Fundies kicked my a$$

[nielsent]

Little bit late in the game but Congrats to Crush and all people working on being fundies divers, It shows a strong sense of character to want to be a better diver and pursuing such training

On the note of GUE materials: I actually quite liked the books that have been produced by GUE, maybe there are other materials I don't know about, as I have not taken a fundies course yet. But JJ fundies book, the tech 1 book, dress for success, and the cave 1 book are excellent resources that i refer to all the time.

 

[Leejnd]

You have to understand what a mammoth task it is to rewrite materials. It comes down to resources. there is no big "GUE Organisation" like other agencies have, and no budget for recruiting anyone to write materials, so everything gets written by the instructors, who obviously prioritise teaching and their own diving, as well as holding down jobs during the day.

That being said, the fundamentals materials have just been completely re-written and will be released shortly. They are in review at the moment. The new materials are a huge improvement over the old ones.

Oh I do understand...that's what I do for a living, develop and write training materials (well, part of my job anyway). We recently made significant changes to some of our processes and I'm working on the materials now. Yes, BIG job, and a real time sucker. I'm very glad that they've been re-written (and relieved to know that I'm not the only one who thought they sucked!) . Will students who've already completed Fundies get a copy?

 

[TSandM]

You have to understand what a mammoth task it is to rewrite materials.

I'm glad to hear the resource materials for Fundies have been rewritten. The OW manual I thought came out quite well. What puzzles me is that I and other people I know have VOLUNTEERED to do writing or editing for the organization, and have been turned down. "We'll do it in house," they say . . . and then it doesn't get done. I totally understand that this is largely a volunteer organization and people have lives and real jobs, but I don't understand turning down volunteer help.

Both the Tech and Cave manuals are in desperate need of editing, and there has never been a real manual for Fundies -- I paid $25 for a "manual" when I took the class, which turned out to be a printout of the powerpoint (note that that probably wasn't GUE's fault, as I think it was a profit thing for the shop that hosted the class). Anyway, glad to hear that there will be something now.

 

[HenrikBP]

I was one of the people who complained about the Fundies material and volunteered my time for reviews etc. Never got a reply.

I'm reading through the Tech 1 material these days, and it's an improvement in that a bunch of the recommended reading has been compiled into one file, and all in all the material has been streamlined a bit. But the study guide is still just a Powerpoint handout (although with only 2 slides per page, not 3 as the Fundies material), and the and the Required Reading, while a big step up from the Fundies material, doesn't have a table of content etc. to help navigate. An improvement, but still not terribly cohesive.

Henrik

 

[Scott L]

My kind ... when I'm on vacation I'm typically done with my first dive and breakfast by 7:45 ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I am not to be distrubed until 7:30am on vacations....

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Oh I do understand...that's what I do for a living, develop and write training materials (well, part of my job anyway). We recently made significant changes to some of our processes and I'm working on the materials now. Yes, BIG job, and a real time sucker. I'm very glad that they've been re-written (and relieved to know that I'm not the only one who thought they sucked!) . Will students who've already completed Fundies get a copy?

I'm glad to hear the resource materials for Fundies have been rewritten. The OW manual I thought came out quite well. What puzzles me is that I and other people I know have VOLUNTEERED to do writing or editing for the organization, and have been turned down. "We'll do it in house," they say . . . and then it doesn't get done. I totally understand that this is largely a volunteer organization and people have lives and real jobs, but I don't understand turning down volunteer help.

Both the Tech and Cave manuals are in desperate need of editing, and there has never been a real manual for Fundies -- I paid $25 for a "manual" when I took the class, which turned out to be a printout of the powerpoint (note that that probably wasn't GUE's fault, as I think it was a profit thing for the shop that hosted the class). Anyway, glad to hear that there will be something now.

I was one of the people who complained about the Fundies material and volunteered my time for reviews etc. Never got a reply.

I'm reading through the Tech 1 material these days, and it's an improvement in that a bunch of the recommended reading has been compiled into one file, and all in all the material has been streamlined a bit. But the study guide is still just a Powerpoint handout (although with only 2 slides per page, not 3 as the Fundies material), and the and the Required Reading, while a big step up from the Fundies material, doesn't have a table of content etc. to help navigate. An improvement, but still not terribly cohesive.

Henrik

I also write manuals and training materials for a living ... and back in 2006 when I was working at the local GUE shop also offered to help improve the training materials. Like others, I was told "no thanks". I never could understand turning down free help ... particularly from people who do this sort of work for a living. It can only help create a better educational resource. Dan McKay's book, for example, is a fantastic resource ... but it could've used the services of a decent editor ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[vladimir]

I am acquainted with two authors who send me their work for criticism--not because I am a talented writer but because I am hypercritical. I do recognize good writing, however, and TSandM and NWGratefulDiver are very good at clearly communicating a concept. I would avail myself of their services if I were GUE.

 

[HenrikBP]

I also write manuals and training materials for a living ... and back in 2006 when I was working at the local GUE shop also offered to help improve the training materials. Like others, I was told "no thanks". I never could understand turning down free help ... particularly from people who do this sort of work for a living. It can only help create a better educational resource. Dan McKay's book, for example, is a fantastic resource ... but it could've used the services of a decent editor ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I help with the "technicalities" of book publishing at work (among other things), and had pointed out a few easy-to-fix issues with the new Rec book, even sent a sample where I'd taken care of it. Oh well. Speaking of the new Rec book - a great first round, but it too will benefit from review and editing.

One thing in particular bugs me with some of the GUE material; the pdf files are often not in a format that will print well. I understand too well the challenges in balancing file size (for download) vs. print quality. The material is clearly geared towards electronic viewing. But I for one much prefer to also have a printed version. And if you're aiming at electronic readers, then the file *must* be formatted to work well on electronic readers.

Henrik

 

[AbyssalPlains]

I had two D-rings on each shoulder strap and had to remove one from each side - whatever you do not need for a dive is a potential failure point of creates a danger of entanglement. :shocked2: It is odd that I didn't have to remove the front crotch-strap D-ring - not being DPV-certified I can't use one and therefore do not need that ring, which might become entangled...

Yes, I'm pretty sure that the difference between one and two d-rings on each strap is that one will save your life, while the other is going to kill you. Just like a D-ring on your crotch strap will kill you, unless a scooter is attached to it.

Heck, I'm not DPV-certified either, and I can think of a crap-load of uses for my front D-ring. Hook in my camera, store an item momentarily, clip myself into a hang buoy, look cool.... The possibilities are endless.

 

[fisheater]

Heck, I'm not DPV-certified either, and I can think of a crap-load of uses for my front D-ring. Hook in my camera, store an item momentarily, clip myself into a hang buoy, look cool.... The possibilities are endless.

Could give a whole new meaning to a jon line. ;-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk