DIR- Generic Drinking the DIR koolaid

[wetb4igetinthewater]

@PullYourselfTogetherMan,

You might find this some interesting reading:

BAUE George Irvine Lecture

https://www.frogkick.nl/files/george_irvine_dir_articles.pdf

http://aquaborn.net/viktor/forum/DIR_JJ_Eng.pdf

Doing It Right (scuba diving) - Wikipedia

The history of diving is always interesting.

 

[seeker242]

I find it a bit odd that GUE F1 doesn't certify down to 100ft given the proficiency it affords its students at that level.

IIRC, GUE Rec 2 is the GUE 100' certification class. While Rec 1 is the GUE open water cert class.

 

[PullYourselfTogetherMan]

@wetb4igetinthewater FANTASTIC materials, brother. Probably gonna print that stuff out for reading at work.

@seeker242 That makes sense, then. I think. I wonder if it might be cheaper (if not a bit inferior) to hit AOW instead of Rec 2.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

@wetb4igetinthewater FANTASTIC materials, brother. Probably gonna print that stuff out for reading at work.

@seeker242 That makes sense, then. I think. I wonder if it might be cheaper (if not a bit inferior) to hit AOW instead of Rec 2.

I hope you’ll enjoy it.

I’d really suggest taking GUE rec 2 over PADI AOW. GUE has objective standards for conducting skills. Most non DIR agencies have a vague subjective criteria of repeatable, fluid, and comfortable,

This often gets translated as “student didn’t drown when performing the skill”.

If you want to buy certification, then AOW will likely be just that. People don’t line it when I say that, but it is true that this occurs for every agency without objective standards.

With the race to the bottom in price, dive ops just cut quality. There is a reason that high quality courses are expensive. Though honestly, they are a better deal as you won’t have to spend more time and money getting shuttles through courses that don’t improve your diving much.

 

[elgoog]

I don't think Rec 2 and AOW is an apples to apples comparison to even warrant the cheaper/"inferior" debate. They serve completely different purposes. Going the Rec 2 route just to get 100' on one of your C-cards seems like the wrong reason to do it, IMO.

@PullYourselfTogetherMan What are your diving goals? Fundies is an excellent platform to start off and definitely do that. For the other courses, look carefully into what each one offers (especially in the recreational ladder). If you have a Fundies pass, none of them are prerequisites for anything else and, conversely, none of them are prerequisites to do Fundies.

Honestly, I can't think of a use case for Rec 2 - I'd love to hear about someone's experience with it and why they decided to do it. On that same note, a lot of GUE folks don't see the need for Rec 3 but I did for my needs and current goals/dives, so I'm sure there's someone out there who found Rec 2 similarly useful.

Anywho, I'm going to come back to something I said before - examine your goals and see what GUE classes will get you there. I'm sure you've found out that they're not cheap and are not all required.

 

[EireDiver606]

I find it a bit odd that GUE F1 doesn't certify down to 100ft given the proficiency it affords its students at that level. You'd think that the course would cover a quick and "easy" deep dive to get it out of the way. It would make fundy 1 an even better course. Regardless, it seems to me that getting GUE F is probably a bit more important than AOW so I'll still be aiming for that as my next cert. The ambitious diver in me really REALLY wants that rec pass on my first try.

GUE F aims to promote skill refinement, that can be done in 3m of water as a minimum.

 

[kensuf]

I've been to places where the only card they ask to see is my Visa, and I've been to places where I couldn't get a nitrox fill even though I had my NAUI instructor card in my hand (all NAUI instructors can teach nitrox). An AOW and Nitrox card seems like a safe bet to carry when traveling to destinations unknown.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

My AOW was the single worst investment I have put in dive training. It was guided dives and not much more. Even if you stay within the PADI universe, I would recommend a full deep diver specialty instead of AOW sample platter. GUE/UTD is the way to go (imho) and if you decide to go UTD then I would second Jon Edwardson. He is my Tech 1 instructor and he does not cut corners. Very thorough and very demanding.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I think my AOW class was a total joke and a waste of time. However, I've gotten more mileage out of that silly AOW card itself than all my Tech and Cave cards combined. I may have to suck up my pride and get a Master Scuba Diver card some day.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

My comments are for recreational diving.

Sadly you need AOW and Nitrox far more that Fundies or any GUE training if you want to actually do a wide variety of dives. I was certified PADI OW in 1976. In the day, that training included decompression theory and gas management. there were no further certs (except instructor) and everything was learning by mentoring/doing. After 40 years of diving and 2500+ dives, with a significant percentage deeper than 100' and over 30 planned deco dives, I had to go get AOW and nitrox cards because, even with my logbook, many operators, in the Keys particularly, just would not take me to anything deeper than 60' or give me a nitrox fill. Dive ops who knew me were a different story, of course, but going into a new shop for a charter became a frustrating experience. I suspect insurance played a role (ie no coverage if they took someone diving beyond what "the card" allowed).

Simple fact: to be assured of actually diving beyond basic limits with dive charters, you need AOW and Nitrox. To do those dives well, GUE training can't be beat but it might not let you do the dives in the first place. We have wrecks where I dive that are 120 and the fundies card, it seems, will not certify for this--have no idea why as someone good enough to get a fundies pass is more than qualified for this.

So, my advice, get AOW and Nitrox right away. This is your passport to actually be able to do deeper nitrox diving on charter operations. THEN, take Fundies. Consider Fundies as solely for skill improvement to enable you to do those dives in the safest and most enjoyable way possible. Also, if you want to go tech, it is probably the best foundation you can have if you take it in doubles.

Especially if you travel. Do you really want to get to Indonesia or the Galapagos, or the Keys, only to find that no one will accept your GUE card?. It is sad, but it happens.