UTD Essentials of Recreational Diving - What graduates say

[randytay]

For those who need more information about the course, please feel free to reach out and PM me. I would be glad to answer all questions.

 

[mikeny9]

I have taken both GUE/F and UTD Essentials of Recreational and in my opinion they are very similar in the curriculum: buoyancy, trim, position, gear configuration, propulsion, SMB deployment, gas theory, gas selection, decompression strategy, decompression profiles, etc. I think the UTD curriculum has a bit higher standard and there is more information on decompression, but otherwise they are both great classes. All of UTD's "Essentials of..." classes are now cross-over classes, whereas GUE has you start from Fundamentals and decides whether you get a provisional pass (means you need more work), a recreational pass, or a technical pass (which means you can take their Tech 1 program).

 

[stuartv]

Definitely understand your position. Just to throw it out there, UTD has a cave curriculum too and they are not inferior to GUE's counterpart imho. However I do recognize that GUE's curriculum is more well known.

I would not currently consider taking any advanced UTD courses because of all the things I have read about AG and UTD's approach to calculating deco. I'm a big fan of science and redundant dive computers. And trusting my instruments over my brain when it comes to complex math.

I have yet to get an answer that satisfies me, from any proponent of calculating deco in your head, during a dive, to the question of why is it okay to trust an electronic device to calculate your average depth (and even your current depth, for that matter) for you, but not trust an electronic device to calculate your deco for you.

 

[Kevrumbo]

To what I see it is very similar. As to the polls I do not know. Maybe some are not familiar and will not take a course they are not familiar with. I also have to admit that the GUE Fundies brand is also a bigger brand relatively speaking; and I also know many "old-timers" don't see eye to eye with UTD founder AG so who knows? May be more political induced than the actual diving itself imho.

That said, I have not had one participant who felt they did not learn anything after the Essentials course. To that end I will just continue to promote the course as it promotes good diving habits and good divers.

Even the shorter Extreme Scuba Makeover is a good recreational buoyancy & trim seminar:

 

[kelemvor]

I would not currently consider taking any advanced UTD courses because of all the things I have read about AG and UTD's approach to calculating deco. I'm a big fan of science and redundant dive computers. And trusting my instruments over my brain when it comes to complex math.

Exactly the reason I selected no as well.

 

[Patoux01]

Exactly the reason I selected no as well.

Partly the same here.

I also have quite some issues with the videos of them I get to see every now and then.

Add to that their rather convoluted ways about gear and they get a lot less interesting...

 

[The Chairman]

I read their OW manual and was not impressed.

 

[boulderjohn]

The purpose should be to create a diver who understands all approaches to modern decompression without the agency pressure to accept one as the gospel truth over the other. If they could do that that would be closer to Andrews ideals of the "thinking diver."

In a UTD instructional setting, a UTD instructor was criticizing a decision one of the students made during the just completed instructional dive. The student started to respond by saying, "I was thinking that...." The instructor responded by saying, "I need to have you stop thinking and start doing exactly what I tell you to do." I was another student in that class, and I said, "And that is how we at UTD create 'the thinking diver.'"

That, to me, illustrates the paradox inherent in the organizational philosophy of UTD.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I posted it in Basic Scuba discussion so that those new to scuba diving can see UTD Essentials as an option and this is not a Q&A about UTD.

Looks like you got the answer to that, and it sounds reasonable to me that advertising courses wouldn't be allowed in the Basic Scuba Discussions forum. However, I have some sympathy. With the discussion now digressing into Ratio Deco, you can bet that any new-ish diver looking at this thread with an eye toward (as I once did) how to improve his RECREATIONAL diving, will be turned off from the Essentials of Recreational Diving course.

 

[randytay]

In a UTD instructional setting, a UTD instructor was criticizing a decision one of the students made during the just completed instructional dive. The student started to respond by saying, "I was thinking that...." The instructor responded by saying, "I need to have you stop thinking and start doing exactly what I tell you to do." I was another student in that class, and I said, "And that is how we at UTD create 'the thinking diver.'"

That, to me, illustrates the paradox inherent in the organizational philosophy of UTD.

That only illustrates the issue with one instructor, not the organizational philosophy of UTD.