Best agency for learning Tech diving - criteria given - honest :)

[Troy G.]

I love all the self proclaimed expert opinions.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

But GUE won't let him fulfill his hopes of going deep straight away guys

... and that's the kind of comment that makes the GUE advocates come off as arrogant.

Isn't going deep the whole point of taking a tech class? I mean, if you're not going to go deep, recreational training is really all you need.

The problem I see with a lot of GUE training is that it goes too far in the other direction. Back in the days when I was diving the wrecks in Lake Washington almost every week-end I once buddied up with a guy who was GUE Tech 1 certified for a 150-foot dive on an old WWII bomber. As we were getting ready for the dive he commented "I've been training for two years to do this dive". Really? That's just friggen' sad. And while his skills were excellent, his lack of practical application had held him back ... this poor guy had spent two years diving in the same dive site he'd taken his OW class in, week-after-week of doing endless drills. I guess that's fun for some people, but it would bore the crap out of me. And it doesn't give you the practical application that it takes to become "good" at any skill ... classes and drills are an artificial environment, and after a certain point there's little to be gained by repeated practice doing the same things over and over and over.

Not all GUE training does that, but over the years I have noticed that our local GUE community tends to spend the majority of their time diving the same site over and over and over ... and it happens to be the same site where most of them took their recreational training. To my concern, that's a bit disappointing ... given what the "E" in GUE stands for ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Troy G.]

Since the first of your criteria is foolhardy, the others are immaterial. Get a card from whichever instructor is willing to take you on and, if you earn it, certify you.

Once certified, be sure to tell any dive op and buddy that you ever plan to dive with that you're into tech diving mainly for the thrill. See how that goes over.

Give it a rest! I think you made your point the first time.

---------- Post added April 1st, 2015 at 09:25 AM ----------

While I agree with those who think thrill seeking is s foolish reason to get into tech, the op also listed self discovery, higher learning etc.....

Personally I only dive deep so I can play with wrecks that very few others have or will ever see. It's smazing how well preserved wrecks that sit outside of recreational limits are...not to mention that in my experience they hold bigger and more fish.

I say let this guy alone and tell him the standard not the agency but the instructor advise. The differences between agencies is more geared toward gear and team philosophy than anything else....ie: DIR or don't care.

So you get a Thrill out of playing with wrecks that very few others have or ever will see?

 

[LiteHedded]

... and that's the kind of comment that makes the GUE advocates come off as arrogant.

Isn't going deep the whole point of taking a tech class? I mean, if you're not going to go deep, recreational training is really all you need.

The problem I see with a lot of GUE training is that it goes too far in the other direction. Back in the days when I was diving the wrecks in Lake Washington almost every week-end I once buddied up with a guy who was GUE Tech 1 certified for a 150-foot dive on an old WWII bomber. As we were getting ready for the dive he commented "I've been training for two years to do this dive". Really? That's just friggen' sad. And while his skills were excellent, his lack of practical application had held him back ... this poor guy had spent two years diving in the same dive site he'd taken his OW class in, week-after-week of doing endless drills. I guess that's fun for some people, but it would bore the crap out of me. And it doesn't give you the practical application that it takes to become "good" at any skill ... classes and drills are an artificial environment, and after a certain point there's little to be gained by repeated practice doing the same things over and over and over.

Not all GUE training does that, but over the years I have noticed that our local GUE community tends to spend the majority of their time diving the same site over and over and over ... and it happens to be the same site where most of them took their recreational training. To my concern, that's a bit disappointing ... given what the "E" in GUE stands for ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

it sounds like you have issues with local GUE weirdos (those are all over the place) and not GUE training.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

it sounds like you have issues with local GUE weirdos (those are all over the place) and not GUE training.

Actually I do not ... in fact, I dive with many of them and consider our local GUE instructor to be a good personal friend. And frankly, I think our GUE community is way friendlier than what I saw down your way when I was traveling to Florida to dive the caves. In fact, I came home thinking "thank goodness our GUE folks aren't like that".

I don't have issues with either GUE divers or training ... I'm simply saying the latter isn't "best" for everybody. Many of you who adhere to the approach taught by GUE seem to have a difficult time comprehending that concept for some reason ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[LiteHedded]

Actually I do not ... in fact, I dive with many of them and consider our local GUE instructor to be a good personal friend. And frankly, I think our GUE community is way friendlier than what I saw down your way when I was traveling to Florida to dive the caves. In fact, I came home thinking "thank goodness our GUE folks aren't like that".

I don't have issues with either GUE divers or training ... I'm simply saying the latter isn't "best" for everybody. Many of you who adhere to the approach taught by GUE seem to have a difficult time comprehending that concept for some reason ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

but your story has nothing to do with gue training and everything to do with the way those guys dive...
what am I missing?

you seem a little grouchy this morning

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

but your story has nothing to do with gue training and everything to do with the way those guys dive...
what am I missing?

you seem a little grouchy this morning

My story was intended to provide an example of why I believe that the training isn't necessarily the best approach for everyone ... and while all that training is helpful, it can sometimes miss the whole point of why we dive.

And I'm an old dude ... old dudes are entitled to be grouchy once in a while ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[LiteHedded]

My story was intended to provide an example of why I believe that the training isn't necessarily the best approach for everyone ... and while all that training is helpful, it can sometimes miss the whole point of why we dive.

And I'm an old dude ... old dudes are entitled to be grouchy once in a while ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

there are only three classes required to do hypoxic trimix diving while going the GUE route. Fundamentals, Tech 1 and Tech 2. at the end of it you'll be certified to stage dive with multiple deco gases

is gue the right way to go if you want to dive solo or sidemount? no, but if you pass a tech 1 and tech 2 class you will be a very solid diver. and i would challenge anyone to point to a t2/c2 instructor on the GUE list and tell me that guy isn't one of the best instructors in the world.

and dont be offended by me referring to GUE weirdos. we all know those people. those valve turners are all over the world. not just out west

 

[tomfcrist]

So you get a Thrill out of playing with wrecks that very few others have or ever will see?

No. The word thrill doesn't really describe it accurately. I would say that it sparks my interest and gives me clearer insight as it applies to maritime history....hard to get that on wrecks that have been dynamited or wire dragged because they were navigational hazards.

 

[PfcAJ]

There IS a subset of gue divers who seem to spend their entire life "training", hovering at 20ft dive after dive. I don't get that at all. Wtf are they "training" for?

Theres also a subset that takes the class then go uses what they learned.

Something about gue attracts that first group and something about the training process "locks" them into a practice only mode. For some of us, we just want the tools to go do awesome stuff. I'm firmly in the latter category.