GUE Double Primer
A journey through the vibrant coral reefs and diverse marine life of the Red Sea.
Field transcript
Dive notes and observations
Two years ago, I stumbled upon gue while searching for a comprehensive scuba diving guide. That’s when I discovered DIR, a diving philosophy that promotes the Do It Right approach.
At first, I came across a lot of negative comments about DIR, which made me wonder if it actually meant “doing it wrong.” The online discussions and arguments left me confused.
After contacting several gue members, I realised that DIR was much more than just a philosophy. Around that time, I was already planning to move to Asia, so I reached out to gemma for advice. She helped me decide whether to pursue gue training in France or in Asia, considering my cmas 2* or 3* certification. In the end, I decided to wait until after my 3* exam before starting.
Arrival in malaysia
I waited patiently, and eventually, I moved to malaysia. Upon my arrival, I contacted gemma again and enrolled in a Double Primer Course in tioman.
At mobytek, I felt a bit apprehensive. I didn’t know anyone there, and my previous experience at a PADI Centre had left me feeling unwelcome and isolated, with everyone speaking only Chinese.
During my time at mobytek, I started following sya, who turned out to be incredibly friendly and reassuring. She’s super fun, we talked a lot, and she creates hilarious content—so please follow her!
Meeting gemma
Finally, I met gemma in person. She greeted me warmly and suggested we go on a hike to see a flower. I agreed, and it was an amazing experience. I also got to know a few other people there, and everyone was so friendly that it felt like we had known each other forever.
Then came my first dive. Honestly, I lost a bit of confidence because of my failure during the cmas 3* exam. I was worried, especially since all the divers around me were GUE-trained. I felt like the odd one out. On top of that, I didn’t have my own setup, and I was diving in a drysuit, which added to the stress. Thankfully, damian and zicong were there to help me out—I still owe them a beer!
The Double Primer Course
The next morning, we officially started the Double Primer Course with ziconga. The course was excellent: full of information, followed by plenty of practice.
At that time, I had just bought my RK4 fins. They were horrible—no power, too buoyant, and I could barely move forward. It was a nightmare during the dive. We practised valve drills, and I learned a little trick to make my movements easier. By the end, I was able to complete the drills smoothly.
The Night Dive at tyre-city
Later that day, the gue buddies suggested a night dive. I said, “Okay, let’s do it!” The plan was to dive at tyre-city. To get there, we needed to swim quite a long distance, but luckily, zicong and alex had their DPVs and gave us a “taxi ride.” zicong, jeeven, alex, and sheena took turns sharing them.
Once the dive started, it was dark, spooky, but incredibly fun! You can see more in my previous video—it was an unforgettable experience. We did some documentation with photos and videos before returning to shore. What an amazing weekend!
Gratitude
I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who made this weekend in tioman so special. And a special shout-out to nick for the amazing morning coffees! ☕