Don’t be a missionary!

I’vebeen diving for over 30 years, and needless to say, my equipment and diving style has undergone more than a few changes since my days as a beginner. Back then, I was the prototypical recreational diver with a bulky jacket-style BCD, a regulator setup with hoses all over the place, double 7mm wetsuits or even thicker neoprene drysuits, and a giant rubber console with analog instruments. Slowly, I gravitated toward a more streamlined and simplistic configuration. But I needed to make these changes gradually, and it took me a few years to fully embrace the DIR/ GUE philosophy.

If anyone had preached or lectured me about the blessings of the backplate or the safety benefits of a team-based approach during my journey toward a minimalistic and standardized configuration, I would not have appreciated their condescension toward me. I needed to discover those advantages on my own. All this took place before I finally enrolled in my first GUE class.

Today, were I to meet my younger self, I hope it would be with an inclusive attitude. I also hope I would recognize the young Jesper’s equipment configuration and diving style choices made perfect sense to him at the time and that it was all good as long as he was safe and had fun.

First and foremost, let’s celebrate all divers. They share our passion and enthusiasm for exploring the underwater world. Even if they embrace a different diving approach, they have chosen to engage in diving activities instead of the numerous other hobbies that compete with diving. It would be unfortunate if they were to meet overbearing missionaries with a patronizing, know-it-all attitude. After all, they just might leave diving in favor of other pursuits with more approachable and welcoming communities.

But of course, if anyone seems interested in how you configure your equipment or approach dive planning, that is your opportunity to share information on our diving approach. Even better, if they see you in the water and notice your trim and level of control, you have an excellent opening to explain what GUE is all about and how you developed your diving skills to that level.

We know that actions speak louder than words, so giving interested divers a chance to experience how a GUE team executes a dive will have a lot more impact than the missionary approach. One successful back-kick may be all you need to convince the skeptics!

Dive safe and have fun!

Jesper Kjøller Editor-in-Chief jk@gue.com

Editor-in-chief

// Jesper Kjøller

Editorial panel

// Michael Menduno

// Amanda White

Design and layout

// Jesper Kjøller

Copy editing

// Pat Jablonski

// Kady Smith

Writers

// Nils Lucas Jacobsen

// Brad Beskin

// Bjarne Knudsen

// Emőke Wagner

// László Cseh

// Andreas Hagberg

// Kirill Egorov

// Dan Mackay

// Daniel Riordan

// Fred Devos

// Todd Kincaid

// Chris Le Maillot

// Jarrod Jablonski

// Dimitrios Fifis

Photographers

// Becky Kagan Schott

// Kirill Egorov

// Claudio Provenzani

// Andreas Hagberg

// SJ Alice Bennett

// Julian Műhlenhaus

// Derk Remmers

// Alfonso Sabella

// NiccolÒ Crespi

// Tom St George