A Brief Overview…follow the links for full course details below.. 

• GUE Fundamentals. US$525.00 ( excl. expenses ) 3/4 Days. The GUE Fundamentals course is designed to cultivate the essential techniques required by all sound diving practice, irrespective of level or environment. A. prerequisite for all other GUE classes, GUE Fundamentals performs a three purposes within the GUE curriculum: 1) it provides the recreational diver, in whom there is no desire for technical diver training, with a pathway to advance his/her basic diving skills, 2) it provides the diver aiming towards advanced diver training with the tools that will contribute to a greater likelihood of success; and 3) it provides non-GUE trained divers with a gateway into GUE training.
• GUE Recreational Triox US$975.00 ( excl. expenses )  3 Days. The Recreational TriOx course prepares divers for deeper recreational diving using proper equipment, diving techniques, and breathing mixtures. In this class, students will be introduced to the theory and practice of decompression and schooled in correct ascent procedures. Recreational TriOx training focuses on expanding the fundamental skills learned in the GUE Fundamentals course (or elsewhere) and is designed to cultivate, integrate, and expand the essential skills required for safe deeper diving. This will include problem identification and resolution, and building the capacity for progressively more challenging diving.
• IANTD Nitrox Diver - US$330.00, 1-2 Days. For some, the first step towards the adventures of more advanced diving styles, for others simply a way to enhance their recreational diving and get a fresh look at familiar dive sites. Most people are now well aware of the extra bottom time, and safety, Enriched Air Nitrox can provide. This short but thorough course will open new doors for everyone.
• IANTD Recreational Trimix Diver - US$390.00 ( excl. Helium ) , 2-3 Days. Teaches a fuller understanding of the applications of nitrox and trimix diving in the recreational range down to 30m/100ft, or 39m/130ft if the student holds a Deep Diver qualification. Covers various aspects of physiology, equipment configuration and dive technique in class, confined and open water training sessions, which serve to create a more polished recreational deep diver, and to give a window into what technical diving may involve for those interested.

GUE Fundamentals  US$525.00      3-4 Days                    

Purpose The GUE Fundamentals course is designed to cultivate the essential techniques required by all sound diving practice, irrespective of level or environment. Functioning as a prerequisite for all other GUE classes, save its recreational diver course (forthcoming, GUE Fundamentals performs a three-fold function within the GUE curriculum: 1) it provides the recreational diver, in whom there is no desire for further diver training, with a context in which to advance his/her basic diving skills, thereby developing more comfort, confidence, and competence in the water; and 2) it provides the diver with aspirations of more advanced diver training with the tools that will contribute to a greater likelihood of success; and 3) it provides non-GUE trained divers with a gateway into GUE training. Prerequisites Must meet GUE General Course Prerequisites as outlined in Section 1.6 Must be a minimum of 16 years of age and a certified open water diver from a recognized training agency Must be able to swim a distance of at least 50 feet/15 meters on a breath hold. Must be able to swim at least 300 yards/275 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping.

Duration

The GUE Fundamentals class is normally conducted over a 3- to 4-day period. It involves a minimum of twenty (20) hours of instruction, encompassing both classroom and in-water work.

Course Limits

• General Training Limits as outlined in Section 1.4

• Student to instructor ratio is not to exceed 6:1 during any in-water training, maximum depth 60ft/18m, no decompression or overhead environments.

Course Content

The GUE Fundamentals course is normally conducted over a 3- to 4-day period. Combining lecture and practical (in-water) sessions, this course focuses on cultivating the foundational skills required by all diving practice. It is focused on increasing diving fun by reducing stress and increasing diver proficiency through proper control of buoyancy, trim, propulsion, teamwork, and other GUE principles.
Course requirements include a minimum of eight (8) hours of academics and four (4) in-water sessions.

Required Training Materials

Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.
GUE Fundamentals Workbook.

Academic Topics GUE organization Why GUE Fundamentals? Diving proficiency Buoyancy and trim Streamlining and equipment configuration Propulsion techniques Situational awareness Communication Breathing gas overview Dive planning and gas management Diver preparedness

Required Dive Skills & Drills

• Demonstrate proficiency in safe diving techniques; this would include pre-dive preparations, in-water activity, and post-dive assessment.

• Demonstrate awareness of team member location and a concern for safety, responding quickly to visual cues and dive partner needs.

• Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver.

• Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver followed by a slow, direct ascent to the surface.

• Comfortably demonstrate at least two propulsion techniques that would be appropriate in delicate and/or silty environments.

• Demonstrate a safe and responsible demeanor throughout all training.

• Demonstrate proficiency in the ability to deploy a spool and a surface marker.

• Demonstrate good buoyancy and trim.

• Demonstrate proficiency in underwater communication.

• Demonstrate basic equipment proficiency and an understanding of the DIR equipment configuration.

• Demonstrate aptitude in the following open water skills: mask clearing, mask removal and replacement, regulator removal and exchange, long hose deployment.

• Demonstrate safe ascent and decent procedures.

• Demonstrate proficiency in executing a valve drill.

Equipment Requirements

• Each student should have, and be familiar with, all of the following required equipment.

• Tanks/Cylinders: Students may use dual tanks/cylinders connected with a dual outlet isolator manifold, which allows for the use of two first-stages. Students may also use a single tank/cylinder with a K, H, or Y-valve.

• Regulators: One of the second-stages must be on a 5- to 7-foot/1.5- to 2-meter hose. One of the first-stages must supply a pressure gauge and provide inflation for a dry suit (where applicable).

• Backplate System: A rigid and flat platform, of metal construction with minimal padding, held to a diver by one continuous piece of nylon webbing. A knife should be secured to the waist on the left webbing tab. This webbing should support five D-rings. The harness below the diver's arms should have small restrictive bands to allow for the placement of reserve lights. The system should retain a minimalist approach with no unnecessary components.

• Buoyancy Compensation Device: A diver's buoyancy compensation device should be back-mounted and minimalist in nature. It should come free of extraneous strings, tabs, or other material. There should be no restrictive bands or "bungee" of any sort affixed to the buoyancy cell.

• At least one depth-measuring device

• At least one timekeeping device

• Mask and fins: Mask should be low volume; fins should be rigid, non-split

• At least one cutting device

• Wet Notes

• One spool with 100 feet/30 meters of line per diver

• Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure

Note: Prior to the commencement of class, students should consult with a GUE representative to verify equipment requirements. Whether or not a piece of equipment fulfills GUE's equipment requirement remains at the discretion of GUE and its instructor representatives. Participants are responsible for providing all equipment. Please contact a GUE representative prior to making any purchases to avoid buying inappropriate equipment.

GUE Recreational TriOx   US$975.00  4 Days

Purpose

The Recreational TriOx course is a no decompression class structured to prepare divers for deeper recreational diving using proper equipment, diving techniques, and breathing mixtures. In this class, students will be introduced to the theory and practice of decompression and schooled in correct ascent procedures. Recreational TriOx training focuses on expanding the fundamental skills learned in the GUE Fundamentals course (or elsewhere) and is designed to cultivate, integrate, and expand the essential skills required for safe deeper diving. This will include problem identification and resolution, and building the capacity for progressively more challenging diving. In this class, students will be trained in: a) the use of single or double back gas tanks/cylinders and in the potential failure problems associated with them; b) the use of Nitrox and TriOx for extended bottom times; and c) the use of Helium to minimize narcosis, CO2, gas density, and post-dive "nitrogen stress."

Prerequisites Must meet GUE General Course Prerequisites as outlined in Section 1.6 Must be a minimum of 18 years of age Must have taken the GUE Fundamentals or a GUE Cave, Tech, or Rebreather class Must have a minimum of fifty (50) dives beyond open water qualification, twenty-five (25) of which should be non-training dives Must be able to swim a distance of at least 50 feet/15 meters on a breath hold. Must be able to swim at least 300 yards/275 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping.

Duration

The GUE Recreational TriOx class is normally conducted over a 3-day period. It involves a minimum of thirty (30) hours of instruction, encompassing both classroom and in-water work.

Course Limits

• General Training Limits as outlined in Section 1.4

• Student to instructor ratio is not to exceed 6:1 during land drill or surface exercises but cannot exceed 3:1 during any direct in-water training. Maximum depth 120 feet (+/- 10 feet)/36 meters (+/- 3 meters). No overhead environment diving.

Course Content

The GUE Recreational TriOx course is normally conducted over a 3-day period, and cumulatively involves a minimum of thirty (30) hours of instruction designed to provide a working knowledge of Nitrox and TriOx, including history of decompression and practice, physics, physiology, tables, and operational considerations.
Course requirements include nine (9) hours of academics and six (6) dives, four (4) of which will be critical skill dives and two (2) will be experience dives as defined in GUE Standards and Procedures.
The initial two (2) dives will be conducted in water no deeper then 40 feet (15 meters) to evaluate the diver's ability and to identify any skill deficiencies. The last two (2) dives are to be TriOx dives at depth for experience, but not in excess of course depth limitations.

Required Training Materials Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida. Getting Clear on the Basics: The Fundamentals of Technical Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida. Academic Topics Applied diving physics Applied diving physiology Understanding compressed gas elimination Introduction to TriOx TriOx versus other gases DIR equipment configuration Dive planning and logistics

Required Dive Skills & Drills

• All skills and drills as outlined in General Diving Skills, Section 1.5.

• Demonstrate proficiency in procedures for gas failures, including valve manipulation and gas-sharing.

• Demonstrate proficiency in lift bag/surface marker buoy deployment.

• Demonstrate good buoyancy and trim.

• Be able to comfortably demonstrate at least two propulsion techniques appropriate for delicate and/or silty environments.

• Demonstrate proficiency in the use of touch contact communication during out-of-gas situations.

• Demonstrate familiarity with required course equipment.

• Gas-sharing scenarios to include a gas-sharing horizontal swim for at least 200 feet/60 meters.

• Gas-sharing scenarios to include a direct ascent while managing decompression obligations.

• Demonstrate effective buoyancy control.

• Demonstrate effective valve-management by first going to a team member for OOG and then shutting down a valve and returning it to the open position again.

• Demonstrate effective proficiency with proper ascent/descents, including the implementation of deep stops.

Equipment Requirements

• Each student should have, and be familiar with, all of the following required equipment.

• All equipment required from GUE Fundamentals plus :

• Compass

• Minimum and No-Decompression Buhlman based tables

• At least one surface marker buoy per diver  Divers utilizing a dry suit must have a separate (from the back gas) dry suit inflation source such as an argon/air bottle. Divers may not inflate the dry suit from the back gas.

Note: Prior to the commencement of class, students should consult with a GUE representative to verify equipment requirements. Whether or not a piece of equipment fulfills GUE's equipment requirement remains at the discretion of GUE and its instructor representatives. Participants are responsible for providing all equipment. Please contact a GUE representative prior to making any purchases to avoid buying inappropriate equipment.
 

Upgrade to Technical Diver Level 1

Qualified TriOx drivers seeking to upgrade to a Technical Diver Level 1 rating can do so by undertaking three (3) additional days of training at the Tech 1 level.
This additional training will consist of:
1. One (1) lecture on line work
2. One (1) lecture on the Oxygen window and accelerated decompression
3. One (1) lecture on table management and ratio deco
4. Five (5) additional dives
5. Developing stage bottle proficiency

IANTD Nitrox Diver     US$330.00      2-3 Days

Purpose

• This Course provides a better understanding for the applications of Nitrox in recreational diving. With the use of Nitrox it is possible to extend the no-decompression levels compared to air. Nitrox can also be used within air table or computer limits to achieve a more conservative dive profile.

• Aspects of deep diving technique and theory will be discussed.

• A deeper look into the physics of diving.

• Participants will be certified to use Nitrox blends of up to 40%.

• The Nitrox Diver course is a prerequisite for all rebreather and technical diving courses.

Prerequisites Minimum age : 12 Years On request, the IANTD Nitrox Diver course can be held in conjunction with the Open Water Diver course. Course Content and Limits Two classroom sessions and the IANTD Nitrox Diver exam. Two dives on Nitrox. The depth depends on the experience and certification level of participants. Maximum partial pressure of oxygen will be 1.4 bar.

Knowledge Development

• Advantages and disadvantages of Nitrox?

• Physiological Implications of Nitrox.

• Physics for Nitrox divers.

• Use of Nitrox tables.

• Operational implications of Nitrox and oxygen safety.

• DCI and decompression-theory

• Oxygen exposure and toxicity

• Inert gas narcosis

• Accident management

Cost Includes:  IANTD Nitrox Diver Manual, Certification fees, Enriched Air Fills, BCD and regulator. All local boat trips.

Important Note : Divers, who demonstrate bad diving habits, disregard for safety or poor diving skills will not be certified.
Training is purchased-certification is earned. Performance will be evaluated with the IANTD Individual Dive und Course Completion forms. Participants who do not achieve satisfying results should improve performance with additional training dives.

Combination Courses : This course can be combined with several other IANTD courses. Please contact us for details.

IANTD Recreational Trimix Diver     US$395.00      2-3 Days

Purpose

• Gives a fuller understanding of the applications of both EANx and of trimix in recreational diving depths.

• Provides grounding in deeper diving theory and technique.

• Aims to develop the students knowledge of, and ability to utilize, streamlined and efficient equipment configuration, and develop precision buoyancy control and good body position for low drag while swimming.

Prerequisites

• Must be an Advanced Open Water Diver and Nitrox certified, or

• Complete the Nitrox certification in conjunction with the Recreational Trimix program (see below )

• Must have a minimum of 15 logged open water dives.

Program Content and Limits

• Max. Depth 30m/100’ , unless the candidate holds a Deep Diver certification, when maximum depth will be 39m/130ft.

• A session spent on land focuses on equipment configuration and fit, and dry runs of confined water skills.

• A confined water session is spent working on buoyancy refinement, propulsion skills, body position/trim, and emergency skills such as gas share

• Two dives in open water utilizing recreational trimix mixtures with an Equivalent Narcosis Depth not to exceed 24m/80ft.
  Gases used will be in the range of 28-40% oxygen with PO2’s not to exceed 1.4 ata.

Academic presentations will include Review of Basic EANx. Equipment concepts and configuration. Buoyancy considerations DCS and Decompression theory. Oxygen exposure and toxicity Purpose and application of Helium in diving. Gas management. Inert gas narcosis. Carbon Dioxide problems and breathing technique. Dive Planning/software use. Accident management

Course Cost Includes : Recreational Trimix Diver manual, wall certificate and C-card. All oxygen charges (helium extra), use of appropriate BCD and regulator. Local boat charters.
Student requires Underwater slates or notebook, line and reel with liftbag or safety balloon, knife, and preferably own means of monitoring depth, time, and direction. This equipment will be available for rent.
Helium charges for the course – typically additional $50-100 depending on the mixes dived.

Important : Students with unsafe attitudes or demonstrating bad dive habits or poor water skills will not be certified. Training is purchased upon enrollment and certification is earned through the students performance and knowledge demonstrated at the end of the course. Performance will be evaluated using the IANTD ‘Individual Dive’ and ‘Course Completion’ forms. Candidates not achieving a passing score will be required to make additional dives for certification.

Notes On Combination Courses : This program may be combined with the IANTD Nitrox Diver certification, taking approx 3 full days to complete, with an additional cost of $100.

GUE General Training Requirements   

1.4 General Training Limits

The following limits apply to ALL levels of training (course specific limits can be found in the relevant sections).

1.4.1 PO2 Limits

All dives are to maintain a working PO2 of no greater than 1.4 and a resting PO2 of 1.6 +/- .05. Oxygen partial pressures are adjusted downward according to the demands made by diving conditions with an average working PO2 of approximately 1.2. Resting dives are defined as dives during which it is not reasonably expected that a diver will have to expend any unusual amount of energy, for example during decompression.

1.4.2 END Limits

No dives are to exceed an Equivalent Narcotic Depth (END) of 100 feet (+/-30 feet)/30 meters (+/- 9 meters); END is established by the following equation = ((1-FHe)*ATAs)-1) * 33 (10m)))

1.4.3 Parameters for Critical Skills

Drills or skills that involve loss of visibility, loss of lights, simulated out-of-gas scenarios, simulated manifold failures, and rescue techniques involving assisting panicked divers, convulsing divers and unconscious divers, are to be considered critical skills. "Air gunning," a form of simulating manifold failure, is restricted to Technical, Cave, and Rebreather courses. Critical skills must first be conducted in a confined water setting, after which instructors can progressively increase the depth and/or penetration in which these are executed. Mask removal is restricted to confined water; under such training conditions, only the trainees themselves are allowed to remove their masks, at the prompting of their instructor. Mask removal is not permitted in any overhead environment (save decompression). Under no circumstance should critical skills be conducted in delicate cave environments where damage to the environment may occur.
Under no circumstances are GUE instructors allowed to turn off student cylinder valves (right, left, or isolator).

1.4.4 Dual Qualification

Another agency's qualifications may be awarded to a student--as a dual qualification--only if the student has met GUE standards and has been awarded full GUE qualification. The student can then receive both a GUE qualification card and the equivalent qualification of another agency.

1.4.5 Issuing Qualification under Other Agencies

Qualification from another agency may not be issued instead of a GUE qualification. This entails that qualification from another agency may not be issued in the event the student did not complete GUE full qualification, nor can it be issued if the student was given a provisional GUE qualification.

1.4.6 Teaching and Rebreathers

GUE instructors may not teach GUE courses while using any type of rebreather (CCR or SCR). The only exceptions include the training of rebreather instructors during an ITC, or training during rebreather courses after all critical skill testing is complete.

1.4.7 Buoyancy Considerations

Some diving environments (e.g., shallow caves) permit divers with no buoyant lift (e.g., failed buoyancy compensator) to exit along a floor of reasonable depth, other environments, because of their depth, do not. Divers should account for such conditions and seek to ensure that their systems enable them to return safely to the surface in the event of a loss of buoyancy or a low-on-gas situation.

1.4.8 Steel Stage Bottles

No GUE member should use steel stage bottles in the open water. Any legal restrictions in conflict with this stipulation must be discussed with and approved by the Training Director.

1.4.9 Conservation                                                                                                                                              

As part of GUE's commitment to global environmental conservation, Appendix A details recommended areas for simulated zero-visibility drills, required by all GUE Cave programs.

1.5 General Diving Skills                                                                                               Back to : Fundamentals  -  Triox 

With the exception of DIR Fundamentals, GUE courses must all ensure proficiency in the following diving skills; a final grade of three (3) (satisfactory) or better is required to demonstrate the requisite skill in each. Any other and/or course specific skills, as well as any deviation from a particular diving skill, will be listed under the appropriate section for the specific course. DIR Fundamentals has a more restricted skill set.
1. Demonstrate proficiency in safe diving practices; this would include pre-dive preparation, in-water activity, and post-dive assessment.
2. Demonstrate awareness of team member location and a concern for safety, responding quickly to visual cues and dive partner requirements.
3. Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver in multiple gas-sharing episodes, with one or more of these to include a distance of at least 30 feet/9 meters.
4. Demonstrate a comfortable demeanor while swimming for at least 100 feet/30 meters, without a mask, while gas-sharing.
5. Be able to comfortably demonstrate at least two propulsion techniques that would be appropriate in delicate and/or silty environments.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of dive rescue techniques, including effective management of the following situations: assisting a convulsing diver and an unconscious diver.
7. Demonstrate a safe and responsible demeanor throughout all training.
All GUE instructors are encouraged to exceed minimum training standards when by doing so they are promoting the best interests of the student. Instructors are actively encouraged to deny qualification to students when students have not met the standards of the certification level they are pursuing to the satisfaction of the instructor.

1.6 General Prerequisites for All GUE Courses

The following are prerequisites for all GUE Courses (any additional and/or course specific course prerequisite, as well as any deviations from the following, will be listed under the appropriate section of the specific course):
1. Must submit a completed registration form, medical history, and liability release to GUE Headquarters.
2. Must be physically and mentally fit.
3. Must hold DAN Master level insurance or equivalent.
4. Must be a nonsmoker.
5. Must obtain a physician's prior written authorization for the use of prescription drugs, except for birth control, or for a prior medical condition that may pose a risk while diving. A partial list of such conditions may be found on GUE's medical history form; if a student answers in the affirmative to any of these, they must obtain a physician's approval to dive and disclose this to their GUE instructor before the onset of training. Physician approval for a specific condition is valid for one year from the date it is given assuming there are no further changes to the student's medical conditions.
6. Must be CPR/First Aid trained (except for DIR Fundamentals).
 

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