The "new" fundamentals course.

[Rob Dobson]

I've never bought into the 'back-slapping, fundies is the best training you can do' club. I did Fundies and it was shite. It put me off of GUE as a training agency but not DIR as a philosophy.

Then at the DIRx Stoney weekend I stood and watched Clare run through some of the new and revised fundies drills and I was very impressed. Clare brings a focus and an enthusiasm to the training which was distinctly lacking in the class that I did and this coupled with the vastly improved drills and course content makes fundies worth a second look.

I think that the instructors doing fundies in the UK today all actually want to teach fundies and that makes a real difference to the quality of the training that is delivered.

[Madfish]

I was 'fortunate' enough to be a student on Clare's first ever Fundies course - it was hard work - but I enjoyed every second of it (in retrospect). She is an excellent instructor - with a fantastic amount of drive, enthusiasm & empathy and I would wholeheartedly recommend her course to anyone considering GUE-F.

Di

She's not too bad as a diver either really!

[principia]

Originally Posted by divingniknaks

I think you may have misunderstood Marty's post. The course is tiring from the sheer amount of information you are given.

.

Heres me thinking its because he is a chunky monkey

J.

[MartyC]

Ok Clarification time.
At NO POINT during the course did anyone get a 'beasting' you are pushed to see what your comfort zone is but never beyond it.
4 days of long class time, kit set up, dry practice runs and the dives is demanding both physically and mentally but I knew that before I went into it, there's enough infromation on the GUE web site and from your potential instructor to get a good idea of what you are going to experience, just ring anyone of them and they'll give their time up to help you FOC.

As to back slapping - fair comment we see things in our own way and from our own experiences, as far as I'm concerned if I want to say thanks for a great course, I'm going to say it publicly as well as privately, if you don't like it - deal with it, I don't care (no offence intended)

As for being a 'chunky monkey', that may be true but at least I can work on it - I was going to say something rude and heightist but your my pal so I won't (git)

[Fiona]

Originally Posted by MartyC

As for being a 'chunky monkey',

You are a chunky monkey - you must have the biggest biceps I have ever had the privilege to get hold of

[Madfish]

Originally Posted by Sixsquid

I look forward to that. I'm not a big DIR advocate (a lot to do with such an arrogant suggestion) but I have been interested/curious about the DIR-F for a couple of years now due to what seems vast diving technique benefitsand this is one of the things that has put me off. Developing diving skills and enhancing learning is great but there's no need to make life difficult and kill me off doing it. What's the point of that! (rhetorical question. Please note, no question mark and don't raise my hackles with a load of reasons for subjecting me to nightmare diving so as to increase my capabilities. There's relevant stress loading and there's macho sh1t)

Well done Clare Brill

Sixy

With the best will in the world - YOU are the only one in the entire thread (so far) to have mentioned the word DIR........

The OP was careful to refer to the class, quite correctly as GUE-F.

The arrogance has only been implied by you....

Di

[MartyC]

Every body chill, Six, it is the best training I have done, but not the best training course there is - I haven't done Tech 1 yet gimme that Helium.
Any arrogancy you may have picked up, is more likely to be enthusiasm for the training and the agency, Garf is very passionate about DIR and GUE

[wilbo]

Originally Posted by Rob Dobson

I've never bought into the 'back-slapping, fundies is the best training you can do' club. I did Fundies and it was shite. It put me off of GUE as a training agency but not DIR as a philosophy.

Then at the DIRx Stoney weekend I stood and watched Clare run through some of the new and revised fundies drills and I was very impressed. Clare brings a focus and an enthusiasm to the training which was distinctly lacking in the class that I did and this coupled with the vastly improved drills and course content makes fundies worth a second look.


I think that the instructors doing fundies in the UK today all actually want to teach fundies and that makes a real difference to the quality of the training that is delivered.

Rob - to be fair - I don't think we got a good course (in fact it wasn't a course, but a piss taking exercise) - as both the instructor and and the course were in a 'transitional period'.

I for one am keen to find out what is in the new course..

I shall be PMing Clare later..

[al kennedy]

Originally Posted by Madfish

Sixy

With the best will in the world - YOU are the only one in the entire thread (so far) to have mentioned the word DIR........

The OP was careful to refer to the class, quite correctly as GUE-F.

the thread is in the DIR Forum, egro it's about Doing It Right...

...a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

[IanDennis]

Most GUE divers are passionate about their diving and by taking further courses are looking to develop their skills to a level beyond recreational diving.

The GUE fundies course represents a foundation to build upon and a very solid foundation it is too. It is clearly evident in the courses and materials that GUE are trying to expand the appeal of this training and whilst there are some kit requirements it is the passioniate and enthuastic approach of the instructors which helps to make this course so good. I didn't take this course to be DIR- I took it to be a better diver- which is what GUE fundamentals taught me. I don't think of myself as a DIR diver- it has no importance to me- I think of myself as GUE trained. That gives me the ability to go anywhere and dive with anybody else who is GUE trained and not worry about whether they do things differently- they do things the same as I do.

Good standards and high levels of training give me more confidence in my buddy/team if everything starts going wrong. I am sure other agencies can produce divers of similar competance but for me I would rather dive with a GUE diver and not have to worry about it.

Personally speaking some of the best support I have received has been from GUE divers such as Garf and the rest of TFT. That combined with the efforts of the instructors makes the diving much more enjoyable. If anybody wants to learn more about GUE then go on the workshops and weekends organised by Garf/Gloc and others or better still talk to Clare/John/Brian/Rich - they are all very approachable.

Ian