Global Underwater Explorers

Global Underwater Explorers, Inc.

File:Global Underwater Explorers.png
Founded	1998
Type	Not-for-profit organization
Focus	research, exploration, science and education
Location	High Springs, Florida, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Revenue	Membership and donations
Website	http://www.gue.com

Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) is a scuba diving organization that provides education within recreational, technical and cave diving. It is a not-for-profit, membership organization, based in High Springs, Florida, United States.

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 non-profit affiliate of GUE. Jarrod Jablonski, President of GUE, promoted the ideas of "Hogarthian" gear configuration and the "Doing It Right" (DIR) system of diving to a global audience. Following 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.

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. 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. Further courses are offered in recreational, technical and cave diving, as well as instructor courses.

Foundation

GUE is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization formed to promote education, exploration and conservation 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 now changed locations, which has allowed for further growth of the organization.

Mission statement

Global Underwater Explorers emerged from a shared desire to safely explore and protect the underwater world and to improve the quality of education and research in all things aquatic. In line with the original vision of its founding members, GUE is committed to:

• Developing safe, skilled, and knowledgeable divers
• Undertaking and promoting underwater research
• Pursuing global underwater exploration
• Safeguarding the integrity of the underwater world
• Providing the public with a comprehensive resource on all things aquatic.

Working to redefine the ties binding the average underwater enthusiast to underwater explorers, conservationists and scientific researchers, GUE is committed to the overall goal of promoting the interests of the underwater world and of those who seek to engage it.

Board of directors

The GUE board of directors includes The Explorers Club fellow Jarrod Jablonski, as well as entrepreneur Robert Carmichael, researcher Todd Kincaid, Corey Jablonski, Gideon Liew, Richard Lundgren, and Thomas Dederichs.

Training

Among the diving community GUE is best 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. 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 maintains adherence 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 which notably refines and extends the scope of standardized diving equipment and procedures.

Courses

In September 2012, GUE offered 18 courses in four subject areas:

• Recreational Diver Curriculum:
  • Recreational Diver Level 1 - Nitrox diver
  • Recreational Diver Level 2 - Triox diver
  • Recreational Diver Level 3 - Trimix diver
• Foundational Diver Curriculum
  • GUE Doubles Primer
  • GUE Dry Suit Primer
  • GUE Primer
  • Fundamentals Course
  • Diver Propulsion Vehicle Level 1
  • Diver Propulsion Vehicle Level 2 / Cave DPV
  • Documentation Diver
• Technical Diver Curriculum:
  • Technical Diver Level 1
  • Technical Diver Level 1 "Plus" Upgrade
  • Technical Diver Level 2
  • Technical Diver Level 2 "Plus" Upgrade
  • Technical Diver Level 3
  • Rebreather Diver
• Cave Diver Curriculum:
  • Cave Diver Level 1
  • Cave Diver Level 2
  • Cave Diver Level 3

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').

WKPP

Main article: Woodville Karst Plain Project

The most renowned of GUE's satellite organizations is the Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP), which now has the status of a non-profit affiliate of GUE. Numerous GUE members are heavily engaged in the extensive 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. This success is the model under which GUE has launched a global conservation project known as Project Baseline which seeks to document the condition of our global aquatic environments.

Outreach

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

• GUE and Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP) members made a record 5.6 km (3.5 mi) cave penetration in Wakulla Springs in 1998, followed by new records in 2001 and 2006.
• GUE and the WKPP provided video captured by documentary filmmaker Marc Singer for Hazlett-Kincaid, Inc.'s interactive, multimedia exhibit Awesome Aquifer Adventure which highlighted various aspects of groundwater for the Reading Public Museum. The sixth month exhibit ended March 24, 2002.
• The Ocean Conservancy beach clean-up at Hutchinson Island located in Martin County, Florida in 2003.
• The "Underwater Exploration and the DIR system" was held in Italy.
• The "GUE Conference 2005" was held in Gainesville, Florida.
• GUE volunteers supported the scanning and archiving of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society journals with the Rubicon Foundation.
• The "GUE Conference 2006" was held in Gainesville, Florida.
• The "GUE Conference 2007" was held in Budapest, Hungary.
• In 2008, GUE was a sponsor for the Divers Alert Network Technical Diving Workshop held Durham, North Carolina.
• In 2011, three members of the GUE and Projecto Espeleológico de Tulum dive team, Alex Alvarez, Franco Attolini, and Alberto Nava, explored a section of cave known as Hoyo Negro for their work with the Quintana Roo Speleological Survey. The divers located the remains of a mastodon as well as a human skull that may be the oldest evidence of early man in the area to date.

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

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.

External links

• Official site
• GUE Facebook page