fundi course

splodge · September 2nd, 2006, 11:17 PM

hi all
well now iam well confused,have been asking about advanced nitrox course which iam doing in early october with deepblue diving the aim being to progress on to the dir training courses but have been advised to do fundimental course before doing adv nitrox.could anyone clarify this and give me a run down on what this course entails as i want to be up to speed and not ging the wrong way about things.cheers

Rob Dobson · September 3rd, 2006, 12:12 AM

Adv Nitrox gives you access to accelerated deco gases which in GUE terms is typically 50% or O2 (let's not confuse things by considering trimix deco gases as that is firmly in T2 territory).

So you do not need Adv Nitrox to do Fundies and Fundies now covers basic nitrox AFAIK so from that point of view Adv Nitrox before fundies may make a chunk of the course redundant.

Fundies is just that *Fundumentals* - you'll typically do the whole course at 6m, there is no deco involved - it is purely done on BG and as a DIR-F qualified diver GUE considers you able to do 30m dives on 32%. No deco gas required.

Fundies is designed to get you ready for T1 and T1 is where you will start diving with a deco bottle with your accelerated deco gas in it so it may make more sense to do an advance nitrox course between DIR-F and Tech 1.

All of this is from a GUE view point as this is a DIR forum. You may already be doing dives that would greatly benefit from deco gases and you may have no intention of ever doing T1 in which case I can see no reason to wait for DIR-F before doing the Adv Nitrox course.

GLOC · September 3rd, 2006, 12:16 AM

The Fundamentals Course is designed to teach you the building blocks of DIR diving. It gives you a 32% ticket and a depth rating of 24m (but if you have AOW you can still dive to 30m which is the MOD for non-Trimix dives).

If you lok through the library and trip reports searching for Fundies or Fundamentals you will find a whole raft of information about what the course entails.

To find out when the next course, register at www.gue.com, fill in your profile there, and then look under courses to see when the next Fundies course is.

Fundies does not allow you to buy Nitrox more than 40% (I think) but I know it will not allow you to buy deco gases such as 50% or 100%. It will also not allow you to go beyond 30m if you have a AOW ticket.

The bonus about doing Fundies early is that you will not learn bad habits (not that Rich will teach you some bad habits per se, just different ones to the GUE way - if that is your bent).

I personally did not find it difficult to adjust to the GUE way as I only had 68 dives to my name when I did Fundies and most of those prior to the course had been with DIR orientated divers.

The bottom line is why are you doing the AN and DP course? To improve your diving as a whole, to get a ticket to allow you to dive to 45m and buy 100% O2, or ? If the answer is the first in the list, do a fundies course. If it is to get to 45m, then I would recommend doing Fundies and Tech 1

but failing that, AN and DP!! If you do chose to do the AN and DP course, having a Fundies ticket first will make that course much easier.

(Note GUE does not recommend diving Nitrox/Air below 30m)

HTH

LCF · September 3rd, 2006, 02:18 AM

Quote:

have been asking about advanced nitrox course which iam doing in early october with deepblue diving the aim being to progress on to the dir training courses

Simple answer . . . If you intend to go on to advanced training with GUE (DIR), you must do Fundies. It's a requirement. The course makes sure your basic diving skills are up to the challenge of a technical class.

GoDiva · September 3rd, 2006, 02:03 PM

And even though we all "dream" to progress through GUE courses, a lot of people also have certs from other organisations.
Best thing is to decide what you want to take a course for (as Gloc allready said), and then see which course suits you best.

Taking courses with other organisations does broaden your mind. It helps giving you a bigger background, and understand what you are doing and why. Even if the course is not completely "GUE compliant", you will always learn from it, as long as you keep an open mind.

steve_cooper71 · September 3rd, 2006, 05:32 PM

Hi,

there definitely is a lot to be said for having other agency certs.

The bar is really quite high for GUE training which can mean a lot of time money invested and possibly no cert.

I do believe it is the best training available but if one wanted a cert card to more or less just to prove that they could dive (say at a dive centre) then there are easier ways to get it and the traditional agencies (Padi/bsac/iantd/etc... are well recognised worldwide. I have heard of people having probs with GUE cards and I'm sure there are some dive centres who haven't heard of GUE, yet.

I personally took DIRF to see what I could learn, I didn't get the cert, but in practice that doesn't matter, I have the cards from BSAC to dive anywhere in the world at the level I want to dive at. My point is that GUE courses are definitely worth doing to see how it should be done but its good to know you have your other certs to at least get into the water (legally).

I think a lot of people here have attributed their success on gue courses down to a lot of practice before hand and having certs from other agencies means that the facilities, gas etc., are available to you to practice at the appropriate level.

steve.

floater · September 3rd, 2006, 08:24 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by splodge)

hi all
well now iam well confused,have been asking about advanced nitrox course which iam doing in early october with deepblue diving the aim being to progress on to the dir training courses but have been advised to do fundimental course before doing adv nitrox.could anyone clarify this and give me a run down on what this course entails as i want to be up to speed and not ging the wrong way about things.cheers

GUE tech-1 covers adv. nitrox so if you are planning to take it soon anyway (after DIRF), then taking adv. nitrox (or basic nitrox or AOW for that matter) may not be worthwhile.

GLOC · September 3rd, 2006, 08:38 PM

I can see what you are saying floater, but Fundies to Tech 1 is a steep learning curve there is no doubt about that. It all depends on the reasons for splodge wanting to do AN & DP, once he answers that, then I think we would be in a better position to comment on what to do.

September 2nd, 2006, 11:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
splodge(Offline) New Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: birmingham uk Posts: 17	fundi course hi all well now iam well confused,have been asking about advanced nitrox course which iam doing in early october with deepblue diving the aim being to progress on to the dir training courses but have been advised to do fundimental course before doing adv nitrox.could anyone clarify this and give me a run down on what this course entails as i want to be up to speed and not ging the wrong way about things.cheers

September 3rd, 2006, 12:16 AM	#3 (permalink)
GLOC (Online) Moderator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Fleet, Hants Posts: 1,964	The Fundamentals Course is designed to teach you the building blocks of DIR diving. It gives you a 32% ticket and a depth rating of 24m (but if you have AOW you can still dive to 30m which is the MOD for non-Trimix dives). If you lok through the library and trip reports searching for Fundies or Fundamentals you will find a whole raft of information about what the course entails. To find out when the next course, register at www.gue.com, fill in your profile there, and then look under courses to see when the next Fundies course is. Fundies does not allow you to buy Nitrox more than 40% (I think) but I know it will not allow you to buy deco gases such as 50% or 100%. It will also not allow you to go beyond 30m if you have a AOW ticket. The bonus about doing Fundies early is that you will not learn bad habits (not that Rich will teach you some bad habits per se, just different ones to the GUE way - if that is your bent). I personally did not find it difficult to adjust to the GUE way as I only had 68 dives to my name when I did Fundies and most of those prior to the course had been with DIR orientated divers. The bottom line is why are you doing the AN and DP course? To improve your diving as a whole, to get a ticket to allow you to dive to 45m and buy 100% O2, or ? If the answer is the first in the list, do a fundies course. If it is to get to 45m, then I would recommend doing Fundies and Tech 1 but failing that, AN and DP!! If you do chose to do the AN and DP course, having a Fundies ticket first will make that course much easier. (Note GUE does not recommend diving Nitrox/Air below 30m) HTH __________________ Gareth Images of Life Photography DIR Team Foxturd Travels Underwater and Further Afar If you don't have the time to do something right, where are you going to find the time to fix it? - Stephen King

September 3rd, 2006, 02:03 PM	#5 (permalink)
GoDiva(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 547	And even though we all "dream" to progress through GUE courses, a lot of people also have certs from other organisations. Best thing is to decide what you want to take a course for (as Gloc allready said), and then see which course suits you best. Taking courses with other organisations does broaden your mind. It helps giving you a bigger background, and understand what you are doing and why. Even if the course is not completely "GUE compliant", you will always learn from it, as long as you keep an open mind. __________________ "Miss Dodgy-Pockets" or "Miss Lime-Green, Clear-Skirt Mask"

September 3rd, 2006, 05:32 PM	#6 (permalink)
steve_cooper71(Offline) New Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Northern Ireland Posts: 41	Hi, there definitely is a lot to be said for having other agency certs. The bar is really quite high for GUE training which can mean a lot of time money invested and possibly no cert. I do believe it is the best training available but if one wanted a cert card to more or less just to prove that they could dive (say at a dive centre) then there are easier ways to get it and the traditional agencies (Padi/bsac/iantd/etc... are well recognised worldwide. I have heard of people having probs with GUE cards and I'm sure there are some dive centres who haven't heard of GUE, yet. I personally took DIRF to see what I could learn, I didn't get the cert, but in practice that doesn't matter, I have the cards from BSAC to dive anywhere in the world at the level I want to dive at. My point is that GUE courses are definitely worth doing to see how it should be done but its good to know you have your other certs to at least get into the water (legally). I think a lot of people here have attributed their success on gue courses down to a lot of practice before hand and having certs from other agencies means that the facilities, gas etc., are available to you to practice at the appropriate level. steve. __________________ The opinions expressed here may be ironic or sarcastic and may not represent genuinely held views. Please interpret with caution as there may be a risk of offence.

September 3rd, 2006, 08:38 PM	#8 (permalink)
GLOC (Online) Moderator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Fleet, Hants Posts: 1,964	I can see what you are saying floater, but Fundies to Tech 1 is a steep learning curve there is no doubt about that. It all depends on the reasons for splodge wanting to do AN & DP, once he answers that, then I think we would be in a better position to comment on what to do. __________________ Gareth Images of Life Photography DIR Team Foxturd Travels Underwater and Further Afar If you don't have the time to do something right, where are you going to find the time to fix it? - Stephen King

September 3rd, 2006, 12:12 AM	#2 (permalink)
Rob Dobson(Offline) Chillin' with the ninjas Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Oxford Posts: 536	Adv Nitrox gives you access to accelerated deco gases which in GUE terms is typically 50% or O2 (let's not confuse things by considering trimix deco gases as that is firmly in T2 territory). So you do not need Adv Nitrox to do Fundies and Fundies now covers basic nitrox AFAIK so from that point of view Adv Nitrox before fundies may make a chunk of the course redundant. Fundies is just that Fundumentals - you'll typically do the whole course at 6m, there is no deco involved - it is purely done on BG and as a DIR-F qualified diver GUE considers you able to do 30m dives on 32%. No deco gas required. Fundies is designed to get you ready for T1 and T1 is where you will start diving with a deco bottle with your accelerated deco gas in it so it may make more sense to do an advance nitrox course between DIR-F and Tech 1. All of this is from a GUE view point as this is a DIR forum. You may already be doing dives that would greatly benefit from deco gases and you may have no intention of ever doing T1 in which case I can see no reason to wait for DIR-F before doing the Adv Nitrox course.

September 3rd, 2006, 02:18 AM	#4 (permalink)
LCF(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 623	Quote: have been asking about advanced nitrox course which iam doing in early october with deepblue diving the aim being to progress on to the dir training courses Simple answer . . . If you intend to go on to advanced training with GUE (DIR), you must do Fundies. It's a requirement. The course makes sure your basic diving skills are up to the challenge of a technical class.

September 3rd, 2006, 08:24 PM	#7 (permalink)
floater(Offline) Mostly harmless Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Currently in the US, but I'm not American Posts: 155	Quote: (Originally Posted by splodge) hi all well now iam well confused,have been asking about advanced nitrox course which iam doing in early october with deepblue diving the aim being to progress on to the dir training courses but have been advised to do fundimental course before doing adv nitrox.could anyone clarify this and give me a run down on what this course entails as i want to be up to speed and not ging the wrong way about things.cheers GUE tech-1 covers adv. nitrox so if you are planning to take it soon anyway (after DIRF), then taking adv. nitrox (or basic nitrox or AOW for that matter) may not be worthwhile.