indeep(Offline)

Hey all,

From what I have always understood, to enroll in a Tech 1 course, you must have your GUE Fundementals certification. Still true right?
.........My question is why?
I am well aware of the Fundies course, and I do understand that it is part of GUE curriculum, but do any of you think that it should be up to the Tech 1 Instructor if you meet 'Fundies' prerequisites to enroll in a Tech 1 class?

Yes, I do understand the advantages for a Fundies class before
Tech 1 in most/certain situations.......
...but for all?

Thanks in advance.

TDave(Offline)

It's an interesting idea, and not one I necessarily disagree with, but I think it comes down to a standards thing.

When I did my Tech 1 with AG, he arrived and was there for just the right amount of time to teach the course.
There were 6 of us on the course.
If he'd turned up and decided 4 of us weren't ready to take it, does that mean the remaining two have to make up the cost of his travel / expenses etc?

At least with everyone being Fundies trained it gives them a benchmark thats easy to apply across the spectrum and causing the least amount of hassle for instructor and students alike. If the student then doesn't cut the grade then they fail, but at least they have been taught to a certain bar beforehand.
Or so goes the theory.

But, in principle, I agree with you. But I can see why GUE do it.

__________________
Dave Smith

jasonmh(Offline)

I am not sure of the reason, hopefully someone more knowledgeable will reply. But I wouldn't be surprised if they had many of the TECH 1 students showing up with out the prerequisite skill to participate in the class. With so much information being conveyed, i'm sure it would be hard to hold up a class because some weren't ready. This may be a case that the policy made for the masses is affecting a few select divers who already have the required skill, but to me that is better than the other way around. Atleast now the TECH1 instructors know that their students are coming to them with atleast a minimum skill set, and are going to be mostly on the same page.
If you want to take tech1, I hope that the prerequisite will not deter you.

Hassan Adly(Offline)

I am sure that there are plenty of non-GUE trained divers out there who, by reading up and more likely through exposure to and practice with DIR-trained divers, could meet or even exceed the standard expected of a Tech 1 candidate.

However, this does not mean that they have nothing to gain by attending a fundamentals course before Tech 1. I think most GUE instructors would relish the opportunity to challenge such a candidate, giving them the chance to show (and improve) their stuff, and to "be all they can be", in the framework of a fundamentals course.

The theory sessions and debriefs that occur during a fundamentals course are very valuable. They form an important basis for the Tech 1 lectures to follow and are not to be disregarded. In the practical sessions the instructor has many options as far as raising the bar and challenging the student is concerned. We haff our veys...

GUE training is not about racking up certification levels, but rather about bringing out the best in a diver to make him or her a valued member of a DIR exploration team. The fundamentals course is where the relevant training begins. If you are better prepared than other candidates, then good for you; you will simply have more to gain from the course.

__________________
Hassan Adly

Red Sea Discovery

"Today I will finally see the sea again, which will smell of salt, wind, sand - and the cold of winter. Finally I will not only travel on it but dive in it, again I will become water, a bird - and I will remember the feeling of gliding above the abyss"
Elena Sundukova, tragically lost at sea, January 2007

prharris(Offline)

I have Cave 1 and did it before there was a DIR-F.
If I wanted to do Tech-1, would I need to do DIR-F?

r
Paul

Martin Burnard(Offline)

They might spot your KISS!

__________________
I once enjoyed a sado-masachistic frenzy of total tintintabulation leading to a state of metampsychosis... or did I make that up?

www.bananafrogcars.co.uk

Howard Payne(Offline)

Most of this is really sensible.
Fundies came about because a number of divers were going into Tech1 without the necessary skills to make a fair fist of the course. Clearly this was a waste of everyone's time and money. If you've taken a week off work and spent £700 + gas + accomodation to do a course and you can't make it past day 2 - it's a real bummer.
I'm sure Andy would just do a quick tech evaluation with someone who was Cave 1 to make sure they were OK. Stick a big Halcyon sticker over the bit on the KISS that says "this device may kill you at any time without warning" and I'm sure he won't notice - it looks like a short RB80 anyway

__________________
The Foxturd Chimp

PBrown(Offline)

As I understand it, Fundamentals used to be a non-obligatory workshop, however too many experienced divers were turning up for tech 1 (or cave 1) unable to meet the basic skill levels required, so Fundamentals became mandatory.

There is a provision within the GUE Standards to allow a cross-over from other agencies, see section 1.9. Looking at what is required, you might as well do a Fundamentals course.

Don't know about moving from Cave to Tech without a Fundamentals, but I was able to do a Cave 2 without Fundamentals. (I also did my Cave 1 prior to Fundamentals being mandatory)

cheers,
Paul

graham_hk(Offline)

I believe there are exceptions - but you better be prepared for the class because if your not up to standard the instructor won't dive with you and that would be a pretty expensive days diving!

Better to take fundamentals its worth it for the video feedback and get straight on the protocols.

Graham

Leigh u(Offline)

Taking the course can be a real eye opener as to where you really stand skill wise. I have seen experienced divers fall apart when they were tasked with some of the basic fundamentals skills.

The course will get everyone on roughly the same page, especially those coming from areas where there are not a lot of like minded divers to train with.