Course Outcomes
GUE’s Drysuit Primer course is designed to prepare divers for drysuit diving using proper equipment and techniques.
Prerequisites
Applicants for a Drysuit Primer course must:
- Submit a completed registration form, a medical history, and a liability release to GUE Headquarters.
- Be physically and mentally fit.
- Hold insurance that will cover diving emergencies such as hyperbaric treatment, e.g. DAN Master-level insurance or equivalent.
- Be a nonsmoker.
- Obtain a physician’s prior written authorization for the use of prescription drugs, except for birth control, or for any prior medical condition that may pose a risk while diving.
- Must be a minimum of sixteen years of age.
- Be a certified GUE Rec 1 diver or be certified as an open water diver from a recognized training agency.
Course Content
The Drysuit Primer course is normally conducted over one day and includes a minimum of eight hours of instruction, encompassing classroom, land drills, and in-water work.
Drysuit Primer Specific Training Standards
- Can be run with one trainee
- Student-to-instructor ratio is not to exceed 6:1 during land drill or surface exercises; ratios cannot exceed 3:1 during any in-water training
- Maximum depth 60 feet/18 meters
- No decompression
- No overhead environment diving
Training Materials
GUE training materials and recommended reading as determined by the course study packet received via online download after GUE course registration.
Academic Topics
- Introduction: GUE organization and course overview (objectives, limits, expectations)
- Drysuit introduction
- Developing diver capacity
- Drysuit selection
- Undergarment selection
- Drysuit inflation
- Cold-water equipment considerations
- Cold-water dive planning and logistics
- Buoyancy and trim
- Drysuit skills overview
- Pre-dive sequence
- Situational awareness
- Drysuit maintenance and field repairs
Land Drills
- Pre-dive sequence
- Team positioning
- Communication
- Equipment fit and function
Required Dive Skills and Drills
- Demonstrate proficiency in safe diving techniques; this would include pre-dive preparations, inwater activity, and post-dive assessment.
- Demonstrate proficiency with required course equipment and an understanding of the GUE equipment configuration.
- Demonstrate the ability to connect/disconnect the drysuit inflation hose
- Demonstrate the ability to manage a drysuit inflation valve that is stuck in the open position by disconnecting the inflation hose and dumping gas.
- Demonstrate good buoyancy and trim, i.e. approximate reference maximum 30 degrees off horizontal while remaining within 5ft/1.5m of the target depth.
- Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver.
- Demonstrate safe ascent and descent procedures.
- Demonstrate a safe and responsible demeanor throughout all training.
- Demonstrate proficiency in underwater communication.
Equipment Requirements
GUE base configuration as outlined in Appendix A, plus:
- Drysuit
Prior to the commencement of class, students should consult with a GUE representative to verify equipment requirements and appropriateness of any selected equipment.