Cave Diver
- Thread starter Pegasus
- Start date
Subpopulus Hibernia
Active member
GUE, as Pitlamp has pointed out are a cave-diving group who use cave-dive using DIR (or 'Doing it Right') Techniques. DIR Divers are usually from a tech-diving background (as opposed to a caving background), and tend to explore large crystal-clear conduits in Florida, Mexico, the South of France, etc. As such, they have developed particular techniques that are suited to diving in these kind of systems. However, some DIR divers have been known to be patronising and condescending towards the cave-diving practices that have been developed by cavers and that are widely used throughout Europe. Some of their main bugbears are that UK divers use helmet-mounted lights (which is supposedly a lethal practice), and that they dive solo (which is similarly foolhardy). By extension, the name of their technique implies that anyone who is not 'Doing it Right' is 'Doing it Wrong'.
Generally divers around here don't pay much attention to them, however some members of the CDG have had some fairly disagreeable encounters with the more strident advocates of DIR techniques.
DIR can be read about here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doing_It_Right_(scuba_diving)#.22Doing_It_Wrongly.22
and GUE here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Underwater_Explorers
Generally divers around here don't pay much attention to them, however some members of the CDG have had some fairly disagreeable encounters with the more strident advocates of DIR techniques.
DIR can be read about here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doing_It_Right_(scuba_diving)#.22Doing_It_Wrongly.22
and GUE here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Underwater_Explorers
christine
Active member
The Technical Training Director of Global Underwater Explorers is Richard Walker.
He is a qualified member if the CDG and also a member if the Wessex Cave Club.
Another two UK originated GUE instructors are Osama Gobara (CDG/Plymouth Uni caving Club) and John Kendall (CDG and Cambridge Uni caving club).
They wear helmets when diving UK caves and will clarify, from the horses mouth so to speak, that quite a lot of stuff on the internet (which is where the above posters got their information on GUE) is bollocks.
Don't believe everything you read on t'internet folks...
Christine
CDG QD 11 years
GUE QD 6 years
He is a qualified member if the CDG and also a member if the Wessex Cave Club.
Another two UK originated GUE instructors are Osama Gobara (CDG/Plymouth Uni caving Club) and John Kendall (CDG and Cambridge Uni caving club).
They wear helmets when diving UK caves and will clarify, from the horses mouth so to speak, that quite a lot of stuff on the internet (which is where the above posters got their information on GUE) is bollocks.
Don't believe everything you read on t'internet folks...
Christine
CDG QD 11 years
GUE QD 6 years
christine
Active member
Subpopulus Hibernia said:
Sorry dude, but this is possibly the biggest pile of horse manure I have read in a very long time.
At least GUE have moved on - even if you haven't.
The term 'DIR' is no longer used within genuine GUE circles. It is only used by internet protagonists.
It seems you are in need of education, so here is the scope of GUE as an organisation: http://www.globalunderwaterexplorers.org/about
It is not a 'cave diving organisation' - it is a 3 fold organisation which trains divers from total beginners right through to rebreather, whilst respecting the environment by training divers not to tread all over coral reefs when doing their skills.
Some people take issue with that.
I say "whatever".
christine
Active member
Pitlamp said:I believe it's a diving organisation originating in America. They like to refer to themselves as "Global Underwater Explorers".
The "What I really do" just about sums up British cave diving
You mean: 'They are called Global Underwater Explorers.'
That is the name of the organisation.
Rich Walker
New member
Subpopulus Hibernia said:
Thank you for the insight. I'm the director of technical training for GUE, and also a member of the Derbyshire section CDG. I'm truly grateful that you didn't use condescending and patronising language when describing our organisation. If anyone is really interested in GUE, then feel free to ask me directly.
Rich
MJenkinson
Member
It's just another diving organisation like PADI, BSAC, RAID or SSI - they teach people to dive. I understand they developed from a cave diving background and hence their training tends to focus on the more "technical" end of diving, or preparing divers for those standards. Even at the "learning to dive stage" they have very high standards for buoyancy / fin strokes etc.
The "joke" in the photo is linked to the fact that many years ago there as a very small portion of new GUE divers (and one experienced diver in particular...) who decided that they were better than anyone else. They believed everyone else was a crap diver, and had no skills. Being on the bottom in a cave is seen as a "bad" thing in most cases as it tends to ruin the viz. The picture shows some people laid on the seafloor. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.......Time has passed.
All the GUE divers I have met have been sound, as have the CDG guys I have been fortunate to meet. Yes there is always a bit of banter at the expense of the other "side" but the earlier post regarding disagreeable encounters is somewhat out of date.
Peace and love people. Peace and love.
The "joke" in the photo is linked to the fact that many years ago there as a very small portion of new GUE divers (and one experienced diver in particular...) who decided that they were better than anyone else. They believed everyone else was a crap diver, and had no skills. Being on the bottom in a cave is seen as a "bad" thing in most cases as it tends to ruin the viz. The picture shows some people laid on the seafloor. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.......Time has passed.
All the GUE divers I have met have been sound, as have the CDG guys I have been fortunate to meet. Yes there is always a bit of banter at the expense of the other "side" but the earlier post regarding disagreeable encounters is somewhat out of date.
Peace and love people. Peace and love.
Pitlamp
Well-known member
christine said:Pitlamp said:I believe it's a diving organisation originating in America. They like to refer to themselves as "Global Underwater Explorers".
The "What I really do" just about sums up British cave diving
You mean: 'They are called Global Underwater Explorers.'
That is the name of the organisation.
To clarify, I knew what GUE stood for; I just didn't know much about them (good or bad). Horses for courses I guess . . . .
Subpopulus Hibernia
Active member
Sorry, I was going on what I knew from 4-5 years ago, when what I wrote might have been more relevant. It was also based on chats I had with both cave divers and tech divers at the time, including some tech divers from my diving club who were vexed by the attitudes of some DIR* divers.
I wasn't aware of any issues between CDG divers and GUE divers in Britain, I was actually thinking of Pozo Azul and the EKPP, who I understood to be a group associated with GUE.
Apologies.
*As it was known back then.
caving_fox
Active member
Minor correction. John's in the Cambridge Caving and Climbing Club the CCCC (the non-university Cambridge club) as am I. Sound bloke, seems to spend far too much time out and about in exotic locations rather than squirming through english muddy tubes.
caving_fox
Active member
christine said:Thanks for the correction
They may of course be in both clubs.