Global Underwater Explorers

Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) is a scuba diving organization that provides education within recreational, technical, and cave diving.[1] It is a nonprofit membership organization based in High Springs, Florida, United States.[2][3]

Global Underwater Explorers, Inc.
Founded1998
Type501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization
Focusresearch, exploration, science and education
Location
Area served
Worldwide
Revenue
Membership and donations
Websitehttp://www.gue.com

GUE was formed by Jarrod Jablonski and gained early prominence in association with the success of its well-known Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP), which now has the status of a nonprofit affiliate of GUE.[4] Jablonski, the president of GUE, promoted the ideas of "Hogarthian" gear configuration and the "Doing It Right" (DIR) system of diving to a global audience.[5][6] Following the WKPP's introduction in 1995 of a standardized approach to gear configuration and diving procedures, there was a significant reduction in diving incidents within the Woodville Karst Plain cave system.[4]

The standardized approach is the basis of the diver training program of GUE, marking an important difference from the programs of other diver training organizations.[7][8] GUE also focuses on protecting the maritime environment. The most popular GUE course is GUE Fundamentals, which is designed to introduce the GUE system to non-GUE divers and is the pathway to technical courses.[9] Further courses are offered in recreational, technical, and cave diving, as well as instructor courses.

Foundation

GUE is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization formed to promote education, conservation, and exploration of the aquatic realm. The organization was formed by Jarrod Jablonski and a small group of educators, explorers, and diving instructors. The founding members sought to build upon the history of the Cousteau Society by creating a diverse network of satellite organizations. In this way, local advocates help GUE establish detailed diver training, vibrant exploration, and sustainable conservation initiatives. When GUE was formed it was co-located with Extreme Exposure dive store. However, Extreme Exposure has subsequently changed locations, which has allowed for further growth of GUE.[10]

Board of Directors

The GUE board of directors includes The Explorers Club fellow Jarrod Jablonski, entrepreneur Robert Carmichael, researcher Todd Kincaid, Corey Jablonski, Gideon Liew, Richard Lundgren, and Sam Meacham.[11][12][13]

Training
See also: Recreational diver training

Among the diving community, GUE is known for a rigorous style of training that diverges from other diver training organizations and seeks to establish high levels of diver proficiency by extending training time, establishing objective performance criteria, and requiring requalification among its instructors and divers.[14] GUE diver training started with technical cave and technical diving classes, expanding into recreational training while refining its most popular class known as GUE Fundamentals. GUE also adheres to a standardized equipment and procedural system, which it claims enhances diver safety and efficiency by reducing confusion and helping divers act as a team. This latter training component is a controversial aspect of GUE training, as it stipulates a fairly strict set of guiding principles. GUE's founder, Jarrod Jablonski, was a long-time proponent of a standardized system known as Hogarthian diving and also a key architect in the Doing It Right (DIR) system,[15] which extends the scope of standardized diving equipment and procedures.

In February 2016, the British Sub-Aqua Club confirmed that a review has been completed on how to integrate GUE divers into BSAC branches.[16]

Courses

As of May 2017, GUE offered 26 courses in four subject areas.[17][18]

  • Recreational Diver Curriculum:
    • Discover Diving
    • Recreational Supervised Diver
    • Recreational Diver Level 1 - Nitrox diver
    • Recreational Diver Level 2 - Triox diver
    • Recreational Diver Level 3 - Trimix diver
  • Foundational Diver Curriculum
    • Doubles Primer
    • Drysuit Primer
    • GUE Fundamentals (available as two separate classes: GUE Fundamentals Part 1 and Part 2)
    • Diver Propulsion Vehicle Level 1
    • Diver Propulsion Vehicle Cave
    • Documentation Diver
    • Gas Blender
    • Rescue Primer
    • Navigation Primer
    • Triox Primer
  • Technical Diver Curriculum:
    • Technical Diver Level 1
    • Tech 60
    • Technical Diver Level 2
    • Technical Diver Level 2 "Plus" Upgrade
    • Rebreather Diver (includes RB80 and JJ-CCR courses)
  • Cave Diver Curriculum:
    • Cave Diver Level 1
    • Cave Diver Level 2
    • Underwater Cave Survey

EUF Certification

GUE obtained CEN certification from the EUF certification body in 2013 for the following diver grades:

  • GUE Fundamentals/GUE Recreational Diver Level 1 - EN 14153-2/ISO 24801-2 (i.e., 'Autonomous Diver')
  • GUE Recreational Diver Level 3 - EN 14153-3/ISO 24801-3 (i.e., 'Dive Leader')
  • GUE Fundamentals Instructor/GUE Recreational Instructor Level 1 - EN 14413-2/ISO 24802-2 (i.e., 'Instructor Level 2')
  • GUE Fundamentals/GUE Recreational Diver Level 1 - ISO 11107 (i.e., 'Nitrox diving').[19][20]

WKPP
Main article: Woodville Karst Plain Project

The best known of GUE's satellite organizations is the Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP), which is a non-profit affiliate of GUE.[4] GUE members are engaged in science and exploration projects conducted by the WKPP. This collaboration helped encourage the state of Florida to budget more than 200 million dollars toward the development of enhanced wastewater treatment practices as means to enhance ground water protection and support the conservation of Wakulla Springs State Park.[21] GUE has launched a global conservation project known as Project Baseline to document the condition of global aquatic environments.[22]

Outreach

Some of the organization's notable outreach projects have included:

GUE instructors regularly host "Introduction to GUE" workshops aimed at promoting the Global Underwater Explorers approach to diving.[8]

Publications

GUE publishes a quarterly journal, Quest, as well as a number of books and videos related to their philosophy of diving. These are generally available through their website, other online retailers and bookshops.[36][37][38]

GUE also began publishing annual reports in 2016 to provide the public with a better overview of community dive projects, Project Baseline activities, and GUE training and operational information.[39]

  • Jablonski, Jarrod (2001). Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving. Global Underwater Explorers. ISBN 0-9713267-0-3.
  • Jablonski, Jarrod (2003). Beyond the Daylight Zone: The Fundamentals of Cave Diving. Global Underwater Explorers.
  • Jablonski, Jarrod (2003). Getting Clear on the Basics: The Fundamentals of Technical Diving. Global Underwater Explorers.
  • MacKay, Dan. Dress for Success. Global Underwater Explorers.
  • Berglund, Jesper. Beginning With the End in Mind - the Fundamentals of Recreational Diving. Global Underwater Explorers.
  • GUE (2004). DIR 2004 (DVD). Global Underwater Explorers. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  • GUE (2005). Pantelleria 2005 (DVD). Global Underwater Explorers. Archived from the original on 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  • GUE (2006). The Mysterious Malady: Toward an understanding of decompression injuries (DVD). Global Underwater Explorers. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  • GUE (2006). The Woodville Karst Plain Project: Chip's Hole Exploration 1996-2005 (DVD). Global Underwater Explorers. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2008-09-22.

References
  1. Global Underwater Explorers. "GUE Course Descriptions". Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  2. Global Underwater Explorers. "GUE Membership". Archived from the original on 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  3. Global Underwater Explorers. "Contact GUE". Archived from the original on 2009-08-22. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  4. "About The WKPP". Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  5. Jablonski, Jarrod. "The Hogarthian Gear Configuration". Jeff Bentley. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  6. Strike, David (2002). "An Interview with Jarrod Jablonski". Halcyon Manufacturing Australia. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  7. Diver (March 2004). "Who cut my line ?". Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  8. O'Brien, B (2007). "DIR is AOK". Diver. DIVERNET: Diver magazine online. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  9. Global Underwater Explorers. "GUE Fundamentals". Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  10. Gillman, G. "Staying alive while looking good: Local stores lead the way in setting scuba trends". High Springs Herald. Archived from the original on 2004-08-03. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  11. "GUE Organizational Chart". Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  12. "EuroTek Presenter: Jarrod Jablonski". Eurotek Diving Technologies Conference 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  13. "Hazlett-Kincaid Inc.: About us". H2H Modeling Group. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  14. "General Training Standards, Policies, and Procedures" (PDF). Global Underwater Explorers, Inc. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  15. Jablonski, Jarrod. Doing it right : the fundamentals of better diving. Global Underwater Explorers. ISBN 0-9713267-0-3.
  16. Lunn, Rosemary (4 February 2016). "GUE Divers Welcomed By BSAC". X-Ray International Dive Magazine.
  17. "GUE Standards" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  18. "GUE Standards Change Log" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  19. "EUF Certified Training Systems/Training Organisations". EUF Certification International. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  20. Lunn, Rosemary (11 August 2013). "Global Underwater Explorers earns EN ISO certifications". X-Ray International Dive Magazine. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  21. "GUE's WKPP Recognized by Governor's Cabinet". Global Underwater Explorers, Inc. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  22. "Project Baseline". Global Underwater Explorers. 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  23. Shah, N (2002-09-22). "Beach Cleanup". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  24. Tallahassee Democrat (2006-06-18). "Wakulla Springs through the ages". Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  25. "Hazlett-Kincaid Inc.: Awesome Aquifer Adventure". H2H Modeling Group. Archived from the original on 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  26. Jablobski, C. "Beach clean-up 2002". Global Underwater Explorers, Inc. Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  27. Ligure, MS. "Underwater Exploration and the DIR system". Global Underwater Explorers, Inc. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  28. GUE. "GUE Conference 2005". Global Underwater Explorers, Inc. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  29. Staff writer (2005-01-15). "UBR and UHM scans delivered". Rubicon Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  30. Staff writer (2008-04-22). "How Can the Rubicon Foundation Benefit You?". Dive News Wire. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  31. DAN News (2008-09-15). "Research Dive Medicine With Greater Ease". Divers Alert Network. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  32. GUE. "GUE Conference 2006". Global Underwater Explorers, Inc. Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  33. "GUE Conference 2007". DIR Explorers. Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  34. DAN News (2008-09-15). "DAN Technical Diving Conference Receives Rave Reviews". Divers Alert Network. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  35. Amador, Fabio Esteban. "Skull in Underwater Cave May Be Earliest Trace of First Americans". NatGeo News Watch. Archived from the original on 2011-02-26. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
  36. "Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving (Paperback)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  37. "Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving". Barnes and Noble. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  38. "quest". Global Underwater Explorers. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
  39. "GUE Annual Reports". Retrieved 23 July 2018.
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