🌊 GUE Fundamentals

Course outcomes include, but are not limited to:

• GUE equipment configuration and use
• Trim and buoyancy
• Propulsion techniques including backwards kick
• Valve management (the course can be done using a single tank or with a double tank configuration)
• Gas sharing
• SMB deployment
• Unconscious diver rescue (only for technical rating)

This course will supplement training that divers may have already received and will give them more confidence in their basic skills even if they do not desire to go on for more advanced training. The course also includes the theory and use of nitrox.

Applicants for a GUE Fundamentals program must:

• Be a minimum of 16 years of age.
• Be physically and mentally fit.
• Be a non-smoker.
• Be able to swim (275m in 14 minutes).
• Obtain a physician’s prior written authorization for use of prescription drugs, except for birth control, or for any medical condition that may pose a risk while diving.
• Be certified, at a minimum, as an autonomous entry-level scuba diver (or equivalent) from a recognized training agency.
• For a full list of course prerequisites, click here.

The Fundamentals course is normally conducted over four days; it requires at least six dives and at least 30 hours of instruction and encompasses classroom time, land drills, and in-water work.

GUE base equipment configuration as outlined in APPENDIX A for the recreational level; In addition to these for technical level:

• GUE double tank configuration
• One primary and two backup lights

⚠️ Prior to the commencement of the class, students should consult with a GUE representative to verify equipment requirements and appropriateness of any selected equipment.

1. Introduction: GUE organization and course overview (objectives, limits, expectations)
2. Building a solid skill base: buoyancy, trim, balance, and propulsion
3. Fundamental diving skills
4. Streamlining and equipment configuration
5. Situational awareness
6. Dive planning and gas management
7. Breathing gas overview
8. Nitrox diving
9. Decompression overview and minimum decompression procedures
10. Diving safety and accident prevention
11. The GUE system