training costs & availability?

[Tricky]

I've had a look at the GUE site, but there is no mention of any of this on the DIRF page. If it's correct, and if Rich says it is then I've no doubt it is, it can only be a good thing.

[Bardo]

Originally Posted by Tricky

I wasn't aware of this (apart from the rest of the GUE curriculum, but I mentioned that ), is it a recent thing? What do you mean, exactly, by nitrox and rescue skills? My understanding that the course was there to hone people's skills ready for further training with GUE.

Yeah, that certainly was the case with the *old* fundamentals course but the new fundies course is an entirely different beast altogether...

[Sterny]

Originally Posted by Tricky

I wasn't aware of this (apart from the rest of the GUE curriculum, but I mentioned that ), is it a recent thing? What do you mean, exactly, by nitrox and rescue skills? My understanding that the course was there to hone people's skills ready for further training with GUE.

Rich is talking about the new 4-day version of the DIR-F course there - it will include Nitrox (is that 32% only Rich?) and Rescue skills in addition to all the other things already in the current 3-day version of the course, plus at least one more dive (min. 5 dives compared with min. 4 dives, for our course in May we're looking at doing 6 dives, I think). This is to bring the diver passing the new DIR-F course to the same level (and having been taught the same things from a DIR point of view) as someone passing the new GUE Open Water course soon to be launched.

I wonder if there will be anything new for those of us who have Nitrox qualifications already (I guess at least some of us will have TDI AD&DP or equivalent, or higher, allowing us to use up to 100%, others a recreational Nitrox cert to 40% or so). Not really expecting there will be, but GUE courses continually impress so I may be pleasantly surprised.

For me, the Rescue skills bit will definitely cover things that are at least partially new to me (rescuing someone in tech gear, how to rescue a toxing diver), I welcome this even though I've already had at least three instances of rescue training.

I believe some of the candidates on the course we're planning for late May, may not have done rescue skills or Nitrox before, so this is a huge bonus for them, I think. Good call, GUE.

[Bardo]

Originally Posted by Sterny

Rich is talking about the new 4-day version of the DIR-F course there - it will include Nitrox (is that 32% only Rich?) and Rescue skills in addition to all the other things already in the current 3-day version of the course, plus at least one more dive (min. 5 dives compared with min. 4 dives, for our course in May we're looking at doing 6 dives, I think). This is to bring the diver passing the new DIR-F course to the same level (and having been taught the same things from a DIR point of view) as someone passing the new GUE Open Water course soon to be launched.

£400 may sound like a lot but when you look at what the new course gives you, it's actually very good. After all, what you're effectively getting here is a DIR Fundamentals course + a basic nitrox course (32% only, I'm guessing) + a rescue course for £400! When you consider that most dive centres charge £300 for a rescue course *only*, the new DIR-F is very good value for money...