UTD Article featured in the scuba magazine in Denmark and Sweden - DYK1/2010

Original Article with Images:
UTD Swedish.pdf
UTD Danish.pdf


Here is a rough translation of the article.

Since the mid-80s Sting left the Police and formed his own band, he got a film crew to demonstrate the very first tests with the new ensemble, which consisted exclusively of young, black jazz musicians from the United States. Many music movies shows the last convulsions before an orchestra disintegrate. But Sting movie Bring On The Night was the first film that showed the birth of a new orchestra. It is rare that you get the opportunity to be present when a new educational organization, is launched, such as DIVE had the opportunity to witness the start-up phase Unified Team Diving (UTD), we were not doubt that it could be exciting to follow.

The launch of any training organization must necessarily begin with the instructor training. As someone who can hold the individual courses for students. It is therefore important to identify instructors with care and ensure they have the right competence and the right attitude - it will spill over into the rest of the "food chain". Candidates at UTD instructor course is all handpicked and they are already experienced technical diving instructors. Out of a total of 18 candidates, five been selected for telephone interviews and through reading of written applications. Two Polish a Danish, a spanish and an Italian to be crossed over in the ten days, as course products shifted to the level at UTD, which corresponds to their level in the organization they are already qualified for. If they suppose that mark meets the requirements, otherwise they will possibly be classified at a lower stage.

Unified Team Diving is inextricably linked to the author Andrew Georgitisis - or AG as he called. He has in the pasted being the training director of another DIR organization called Global Underwater Explorers, where he was the man behind the development of curriculum for GUE from 1999 to 2004. Georgitisis left GUE in 2005 and began to head in another direction. Outcome of the development work in the meantime he have implemented is the training organization Unified Diving Team or UTD.

Like the GUE, confess UTD to DIR philosophy (see box on page 36) and also differs significantly from traditional educational organizations, thereby, DIR-dogmas that pervade the system at all levels. This applies to positions such as equipment configuration dirs and dismissive attitude towards the dive computers. It means that even basic course students learn to plan their dives with tables and exposed more advanced than dekompressionsteori eg PADI students at an OWD course. Similarly,skill training in the basic course more comprehensive, and all the skills expected performed under neutral buoyancy. Not something to sit on the bottom and empty mask. UTD has a complete training program that extends from basic courses to advanced technical diving in open water, caves and wrecks - both open and closed system. In addition, a number of special programs such as Intro to tech, zero buoyancy and essentials for pupils who are already divers. But it is especially technical and cave diving, which is focusing on.

Online Classrooms
Candidates come in during the ten day Instructor Course goods through a lot of disciplines. Even
theory of teaching expected in UTDs online class rooms, coach candidates anyway in teaching theory. This is to ensure that they substance may be in the event that the pupil of one or another reason have not completed the tutorial.

Dry runs - plays a major role in education philosophy and the instructor course the candidates are running dry runs again and again. The philosophy is to get reaction patterns and protocols to sit on the spinal cord, thus to the exercises in the water rather be a repeat of something you have already been automated. In water required course demonstration quality of all skills and the candidates will be evaluated video All the practical exercises - it is the unyielding even the smallest errors are commented afterwards. But the video review is a potent tool in the learning of motor skills, and video included Therefore, at all levels in all UTD courses. Traditionally, the quality of training materials been the technical training organizations Achilles' heel. The large mainstream organizations eg PADI, SSI and NAUI has a volume that makes it possible to develop manuals and videos in high quality. While material from tech organizations leaves a deal to be desired. AG's focus has been that from the beginning would be a complete and comprehensive support materials for all courses before UTD launched. Time has been on UTDs page as fast broadband connections, social networking à la Facebook, and Internet-based e-learning are becoming commonplace. UTDs teaching materials are based on online Classrooms, student who signs up and implement over the net, after which the instructor takes over. In this way most of the theory component at that level already achieved and student and the instructor can focus on student practical skills in the water.

Open discussion
Although the entire training program is prepared in detail, it is not carved in stone. Discussions underway the instructor course gives rise to several times changes in the standards. Instructor Candidates every day in the task to come up with draft different sections of the manual, so that they are involved in development and will have influence on the practical design.The course runs from pm. 8:00 to 20:00 each day and two-thirds inside the cycle, when I leave the boat, see the candidates some tired out. I take this opportunity to talk with Andrew while candidates struggling with a written exam. We sit in the lounge on a safari boat MV Tala, which is a perfect platform for such a course instructor. Tala Indeed specializes in support for the DIR-divers and have all the necessary equipment, stage bottles and scooters and a crew that can handle the specific needs of tech divers have. There are already other organization that is built around DIR principles.

Why started you UTD?
- After many years that have run into a brick wall, when I demanded proper teaching materials, that matches the way I dive and teach on, I decided to develop my own materials. It started the rumor that there was a DIR-related materials in circulation and other DIR-oriented instructors began to contact me because they wanted use my materials in their courses. So decided I find a way to distribute materials and I began to develop a full range of materials, could support all levels of recreational, technical, trimix, rebreather and overhead. Materials include powerpoints, videos, workbooks, sheets to gasplaning etc. for both students and instructors. I also found that there was an inconsistency in the social side of an organization. Most organizations will sell materials or certificates or is designed to promote specific equipment brands. I will not. I believe that the most important part of diving is the feeling of belonging to a strain -- it is not enough to dive and explore, we will share our experiences with others with the same mindset.

GUE you left to start a new organization?
- No. Originally it was my idea to let all use my DIR-oriented materials, regardless of the organization they belonged. Instructors could then just certify students through their own organization. But it was opposed by organizations who experienced it as competition. So I decided to create a thoroughbred organization that trained instructors from scratch in the use of our materials and training methods and thus provide a more coherent teaching.

Where did UTD its roots?
- UTD has its roots in the DIR-circles, which has its original source in hogarthian. Although this is the roots and certainly the starting point for our equipment configuration, as rows UTDs diving and teaching philosophy much further. It is the next generation in DIR diving. The foundation is to develop thinking divers in contrast to the protocol divers. It Our goal is to create divers who can adapt their knowledge and experience to the situation and not just blindly follow a protocol that they have read on the Internet.

UTD has courses for both recreational and technical divers, but are they for everyone?
- Yes. Many years ago when DIR was in its infancy, should you first take a basic training to get it core in place and then move up in densities. However, it has changed dramatically now that DIR has become more widespread. Most students who start on a course that already has a solid foundation in the DIR and therefore there is no reason to start from the beginning. They can start on UTD program at the level they think they are qualified. But it does Of course not, they are guaranteed certification but UTD instructors are constantly working with their students to illustrate their weaknesses and how
they can improve.

What background, education or experience must one have to teach courses at UTD?
- It is a very broad question. DIR is a kind freely available and unpatented philosophy and who is
preferably able to read and regurgitate the information back up to a pupil. This means that anyone can claim to be teacher DIR. But the truth is that quality education is much more than simply repeat information. It begins with the instructor agreed position on their diving and their ability to transfer the to the student in ways that alter their behavior and begin to build a foundation for thinking divers. UTD has developed the most consistent material and methods, and we support instructors with a comprehensive cookbook (play book, red), which examines the details in every drill. It includes all UTD instructors in the same track and ensure that no personal variations. The materials and videos also helps ensure consistency. UTD also includes training on closed circuit rebreather

CCR has previously been banned before for DIR. What is your attitude to diving with hellukkede
systems?
- Prevalence of CCR has grown explosively, but has not been decent education opportunities to support this growth and has resulted in a large amount of accidents. It is my belief that we can provide robust training programs makes it possible to perform safe dives on a CCR. With some modifications into the device, so it is compatible with DIR konfigurationen and a better understanding of bailout procedurer and the right skills, so can UTD easily defend to offer CCR training.

Finally: You talk a lot about "the thinking diver". Can you elaborate what you mean?
- The danger of DIR is that inexperienced divers conducting a DIR course becomes so focused on rules and protocols that they forget to think for themselves. I am care if you use the right or left hand or, if you clip a bolt snap inwards or outwards. It important is to see the whole picture. But when we are still focusing much on the details, it is because we want divers basic skills to serve as much of the backbone that they can use their whole brain to improvise, adapt to situations and first and foremost have fun.

All five candidates consisted instructor course, and since spring 2009, when AG began instructor training up, the organization made up of 24 active instructors, distributed in both Europe, Asia, Middle East and the U.S..