Learning path after AOWC (SSI)

[stuartv]

I see what you are getting at by it being on the card. This still does not absolve you from getting the actual certification for those specialties.

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Sounds like if you read it the way you are then the "Fundies" card is good for Nitrox, Drysuit, Rescue and a whole host of certifications..

Take a single class and it includes "Intro to Tech", Nitrox, Drysuit AND Rescue.

Where on that GUE card do you see anything to justify your statements that it is the same as Intro to Tech, Rescue, Nitrox (other than 32%), or any host of other certifications?

It seems to me that you are TRYING to attribute a whole lot more claims to the value of that card than what anybody has said.

Even Hants didn't say it should be taken to be the same as a Rescue class from another agency. Nor did anyone say it should count as certification for anything else - other than Nitrox and Drysuit.

As for Intro to Tech, well, Intro doesn't really get you anything anyway. Intro to Tech is not a prerequisite to anything, so whether you consider Fundies to be equivalent is kind of academic. It doesn't make a single difference to anyone if a Fundies card is considered equal to an Intro card or not. Of course, an Intro card is not equal to a Fundies card, but that's a different question. Your Intro card is not going to get you into a GUE Tech 1 class.

Anyway...

You still haven't answered my earlier question: As a fill station operator, what would be your basis for denying a fill of EAN32 to someone with that Fundies card? I thought the only legit reason to deny someone a fill is if they did not have proof of training. That GUE card certainly seems to represent proof of training for use of EAN32. But, I'm not a certified fill station operator, so there could obviously be guidelines you have been trained on that I don't know about. And, like I said earlier, I would totally expect you to deny them a fill of any other blend than 32%. But, you said you wouldn't give them any kind of Nitrox.

 

[stuartv]

I'd resent the free card I was paying for in terms of markup on the suit.

Well, that's down to your negotiation skills.. ;-) When I bought my first drysuit, after some negotiation, the shop offered me the suit at a really good price. I asked "do I get a drysuit class with this?" They laughed and said "sure! If you want to pay full price for the suit!" I paid extra (but not much) for the drysuit class. I did that partly to get the training, since it was my first drysuit, but also partly just to have the card in case I ever traveled anywhere and ended up wanting to rent a drysuit. Or if I were ever somewhere like a Demo Day where I wanted to demo a drysuit.

 

[MichaelMc]

For the OP wondering if NITROX and dry suit would have been wasted money if they later took Fundamentals, take NITROX, and dry if suited to where you are. Fundies has enough to teach you with out you showing up not knowing those, and doubles and BP/W as appropriate.

 

[USMC CPL.]

I am not certified to do fills. But, from that card, I would think you would be okay to give them a fill with EAN32. But, if they wanted anything else, then I would expect you to say no. And why not rent them a drysuit (if the card says "trained in drysuit")?

Nothing about that card tells the station operator that the diver has been trained to use other blends of Nitrox. For all anyone looking at that card would know, the diver has no training in calculating an MOD for any other blend. I mean, why would an instructor teach someone how to calculate an MOD for other blends of Nitrox if they are also going to teach them to always and only use EAN32, for dives up to a certain specific depth, and then use another specific gas for dives in the next depth range?

My TDI Nitrox card says:

"Qualified in the use of 22% to 40% nitrox to a maximum depth of 130 fsw/40 msw."

My TDI Helitrox card says:

"Certified to utilize Nitrox and Helium mixes with no greater than 20% He, and up to 100% Oxygen for decompression diving to a maximum depth of 45m/150ft only."

If a card only said "Trained in 32% Nitrox", how would anyone just automatically expect a fill station operator to give them a fill of any other blend of Nitrox?

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[KevinNM]

Well if all that is the case then I think the added cost for Fundies is an absolute bargain. Take a single class and it includes "Intro to Tech", Nitrox, Drysuit AND Rescue.

If you try to learn how to dive a dry suit in a fundamentals course I wish you luck. It's HARD in a wet suit. It's much harder when you have a second air space to control. The instructor is going to try, but you are starting in a deep hole.

What I was shown after a couple of classes was a trick where you don't add any air until about 20 feet. That makes it much easier if you are working in say Spring Lake, San Marcos TX, where the part you use is less than 20 feet. But when you go out on the last day to Lake Travis and start the ascent drill at 40+ feet you will not have a good day trying to maintain 30 ft/minute and stopping and holding a stop inside a 5 ft window at 30, 20 and 10 ft.