Talking Tech
Photo: Andrew Slater
Have You Got a GUE?
Equipment confi guration is a complicated process in technical diving, with a whole raft of diff erent systems and
philosophies out there adopted by divers. KISS and DIR follower Cath Bates checks out the GUE way and talks to a leading
Red Sea technical diver about its safety benefi ts.
As a technical diving instructor, I class myself as a creature of discipline and there is little chance of one of my colleagues running out of air after
and pride myself on following a set of standard rules: I try to maintain a entrapment. I can store it through the rubber bungee fi xed to my wing,
horizontal position in the water; I adopt the KISS philosophy (keeping where it is still easily retrievable. I carry stage cylinders on both sides as
things simple and streamlined); and I believe that being part of a team is I rarely dive with a scooter and therefore do not need to direct the wash
crucial to successful, problem-free dives. under one arm or trail scooters behind me. I use a double-bladder wing
in the summer: without my dry suit I feel safe in the knowledge I have a
In many ways however I am a Do It Yourself techie. I do not have a
backup infl ation system for supporting multiple cylinders at depth.
standardised equipment confi guration as is essential in the mantra of
Global Underwater Explorers (GUE). But does that mean I am not Doing It The Hogarth open circuit rig is however the most minimalistic stripped-
Right? down rig there is. When team diving under conditions that might be
classed as strenuous, each member should know exactly where to fi nd
The GUE diver uses:
their team mates’ tools and how they will dive. This is not something I can
• One continuous piece of nylon webbing on the harness (there is no
say when a guest approaches me for a deep technical dive. First I need to
pinch clip).
assess their diving habits.
• A knife secured to the waist on the left webbing tab.
• Particular placement of D-Rings (there are none on the right hip) It is a common misconception that DIR (Doing It Right) is all about
• A single bladder wing in a circular or horseshoe shape (in the event equipment. The GUE states it ‘promotes diver safety and enjoyment
of a puncture a drysuit becomes the back up buoyancy device) through a reasoned approach to teamwork, equipment choices and diver
• No bungee of any sort affi xed to the buoyancy cell (unnecessary for training...that sees each element of a system as an integral part of the
a low volume wing) whole.’ When researching this article I was surprised at how modest the
• Crotch strap looped through the waistband GUE website is, considering the aggressiveness I’ve seen from some of its
• Cylinder markings are three inches (7.6cm) in size disciples in online technical diving forums.
• Small restrictive bands for the placement of reserve lights on the
harness (lights play a HUGE role in communications deeper than
In my capacity as a technical instructor, I am seeing an increasing number
30m)
of divers (including recreational) using Halcyon wings, back plates and
• the Hogarth rig (from the Florida cave diver William Hogarth Main)
harnesses. The design is DIR but Halcyon market their equipment as
‘professional dive gear for everyday diving’, in addition to aggressive
First – let’s clarify one thing: I am not GUE trained. I don’t always exploration diving.
confi gure my primary long hose in the Hogarth style across the chest
and behind the neck. Why? Because I am primarily deep-reef diving
Leigh Cunningham, a Red Sea tech afi cionado, took the GUE
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Issue 5 March - April ‘10
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