GUE Fundamentals: My Experience, Gear, Skills, and Results

The GUE Fundamentals course (often called “Fundies”) is a highly respected scuba class that bridges the gap between basic recreational training and high-level precision diving. Whether you're looking to sharpen your skills, enter the GUE system, or just understand what world-class team diving feels like, Fundies offers a unique challenge.

This page breaks down everything you need to know before signing up, including the difference between the Recreational and Technical paths, the required gear and skills, how much it costs, and what my personal 4-day course was like. Including my real instructor feedback.

Note (Updated for 2025):
As of December 2024, GUE split the Fundamentals class into two tracks—Recreational and Technical. This post covers my experience in the pre-2025 combined version, but much of it still applies to both paths.

"Fundies" is how trained divers cross into the GUE system. Passing the Recreational track grants certification equivalent to Open Water Diver and Nitrox. GUE’s skill standards are significantly higher than most entry-level dive certifications.

GUE Fundamentals is arguably the best dive training available for recreational divers. Even divers who don’t plan to continue in the GUE system take Fundies to improve trim, buoyancy, and team skills.

Identify and fix trim or buoyancy issues
Experience real team diving
Receive detailed performance feedback

GUE Fundamentals is typically a 4-day course involving classroom work, surface skills, dive gear configuration, in-water drills, and post-dive video debriefs. It’s performance-based...meaning you only pass if you meet the required standards.

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

Hold solid horizontal trim and buoyancy throughout the dive
Demonstrate propulsion techniques (frog, back, helicopter turns)
Deploy a backup mask and dSMB
Perform gas-sharing (S-drill) with awareness
Execute a valve drill
Communicate and problem-solve effectively with your team

Fundies offers two possible outcomes:

Recreational Pass: You meet the standard for controlled diving with a single tank. This is enough to move forward with GUE Recreational classes like Rec 2 or join GUE community dives.
Technical Pass: You meet a higher bar with a doubles tank that qualifies you for GUE Tech 1. This includes perfect buoyancy, valve drill proficiency in doubles, and canister light use with a Goodman handle.

Even experienced divers often receive a Rec pass on their first attempt. The Tech pass requires real mastery under task load.

GUE Registration Fee: ~$95
Instructor Tuition: ~$900
Shared Instructor Expenses: ~$500
Total: ~$1,500

It’s comparable to taking Open Water, Nitrox, Navigation, Night, Drysuit, and Peak Performance Buoyancy classes—all in one.

Fundies requires gear that meets GUE standards. Jacket BCDs, split fins, and dangling accessories are not allowed. If you're not already diving with a backplate and long hose setup, you'll need to rent or borrow gear.

Backplate/wing with continuous harness (no QR buckles)
Five D-rings (L/R chest, L hip, butt, crotch)
Technical fins
Backup mask
Wetsuit or drysuit with pockets (or tech shorts)
Long hose reg + necklaced backup + analog SPG
Dive computer (no/disabled AI)
Compass, primary light, backup light
dSMB + spool, wetnotes

Very. It’s intense, honest, and not designed for participation trophies. You’ll get personal video reviews and precise feedback on your positioning, awareness, and execution. But the payoff is huge.

Train your cardio and legs
Practice both swim tests beforehand
Get feedback from a GUE diver before attempting a Tech pass

GUE Fundamentals group photo after training session

What a 4-Day GUE Fundamentals Class Looks Like

Every GUE Fundies class follows a common structure, but the order and pace vary based on location, weather, and student skill.

My class was taught by Emőke Wagner (world-class cave diver) and Francesco Cameli (world-class tech/wreck diver). Together, we logged over 6 hours underwater across 4 days, with one dive lasting 83 minutes. These weren’t sightseeing dives. Every dive was loaded with new tasks, challenges, and coaching.

Day 1 : Classroom, Gear Setup, First Dive

Paperwork and intro classroom session
Gear overview and reconfiguration
Dive 1
- GUE EDGE pre-dive briefing
- Weight checks (I removed 30% of my normal weight!)
- Baseline skills evaluation
Feedback:
- Keep your head up
- Stop with the “happy feet”
Additional class session

Day 2 : Swim Tests and Basic 5 Skills

Emőke knew that I was going to be diving in Lake Michigan in a drysuit and encouraged me to switch to my drysuit for the rest of the class, even though I had less than 10 dives with it.

Classroom session
Underwater swim test (50ft) — failed, then passed
Surface swim (300 yards in 14 min) — completed in 6 min
Nitrox/O2 analysis (32% standard)
Dive 2
- Improve kicks
- First run of the Basic 5:
  - Mask clear
  - Mask removal/replacement
  - Reg in/out
  - Switch to backup
  - Long hose donation
Feedback:
- Keep your head up
- Don’t T-Rex your arms
Dive 3
- Repeat kicks + Basic 5
- First valve drill (I failed)
Feedback:
- Head up...again
- Arms out...again
- Back kick needs work
Underwater video review (super cool to watch)

Day 3: Midpoint Eval, Valve Drills, S-Drill

Mid-Class Evaluation:
- Great attitude
- More team awareness needed
- Improve trim under load
- Rec Pass still on the table
Dive 4
- Francesco switched fins with me to test if they were contributing to my cramping
- Repeat kicks + Basic 5
- Valve drill (failed again)
- No-mask swim (buddy got feedback for steering me into things - hahaha)
Feedback:
- Head and arms still need work
- Back kick improving
- Fins (Deep6) and Rock boots likely contributing to “stiff” kicks and cramps
S-Drill Introduced
Dive 5
- First S-drill attempt
Feedback:
- Better head position
- Trim improving
- “Happy feet” still present, but improving

Day 4 : Final Skills, Exam, Certification

I was mentally and physically exhausted at this point from the prior 3 days and talked to Emőke about possibly not continuing. She encouraged me to continue as I only needed one more dive to complete the class and at least get a "provisional" if not a "pass".

Final Written Exam:
- No joke — required written answers and showing your work. I passed.
Underwater video review
Dive 6
- Continue improving kicks
- Valve drill (success!)
- S-drill again
- Backup mask deployment (first time)
- dSMB deployment and ascent (first time)
Feedback:
- Excellent team awareness
- Buoyancy on ascent still needs work
Dive 7
- dSMB deployment and ascent
- dSMB deployment and ascent
- dSMB deployment and ascent
Feedback:
- Much better buoyancy control

Instructor Feedback Summary

You PASSED
Great attitude during the entire class
Took the feedback without excuse or pushback
Very glad to see me switch to drysuit on day 2 even though I could have continued in a wetsuit and made it easier on myself
Excellent teammate with good situational awareness
Significant and material improvement from day one to day four
Francesco gave me some ideas for additional buoyancy and "happy feet" training that I can do at any quarry with a platform

GUE Fundamentals Final Evaluation

Tyler is a very committed diver who greatly improved during the 4 days. He had a very solid performance and acted as an excellent teammate. Tyler developed a solid platform for recreational diving, his kicks are overall nice, drills and procedures are precise and awareness exceeded minimum standards. Trim has to be more consistent especially when task loaded by avoiding fin tips dropping down, and by keeping core tension. Tyler has the tendency to drop his head, he is aware of it. Buoyancy on ascents with and without task load has to be practiced in order to gain more confidence and memory about when and how much gas has to be vented [Tyler: from drysuit]. We recommended changing his fins to more flexible ones like OMS Slipstreams, Hollis F1 or Jetfins. Changing the backplate is also something to consider since waist strap is running too low.