Not that any of it is relevant, but I was provisional for Fundies. I choose to take it a month later with my wife. I passed, not that I was expecting to. No biggie. It is just the Fundamentals class.
That is correct, I took the lesson a few weeks beforehand. When I mentioned Tech 1 to that instructor several months before, they encouraged me to take it.
I never said I thought that you could lay down the bucks and pass. I never even alluded to that. As a matter of fact, if you recall, I'm the guy who wanted to take my classes in the environment that I dive in, not an easier place. What I said was that the money for the private lesson turned out to be a waste for class preparation. I don't totally fault the instructor. It is quite difficult to judge how someone will do under a stress test. Just like it is hard to say what someone will do in an emergency underwater. When it really hits the fan, none of us REALLY know how we will react. You can only hope that your training, experience and a level head will get you out of it.
*I will go on record again. Joe, Delia and Andrew are all excellent instructors*. In my opinion, some of them suck at pre and post class communication; they suck at details. Some of them have even larger character flaws that should predispose them from teaching in my opinion. Since you don't know the whole story, it would be hard for you to determine who is at fault and to what extent.
I do dive locally, on a weekly basis. I don't care if some people won't dive with me because of what I say on these boards or because of what I say about the 5thD-X instructors. Some people will always be put off by people like me. Most People don't like to hear the truth. You know that.
I've taken my "gripes" up with Panos, JJ, Andrew, Joe and Delia. I'm not 100% satisfied with the results from either GUE or 5thD-X. I'm pretty much done with it for the time being. It was severely detracting from my fun, which I'm very focused on. I am however confident that it will all work out in the end. In the meantime, I'll ...dive.
As far at taking Tech 1, that was my decision, and I don't regret it. Since I was starting to do dives that were more aggressive, I wanted a higher level of training. That is being smart. You know, you get down to 100' or so, 70' vis, everything is AMAZINGLY beautiful. You realize that you can't back kick (yeah, I could at 60' when I wasn't narced), and wonder what would happen if your buddy went OOA or had some other type of problem. Just like gear issues, if you have a problem, FIX IT and fix it now. What I think is funny is how so many people like to talk about me, the classes I've taken, how much money I've spent on diving, yada yada yada.
Actually, it was the GUE Quality Control Board that removed Andrew from GUE. I believe that JJ is completely removed from that process.
Here is my dive resume, so people can more accurately make fun of me. My GUE classes kicked butt, and I think I'm a decent diver because of them, but I've put a lot of time and effort into it as well.
SSI OW July '04
SSI AOW Sept '04
SSI Deep Sept' 04
SSI Stress / Rescue Nov '04
React Rite 1st Aid / CPR Nov '04
DIR-F Dec '04
SSI Nitrox Dec '04
DIR-F Jan '05
Tech 1 June '05
Mark
seavonj:
I suspect that this instructor gave you a few tips on what you could do to better yourself, I am also sure that this instructor also did not do this private class one day before your tech 1, giving you at least a few weeks to sort through some of your issues while diving.
Weren't you certified through PADI less than a years time from taking Tech 1? Didn't you fail Fundies and took the whole thing over again?
Just how is it that an individual thinks he/she can pass Tech 1 only a year after going through PADI open water? You have to put in your time Mark.
Ask any one of the tech divers you know how long it took to get to tech 1 level since the time they first got certified, I'm certain that it was alot more than one years time.
Tech 1 is challenging to anyone involved no matter how much diving you have under your belt and in any kind of circumstance.
When I did Tech 1 after two days I had written off any hopes of passing the class, Luckily, and I think only because Joe and Andrew saw something in me that I was allowed to pass the class.
You don't just lay down the money and pass a class of this level bud. I will totally agree with some of your gripes about your instructors organization skills and that GUE ( NOT ANDREW) ultimately screwed you over.
Take this crap up with JJ and His people at GUE, do yourself a favor....if you enjoy diving locally and want to have a pool of people to dive with, shut up on these boards and allow descent scuba instructors to do their jobs. Send them emails directly about your issues.
JJ should have taken care of all these issues for you since it was he who cancelled Andrews membership and status as an instructor, as well as take care of all other students issues such as yours. If he doesn't or at this point hasn't approached you in these regards it will just show what a crappy organization GUE really is.
Seize FIRE Man, if you want to email me directly feel free.
seavonj@winfirst.com
