New GUE Diving Program: The Fundamentals of Project Documentation

New GUE Diving Program: The Fundamentals of Project Documentation

"Diving and filming will never be the same."

GUE’s Documentation Diver is a 4-day diver education program that introduces divers in organizing and executing the full documentation of project based diving. This includes basic training in photography, videography, and the use of related equipment as well as specific team skills, communication, the setting of a clear objective and work-plan with specific team tasks, and equipment considerations. Surveying, creating a site map, taking measurements, and mosaic and survey photography are also included in the program. The program concludes with instruction on properly creating a report and preparing for final media publishing using image manipulation and video editing.

To qualify for this type of instruction, participants must be proficient in advanced buoyancy control skills and possess a high level of awareness.

Maximum number of participants is 4.
Gas, depth, overhead and deco is limited to certification level of candidates and Instructor.

Here is a personal account of this unique, new program:

"I was excited to partake in a beta version of GUE’s new Documentation Diver Course. It was the first ever training of this kind from Global Underwater Explorers. That’s special, not only to the organization and the developer, but also to me as a participant.
It’s not the first time for me participating in a brand new training program. You could say I’m a kind of a pioneer and I will enjoy the opportunity even if there is also a downfall to being the first. I assume there must be teething troubles. Even worse, we are asked to think about those. Are there too many academics or too little? Is there a logical order in the modules? It brings an extra task load for us. I think my shoulders are broad enough to bear this responsibility, and as always with GUE, I’m not alone. I form a team with Ivar, Sven, and Rob. Our guide JP Bresser will, as a ‘solution instructor’, coach and help us on this way.

There I am at the stern of the wreck? Shoot, I didn’t consider at all how I would proceed. From overview to detail? Or the other way round? First the stirring cabin and then the rudder? From left to right? From the back to the front? What is it I want to show? And in what way am I going to communicate this to the light diver? And if it’s my turn to be a light diver, where should I position myself?

We all have a major confrontation with our lack of experience and therefore a nonchalant attitude towards the planning. This is way more difficult than I expected, and I see more and more details in, under, and around the shipwreck then before. I did not know the ship this way. And I have swam over it dozens of times in the past years. After 15 years I finally get to learn this wreck.
These learning moments and the advice from JP are incorporated into the next dive. We will now film the wreck as a team of four. It’s getting better, thanks to the guidance of JP, but there’s still some improvement possible."


Full report including all photos on our forum.