DIR Question

[Sas]

The Want To Sell forum over at The Deco Stop is a great place to window shop

Want to Sell - The Deco Stop

Australian tanks? I have not seen too many of them for sale outside of local forums (and no twins). We have strict regulations here so if you have a tank bought from overseas it won't be filled and it is enforced by shops. The process to have overseas tanks approved for fill here is long, painful and likely to be unsuccessful.

Edit: Won't let me view that link? Even after I registered and activated?

 

[Thalassamania]

I'll PM folks tomorrow in a larger mailing, just PM me a request.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

All of our students can hold their breath for two minutes. Most accomplish this the second pool session. It is really no big deal, I can do it with anyone.

That said ... during training they can fall back on the comfort of knowing that whatever exercise we throw at them they can perform it slowly and methodically, because slowly and methodically all exercises can be done on under 30 seconds.

Thus their training proceeds at a much more rapid clip. I was not suggesting that a two minute breath hold was one of the emergency procedures and the our divers were at less risk because they can accomplish this. What I was advancing is the notion that significant breath hold ability makes training easier and is a great "reserve chute" when you get to open water (that means that you know you can do an ESE from 120 feet at 60 feet per minute). .

My faith is restored! I can sometimes do 2 minutes but I ususally have to warm up and it is not comfortable for me. I very much agree with the premise that breathhold ability and freedive ability greatly increase safety due to the mindset.

 

[bubba105]

To paraphrase from Simon and Garfunkel:

"All lies in jest, still a man sees what he wants to see and disregards the rest..."

Still a man HEARS what he wants to HEAR.

Sorry, had to correct this, carry on.

 

[Gombessa]

Still a man HEARS what he wants to HEAR.

Sorry, had to correct this, carry on.

I only really read what I want to read

 

[bfw]

Detractors say it's constrictive. Whether it is or not really depends on what you'd like to get out of diving, and how you weigh the advantages of the DIR system against what you want to do that it "doesn't allow."

And that's the interesting part. What do people really want to do that it doesn't allow, and why do they want to do it? About 90% of the objections I hear to DIR tenets are shallow emotional reactions.

Do I think DIR has all the right answers? No. What separates them, in my view, is acceptance of the existence of the right answers, and a quest to learn and implement them. They acknowledge the existence of and seek to approximate the optimal. This, more than anything, I think, is what puts people off in our relativistic society. Most people are afraid of the idea that there is an optimal way, because if there is, there exists the possibility that they are wrong, and might have to do something they don't want to do.

whereas the more gung-ho/individualistic types tend to see it as overbearing and stifling.

I'm as individualistic as one can get, but I don't find it the least bit overbearing and stifling. As a libertarian, I accept the right of others to adopt a system of their choice, follow it as rigidly as they wish, and associate with whomever they wish, on any basis they wish. I've been waiting for years, and I still haven't heard of a DIR dive cop preventing anyone from diving for non-adherance, except maybe at Wakulla. Can anyone even cite a case where anyone's been prevented from even calling themselves DIR without full adherance? No, the worst anyone can claim is someone used harsh words. And thus, we see the reason for the controversy - people getting their knickers in a knot over WORDS. Not sticks and stones, but WORDS. That's what's wrong with society these days, and encouraging this hypersensitivity is what's wrong with the new "seeker sensitive" rules in this forum. Nobody is willing to force people to grow up and realize that hearing and reading harsh words doesn't harm them. Thus, when a DIR person tells a new diver they are doing it wrong, this is more than they can take.

There's no reason to get worked up over a system unless someone forces you to use it.

 

[SparticleBrane]

^ One of the best posts about a number of topics that I've seen in a long time.

 

[Standingbear56]

Words are a very powerful thing. When used one way, they can give birth to a new nation, when used another way they can cause tremendous harm. It is how and when the words are used that makes the difference.
Calling a wounded vet a Stroke because he had a BP/W system, but required a quick release to get in and out of it because of his injuries is plain wrong. At the time this happened, we were discussing DIR and this person came over along with a few friends, broke into the conversation, and stated that You are not DIR, you are a stroke! DIR does NOT use quick releases, they are a death trap! Now, no one in our group claimed to be DIR, we were simply discussing the configuration, nothing else. The fact that the majority of the vets were using as close to a DIR configuration as they were physically able, says alot of how they feel about the system. The other group just cut in and made the statement. When we tried to explain the situation, they just walked away saying "Stupid Strokes don't get it" Please do not try to defend this particular group, because you can't. They were simply wrong. We do not blame the entire DIR community for the actions of these few people, nor do we believe that they represent the majority of DIR divers. We truly believe the greater DIR community would have offered to help our vets any way they could - DIR or not. However, it takes only a few bad apples to ruin it for everybody. The word Stroke has been used by some members of the DIR community in the past and there is no call for it.
These words did hurt, and they hurt the very people who paid a great price to preserve the very right to say them. Yes, they were only words, but they were paid for in blood. That makes them important, and in this case at least, it wasn't the Noob's who didn't get it, it was the self professed DIR divers who were totally clueless - and chose to remain so rather than take advantage of helping out and teaching.

This is not a flame against DIR or anybody who utilizes this system. It is an excellent system that works extremely well. It is a bash against a small group who claim to represent the system, and think they are so far above everyone else that they can act like this. It is something we all need to correct. Here is a suggestion (and it's only a suggestion) How about making a "ruling" or what ever word the DIR community agrees upon that anyone calling other divers names, like "stroke" is simply NOT DIR!

I for one who used to dive DIR but can no longer because of injuries (mine are from an MVA, not military service) would be very greatfull.

Thank You in advance.

Safe Diving,
George

 

[SparticleBrane]

^ Sounds like you came in contact with a jerk, rather than someone who is actually DIR.

 

[danvolker]

How about making a "ruling" or what ever word the DIR community agrees upon that anyone calling other divers names, like "stroke" is simply NOT DIR!

I for one who used to dive DIR but can no longer because of injuries (mine are from an MVA, not military service) would be very greatfull.

Thank You in advance.

Safe Diving,
George

The guy who said this to the vets was being a jerk. There is no part of DIR common sense ideas that includes behavior like this.

As far as the stroke name, when it was used originally, it was never aimed at people like your Vet friends, it was aimed at pontificating instructors without the requisite skills to do cave or tech themselves, lot less teach students to...the big thing to them, was "stroking their own egos"...

I don't believe I have even used the term stroke in the last 7 years.....

Regards,
Dan V