Hi there! I went through the course in the Bay Area a few weeks ago as a wetsuit diver with 50ish dives in a single tank who was already in a mostly GUE approved configuration. Funny enough, I had most of the pieces I needed to meet the GUE requirements, like a BP+W, but it was not set up properly. My instructor, Alberto Nava, helped out with that and a number of other things throughout the course.
What exactly is the course like? On the surface, GUE Fundamentals is a class that provides divers the opportunity to advance basic diving skills. Seems simple enough, right? I remember being in your shoes researching Fundies. I felt fairly prepared going in after reading the course materials, talking with several divers who completed the course, and reading a number of reviews on Reddit/Scubaboard. Despite all my research, I wasn't fully prepared for what I felt and learned throughout class.
It’s my understanding GUE Fundamentals may vary slightly depending where you take it. For instance, the GUE Fundamentals class in the Bay Area is 6 days - 4 days in the classroom as well as the pool, 2 the following weekend in the ocean. However, the classes in LA are simply 4 days or even broken into Fundamentals 1 and 2 in some cases. One thing that remains the same is recording each skill and reviewing it as a group. Video feedback was crucial throughout the class. The lens of truth revealed quite a few things we didn’t realize we were doing in the water such as sculling our feet.
Classroom work was typical. Went over the course materials and simplified formulas GUE uses to figure out minimum gas, turn pressure, etc. First day we also looked over our equipment and made adjustments as needed. Days 2-4 we split between the classroom and pool. I was miserable in my semi-dry wetsuit throughout the pool dives (up to 90 minutes) and had a tough time focusing. Your mileage may vary here since my teammates felt fine — so lucky! Final two days were spent in the ocean reviewing what we practiced in the pool plus the SMB deployment. Toughest thing on the first day was controlled descents and ascents hands down since we couldn’t practice this much in an 8ft pool. Most surprising thing was the proper weight check after the first dive; I cut my lead in half! Pretty neat.
How is the best way to choose and instructor/location? I took the class solely based on proximity. I'm a 10-15 minute drive from the LDS we did the classroom and pool work in while the ocean was about 1.5hrs away. I think this is a great way to go depending on your location of course. I've seen course reports where divers have flown across the country or world even to take the class. Curious to see how everyone else determines where to go!
In summary, I highly recommend GUE Fundamentals! It is a fantastic class that challenges you in ways I haven’t experienced with other courses and is a great introduction to diving with the GUE community.