GUE is constantly evaluating developments in diving. I know members of the training council have experimented with at least a couple of CCR models over the last few years. Several of the cave instructors used to dive sidemount, so they are quite familiar with both the concept and the execution.
You have to remember that two of your goals are simply antithetical to the core values of team diving -- one is absolute self-reliance, in the sense of diving solo in the company of others, and the other is being able to work random mixed teams. The problems are related: The equipment and procedures are adopted with an eye toward functioning as a team, which means the team has to function. This is one of the places where I think we talk past one another a lot. If you have never had the pleasure of diving extensively with equally well-trained and similarly equipped and inclined divers, I can see where you would be very likely to dismiss the idea that buddies are even very useful.
I HAVE dived with people in sidemount (I've done some fairly reasonable cave diving with them) because we sat down and talked over how they were configured and what they were going to do in a variety of situations . . . but more importantly, I trusted those people to be able to function as part of a team, even though it might not be as seamless as it would be with a pure GUE group. But I couldn't do that at random. I wouldn't walk into a dive park and agree to do a significant cave dive with somebody I'd just met (and I seriously thank the people who have done that with me, although they knew a bit about me from SB before we actually dove together).
UTD has taken a different tack, and tried to create a set of systems that maintain what Andrew and Jeff saw as the core of the DIR ethos, which was donating the primary. The setups they have come up with are interesting, but perhaps you would view them as being more open-minded. GUE looks at it differently -- the vast majority of the diving that is out there to be done can be done in traditional, backmounted gear, and standardizing equipment and procedures for that is very easy, so why complicate the situation by bringing in configurations that aren't necessary for the vast majority of the diving that is out there to be done?
You have to remember that two of your goals are simply antithetical to the core values of team diving -- one is absolute self-reliance, in the sense of diving solo in the company of others, and the other is being able to work random mixed teams. The problems are related: The equipment and procedures are adopted with an eye toward functioning as a team, which means the team has to function. This is one of the places where I think we talk past one another a lot. If you have never had the pleasure of diving extensively with equally well-trained and similarly equipped and inclined divers, I can see where you would be very likely to dismiss the idea that buddies are even very useful.
I HAVE dived with people in sidemount (I've done some fairly reasonable cave diving with them) because we sat down and talked over how they were configured and what they were going to do in a variety of situations . . . but more importantly, I trusted those people to be able to function as part of a team, even though it might not be as seamless as it would be with a pure GUE group. But I couldn't do that at random. I wouldn't walk into a dive park and agree to do a significant cave dive with somebody I'd just met (and I seriously thank the people who have done that with me, although they knew a bit about me from SB before we actually dove together).
UTD has taken a different tack, and tried to create a set of systems that maintain what Andrew and Jeff saw as the core of the DIR ethos, which was donating the primary. The setups they have come up with are interesting, but perhaps you would view them as being more open-minded. GUE looks at it differently -- the vast majority of the diving that is out there to be done can be done in traditional, backmounted gear, and standardizing equipment and procedures for that is very easy, so why complicate the situation by bringing in configurations that aren't necessary for the vast majority of the diving that is out there to be done?
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