Scuba diving can be a positive, exhilarating experience that changes lives.

Unfortunately, far too many people have a very different—sometimes even negative—experience, due largely to the way scuba diver training is traditionally offered.   

To enjoy their time underwater, divers must be able to maintain their position in the water column and effortlessly perform many critical skills vital to their well-being and comfort (e.g., clearing a mask, exchanging a regulator, using efficient propulsion). Unfortunately, many new and even experienced divers will often not get a chance to properly develop these and other important skills. 

Even though these essential skills are presented in most classes, they are often viewed in isolation and are rarely linked together; they also aren’t rehearsed enough for divers to become proficient in or comfortable with them. For example, mask clearing is usually taught while kneeling on the bottom, and the skill is often considered passed when the trainee can perform it once (even if uncomfortable). GUE recognizes that dive skills aren’t just a checklist to be completed—mastery requires step-by-step progression.