GUE Fundamentals Course - Become the Diver you've always wanted to be!

GUE FUNDAMENTALS COURSE OUTLINE

The GUE Fundamentals course is a globally recognised as the highest regarded program for divers of all levels. The GUE Fundamentals course is designed to not only improve your personal diving skills but also to foster a strong sense of teamwork, which is essential in more advanced diving environments like cave or technical diving. 

Here’s a bit more about what makes the GUE Fundamentals course stand out: 

Refining Personal Skills: The course is structured to help divers perfect their basic skills—buoyancy, trim, propulsion techniques, and situational awareness. It encourages a focus on fundamentals that serve as the foundation for all types of diving. 

Team Diving Mindset: One of the core components of GUE diving philosophy is the concept of diving as a team. This course places significant emphasis on communication, planning, and coordination with your dive buddy. The goal is to operate as a cohesive unit, especially in more challenging diving environments. 

Structured Approach: GUE courses, including Fundamentals, are known for their structured approach to diver education. This includes detailed briefings, standardized procedures, and an emphasis on developing good habits that will make divers safer and more efficient. 

Preparation for Advanced Diving: GUE Fundamentals is a stepping stone for divers interested in pursuing cave or technical diving, where the stakes are higher and the challenges greater. The skills learned in Fundamentals—particularly in terms of gas management, problem-solving, and team coordination—are critical for these types of dives. 

Holistic Diving Education: The course doesn't just focus on technique; it’s also about instilling the right mindset for safe and responsible diving. This includes risk management, emergency procedures, and environmental awareness. 

In essence, GUE Fundamentals is ideal for divers who are looking to take their skills to the next level, whether they are just starting out in technical diving or are looking to improve their recreational diving. The course offers an excellent foundation for those interested in exploring more advanced diving disciplines like cave diving or technical dives that require precise planning and execution.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS - MANDATORY EQUIPMENT

To begin this course, you will need to own the following:

Backplate – A solid base for your diving system with a harness made from a single piece of webbing for more security and a comfortable fit, minimally equipped with D-rings in optimal locations for clipping off your accessories. Supplied with a crotch strap, along with a well-fitted waist band, the backplate allows for a snug and comfortable fit that stays in place on your back regardless of the position you are in or the equipment you attach to it.      

Wing – Attached to your backplate is your buoyancy compensator. The sleek, simple, streamlined, circular, and back-mounted design allows for easy operation, enables comfortable in-water body positioning (proper trim), and ensures adequate lift capacity. Even fully inflated, it will not restrict your movement or maneuverability. 

Regulators – Whether a single-tank setup or doubles, the regulator’s configuration stays the same in front of you. The only difference will be what happens behind your shoulders, which will be one first stage for a single tank or two first stages for doubles configuration. The principles, configuration, and application stay the same.

Primary regulator with a long hose – The primary regulator you breathe from is mounted on a 7 ft/210 cm long hose that is routed down your right hip, across your chest, and back around your neck. It is the regulator you donate in an out-of-gas situation. Not only are you sharing gas from a regulator you just breathed from (so you are certain it works), but you will have plenty of space and maneuverability to manage the situation regardless of the environment in which you are diving. 

Backup regulator – Mounted on a shorter hose, under your chin on a bungee necklace so that it is always secure and ready for you use when donating your primary regulator teammate, or in any situation where you need to switch to it from your primary regulator.  

Primary light – GUE dive teams rely on proper communication, and the primary light is not only a light, but also a tool for communicating due to the very focused and bright beam. A primary light allows you to get the attention of your team without the need of swimming to them. The battery canister is on your right hip and can be used to secure the long hose.

Backup lights – Just as with regulators, primary lights need to have a backup in case they malfunctions. The two backup lights in the GUE configuration are simplistic in design, with a rotate-to-switch-on design. They are robust and reliable in any environment that requires divers to carry lights. They are stored comfortably on the harness, ready to be deployed at any time.    

Drysuit - The use of a drysuit in the GUE Fundamentals course ensures that all students are trained in the same conditions, reducing variability in training outcomes. It also eliminates the potential for hypothermia or discomfort that could distract a diver from focusing on the course content and skills. Drysuit diving requires specialized techniques (e.g., managing air in the suit, adjusting buoyancy) that are important to learn early in a diver's development. These skills are fundamental for safe and efficient diving, especially when diving with complex equipment configurations.

Two Independent Gas Sources - The primary reason for using doubles in GUE Fundamentals is redundancy. With two cylinders, the diver has an independent backup air supply in case of an issue with one of the tanks (e.g., valve failure or regulator malfunction). This redundancy is critical for safe diving, especially in environments where emergency ascents or gas sharing may not be possible without a backup air supply.

COURSE SCHEDULE

The course runs over two consecutive weekends. Check the calendar for current dates.

INCLUSIONS

Price includes gas (Nitrox 32). The minimum number of students for the class to commence is 2 and a maximum of 3 students. Upgrades to boat dives are not included in this price but are generally not essential for the course unless previously discussed with the instructor.

MORE INFORMATION

To find out more before booking this course, contact the GUE Instructor directly:

Rhys Toone rhys@gue.com