Am I ready for the GUE Fundamentals Course?
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- čas přidán 31. 07. 2024
- #divegue #guedivers #globalunderwaterexplorers
Many people are not really sure, if the GUE Fundamentals Course is right for them and ask: "Am I ready for the GUE Fundamentals?".
They feel they are not trained or experienced enough to take it. Some highly experienced divers or instructors are not sure, if they can benefit from taking a "beginners class". In this video, I show different kinds of divers and if they can benefit from the class.
02:04 The Experienced Instructor
03:38 The Technical/Cave Diver
04:34 The Veteran
05:03 The Underwater Photographer
06:32 The Ambitious Greenhorn
10:00 The Bloody Beginner
GUE Instructors: www.gue.com/diver-training/gu...
Most handsome GUE Instructor on the planet ;-): benjaminott.de
For more info, write a comment! - Jak na to + styl
Hi guys! Did you find yourself being one of the archetypes? 😁
Ambitious greenhorn.
Great video Ben! Love it. I took my first Fundies without any idea if what I was in for, I'd only been working for GUE on a part time basis. Of course I failed it hard, but learned so much in that class it changed my diving forever. So I kept practicing, then got a rec pass and eventually a tech pass once I knew I wanted to pursue Cave training. I became so much more comfortable in the water and was able to better connect with my body in the water.
That’s awesome! And you didn’t mention, what GUE is for you today and where you are these days. Might be interesting for viewers who don’t know you 😉
Top notch advice. Your videos are very good in terms of quality, delivery and content.
Thank you very much for your kind comment! I'm trying to deliver the best possible quality :). Feel free to wish for something to improve
Thanks Ben for a really informative video. I definitely fit the ambitious greenhorn profile and have signed up for a GUE-F course in October. I have all the usual concerns about whether I'll pass or not and whether I'm good enough but very excited about it nonetheless. Thanks for taking the time to explain and I'll watch more of your videos in preparation for my course.
Thanks for watching my channel. Yeah…everybody has these concerns. But just be as open minded as possible without any particular certification in mind and you’ll get the most out of the class! Have fun!
I took the GUE Fundamentals with just 25 dives in my belt with BSAC certificates. In the class my classmates were two PADI Course Directors and my GUE instructor was Gideon. I got Rec pass at that time and after a year Gideon did an evaluation on me and I was awarded Tech pass. The Fundamentals was the most valuable training in my life so far.
Very good! Yes I think the same about my fundamentals class!
This is a thoughtful and insightful presentation. You have captured the essence of the value of education versus certification and the utility/importance of sound foundational knowledge and skills.
In addition, the manner in which you shared your materials, you clearly demonstrate the value to divers of all levels.
I, together with our sons, first experienced Fundies with under 20 dives each. Certification was not achieved but the passion was ignited. We’re all further along now…T2/JJ and it continues to be a great journey.
Awesome to hear that! Thanks!
Loved the video, I’m looking into the fundamentals course. Thanks again.
Sure! If you have any more questions, let me know! And if you can’t find an instructor close by, let me know, too 😉
@@DoktorBEN thank You so much, I may take you up on your offer. I reached to corporate this morning. Thanks again!
Sure! Just let me know!
Finishing up my PADI tech40 course (hopefully 🤞🏽) before the end of March 2021. Already researching GUE fundamentals course & touching base with an instructor. Hoping to start GUE fundamentals June 2021.
Very good choice! Who’s the instructor?
Great job with the video. Fundies is so good I ended up taking it twice with 2 years in between. Got my Rec pass in 2018 then came back for the Tech in 2020. It allowed me to practice the skills between and also enroll my regular dive buddy in the 2nd class after he saw my improvement and the tools I had to work with from the 1st class.
For the motivation for the class, I took fundies at 135 dives. I was immediately attracted to the honest feedback, quality of instructors, SOPs and gear standardization.
Awesome! That's exactly the point of the class. What are your plans after your Tech-Pass?
@@DoktorBEN Tech 1 in 2021. I would like to become a GUE Instructor in a 5-8 year timeframe. Describing how did you success in achieving instructor level in GUE would be interesting to see!
Yeah good idea! It’s a demanding but likewise rewarding path! I can make a video about that! Are you already instructor for another agency?
@@DoktorBEN No, I discovered GUE before thinking about the instructor path. I could not get my head around teaching for another agency, I just dont like how they are run. The clientele is also different. I am an engineer by trade, I tend to care about every detail and technical aspects. The How and Why are very important and most other agencies are just not cutting it.
Hiya DoktorBEN, You just pushed me over the edge to book my Fundy course!
I live in rural Australia so will travel to Sydney to do this course over 4 consecutive days. I didnt dive for 15yrs, then restarted 18mths ago with PADI for AOW & EANx. Then migrated to SSI for a few Specialties but do not want to continue down the DM path any further, to deal with customers and herding students in/out of the water.
I have only 60 dives logged to date and just want to go deeper, for longer, and with more control. So now I am just hoping I can free-style swim on the surface well enough to not fail my upcoming GUE Fundy!
Thanks again for the advice to just go for it :)
Awesome! It’s good to read I could inspire people to go down this path! I wish you lots of fun with that class! Drop me a comment once you finished it!
I didn't know how to assess the GUE-F surface swim requirement so I went for a practice run at the local pool. Turns out 275M in 14min = piece of cake!
Thats a relief :)
Yeah... it’s basically to test IF someone can swim. If you can’t do it in 14 minute s you won’t finish it at all 😁
Hi Ben, thank you for the video! I’m Syafiq from Malaysia (a small country in South East Asia next to Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia).
Ive first read about GUE last year, and figured I need more dives under my belt with better buoyancy and trim before I signed up. I had about 20+ dives at that point. I currently have about 30 dives (I don’t count my OW and AOW dives - no particular reason why).
Anyway, I saw this video last night and realised that I should just go for it. So I went ahead and Googled the prerequisites and theres two prerequisites that I need to work on - get better at swimming and to quit smoking (I was working on this even before I saw the prerequisites and have not smoked a cigarette for the past two days - pray for me!).
My current worry is if I’ll be able to pass the GUE Fundamentals because:
1. My trim is still terrible. My legs are often at a position lower than my head. Imagine something like this / (with a bit more slant);
2. I still don’t have a good buoyancy control. I’ve never managed to get neutrally buoyant (but I no longer sink down to the ocean floor or suddenly float up); and
3. I guzzle my gas like there’s no tomorrow. I used to finish 150bars of gas in just 40 minutes or less. It’s getting better but I still need a lot more improvement! Miraculously, one of my dives a few weeks ago I only used 100bars of gas in a 55 minutes dive. The dives after that, I wasn’t as good: used about 130-140 bars of gas for a 50 minute dive
Should I proceed to sign up for the GUE Fundamentals (after getting better at swimming and completely quitting smoking) or should I improve my areas of concern first (trim, buoyancy, and especially gas consumption)? I’m really scared of failing the GUE Fundamentals. Btw, what happens if I fail? Do I have to redo the whole course again?
Additional question, I slowly got myself the following equipments (had to be real thrifty to save up and afford these):-
-First Stage: Scubapro MK25 Evo (yoke)
-Second Stage: Scubapro G260
-Octopus: Cressi XS Compact
-SPG: Apeks Tech
-BCD: Apeks WTX-D30 PSD (single tank)
-Divecom: Deepblu Cosmiq+
(not mentioning my fins etc since those are not vital, I think)
Are these equipment suitable for a GUE Fundamentals? My concern would be that my first stage uses yoke instead of din, my BCD is just for a single tank, and whether GUE has a minimum requirement for a divecom. If they're not suitable, what are the bare minimum requirement for each equipment?
I also read that GUE doesn't advocate sidemounts unless it's for wreck penetration or cave diving, is this true and why?
I hope you don't mind my barging you with all these long sentences and questions.
Thanks in advance!
Hi! nice to read from you and thank you for your comment. Your're going to improve on trim, buoyancy and so on after the class anyway. So you should stop smoking first and improve on your swimming. A book that helped many students to stop smoking is:
amzn.to/33kwgq5
A nice method to become better in swimming is:
swimlikeshinji.com/
You cannot really fail the Fundamentals since you always learn and improve things. Even if you get just a provisional certification, you can upgrade it within 6 months without retaking the class. Don't be afraid - just go for it!
You can find me on facebook, if you like to have a personal conversation about this: facebook.com/benjamin.ott
@@syafiqsaad9157 I'd always recommend two seperate first stages, however, you're living in a warm country so this might be not too important since freezing of a regulator might not be a thing in the fundamentals range. Fins are important though, especially when it comes to trim and the backward kick. So what are your fins?
I started last month hopefully someone else joins the class
We are PADI certified AOWD with deep specialty and Nitrox certificate and around 60 dives. We are keen on the GUE Fundi which we plan to take next Feb/March in Malta with Keith Kreitner. We have now switch to a D12 twin sets and wing which makes a big difference to the classic Padi set up. What we can also recommend is the GUE dry suit primer. We did this course with Keith in August 22 in order to get to know him as an instructor and get a taste of the GUE way of diving. For us, this was the perfect entry and increased the appetite for the GUE Fundi and tech courses.
Very nice! Give him my regards!
An ambitious greenhorn here! 😀 I signed up for GUE-F with having no idea what GUE is. My friend who was giving me introduction to doubles told me about DIR, I googled it, was totally hooked, wanted some course how to "just" become a better diver (i.e. not to extend my license), was googling again, found GUE-F course, loved the content, contacted the nearest GUE instructor and signed up for the class 😀 I had no idea there are some passes or that so many people are scared to sign up - I was lucky, it would definitely push me back and make me wait if I knew what I know now before signing up! I am IANTD AOWD diver with only 54 (42 when I signed up) dives under my belt and my GUE-F class starts in 4 weeks! Doing more research, training, fixing my equipment, studying the theory and really looking forward for the class! Thanks for the video 🙂
Sweet! I’m sure you gonna like it! Tell how you liked it, when you finish it in 4 weeks!
DoktorBEN sure, I will do!
DoktorBEN one new GUE diver here! The course was totally awesome 🙂 I am super glad I took it, it improved my skills a lot and it is just new me under water now 👌
Im a new diver with only 40 dives locally. Really interested to take fundamentals after feeling unsatisfied how that certain dive center instructor teach. Basically have to learn everything myself during fun diving. Approached a local GUE instructor and i was surprised how im totally not ready financially for the course due to really high fee + instructor expenses(accommodations,meals and travel expenses) that i have to cover. Not to mention the gear that i need to have to start the course. Guess there's a reason why GUE training is really look highly by others.
In the meantime, i will continue to watch your videos and get inspire to become a GUE divers one day.
Thanks for watching my videos. Where did you want to take it?
I took fundies when I had around 35 dives. I did it to get into cave and technical diving (which I had been interested in from the very beginning).
That’s good! Doing it as early as possible is the best you can do. Are you already C1 or C2
@@DoktorBEN Yeah, I'm C1/T1 now, doing CCR1 in September.
That’s great to read! Good you progressed!
Hi Ben!
I have take the fundamentals class with 147 dives as a CMAS** Diver, because I want to learn and see more. In only recreational diving organisation would the next step be to guide other divers how to dive. A big goal (controversial!), but there are no real development opportunities in the sport diving area. So only technical diving came into question with the option to develop specifically: deep, cave, wreck. Of cause also to hone my skills and "dive" into a nice community!
But i trained for the class maybe 4 month. In retrospect, I should have done the course right away without training.
p.s.: another very successful video!
Yeah... people always think they have to train for the class and almost everybody said retrospectively that it is better to take it ASAP So did you pursue the path of guiding other recreational divers, too?
@@DoktorBEN I am currently in the CMAS *** and diving instructor assistant training. But I'm honest: I don't like it and I prefer diving with GUE Buddies. It's more straightforward and structured. But I also have to say that I don't feel comfortable in the club where I do the guiding training. I should learn to lead and take responsibility, but I am not given this chance. Inquiries are not welcome...difficult! It is also a nice thing to pass on the passion. Still, I think I can learn a lot by teaching and escorting inexperienced divers. I am currently considering whether to continue my training or to concentrate on my technical diving career. To be honest, it is also difficult to convey content that I am not convinced myself. And of course to find a healthy mediocrity between recreational scuba diving and what I learn on the way to the Tec Upgrade.
Maybe you have an idea for a good mediocrity? How do you handle it?
If someone is a true greenhorn (open water plus 4 dives) would they be better served with a fundamentals course or starting over with GUE Rec 1?
Well... if the class was like some weeks ago, I’d recommend the Fundamentals, since the basics should be present. If the OWD class was a year ago, it might be advisable to start (again) with the Rec1. Still, I’ve had Padi RD’s with 50+ dives taking the Rec1 with great benefit.
I fit perfectly in your scheme. I have around 45 dives and i just not feel ready. My dive partner is an experienced tech diver and we practise Basic 5 and Valve Drill quite often. In theory it works but during the exercises i lose my buoyancy from time to time. Maybe i am wrong but for me it just seems like a waste of money to do the expensive course as long as i am not able to maintain buoyancy and trim during these excersises. You could say, thats what you learn during the course but the the question remains, if i don't get it from my diving partner, who did all the courses and masters all these things, why should i get it from someone else? I am completely aware that i am Noob but i have the impression that just excersising is at the moment more valueable for me. I feel i have no shortage of feedback, i need to master the transition from knowledge to practical skill.
You might get it from someone who actually learned to teach it, because that person not only learned how to master the skill but yeah…how to make others master it. On that part, you just have to trust me 😉
Hi I am interested . My question is dose que teach in canada. Or is it mostly in Europe
Well, mostly Europe but Canada could be possible, too. Drop me an email: ben@gue.com
Ah sorry, I misread your comment. GUE teaches world wide. I personally teach mostly Europe but could travel to Canada, too.
hey, how to book a class? cant find form on your website
I just make personal appointments. Write me an Email on ben@gue.com
So what about the somewhat experienced diver with a few hundred dives with no intrest in becoming an instructor?
Legit! I think anyway, this diver will get away from the class with many new impressions and refined skills.
Hey, do you have to take the gue fundamentals with a twinset, or is a regular single tank fine?
A single set (bp/w) is just fine!
@@DoktorBEN what does bp/w mean? 😅
@@999racing Backplate and Wing :)
@@DoktorBEN ah ya got it. A drysuit is necessary tho, isn't it?
@@999racing No it's not required. Depending on where and when you take the class, it's more convenient, though.