Largo??? Contact me at the UTD site, Unified Team Diving
Thanks,
James

 

[ae3753]

Wow, I somehow missed this thread. Otherwise I would have raised my hand as a UTD diver.

I have read a few course reports about Essentials (their equivalent of Fundies)...

A minor correction. UTD's Intro-to-Tech course is more "similar" to GUE Fundamentals, with Intro-to-Tech requiring a deco bottle and gas switching skills.

Essentials is for the recreational diver, who is interested in improving their individual skills, team skills, and situational awareness. As noted, it's a workshop format with no pass/fail component. We want the course to be very fulfilling, but we also want it to be fun.

 

[sacharv]

Taking the Into-to-Tech course in a few weeks and am very much looking forward to it. Just hope it isn't too late to unlearn all those bad habits

I also find the UTD website very well put together and being able to study the material before the course makes a lot of sense IMHO.

 

[tbaldi]

I thought he was the Director of Training for Naui Tech... am I wrong?

Tim O'Leary has been the director of NAUI's Tec program since the program's inception. Andrew never held a leadership position at NAUI Tec.

Capt Tim O'Leary