Near-DIR diving: Are there DIR things you would probably never do?

[MXGratefulDiver]

BTW, Bob, I know you tell people you aren't a DIR type, but you are probably more DIR than not. Why exactly don't you consider yourself DIR?

TOm

Well, mostly it's because I have an aversion to "clubs" ... and I'd really just rather consider myself a diver ... there's less "stigma" attached to that label.

Most of my differences with strict DIR protocols are relatively minor ones, the occasional solo dives are the biggie I suppose ... no self-respecting DIR diver would do those (or at least, not admit to it).

I have a D-ring behind my canister light that I use to clip off my reel for tech dives and my camera for scooter dives. I never could get used to clipping the reel on the butt ring. Besides it being hard to reach, I just don't like it dangling back there ... it's a distraction I don't need.

I'm not real hung up on standard mixes for recreational dives ... I use EAN32 almost exclusively, but if I end up with a mix of EAN30 or EAN34 I'll dive it no worries.

30/30 is just stupid, to my concern. If I'm going between 120 and 150 I think 25/25 is a better choice. Down to 120 I'm using nitrox.

And I'm not at all averse to using air for shallow dives like Edmonds, Titlow, or Harper's Ferry. Sure, I've always got nitrox available ... but why waste it on a dive to less than 40 feet? I'll get cold or hungry long before NDL's become an issue anyway.

Tech dives are a different story ... I mostly dive with a bunch of NAUI guys, but we all use pretty much the same protocols as the GUE guys, and for pretty much the same reason. I've done tech dives with GUE guys without having to change a thing ... we just go over the dive plan thoroughly and make sure we're all on the same page, then stick to it. That's basic strategy anyway ... and I'd do the same thing with anyone I'm diving below recreational limits with. That's another difference between me and most DIR guys I know ... I'll do a tech dive with anybody, as long as I'm comfortable with their skills, and we can agree on a deco profile. FWIW - the only people who've ever refused to dive with me are DIR guys ... guess I just don't want to belong to any club that wouldn't have somebody like me for a member ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[coldsmoke]

Godwin's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I knew if I kept reading this thread surely something useful would come out of it. Learn something new everyday!

 

[lamont]

I'm not real hung up on standard mixes for recreational dives ... I use EAN32 almost exclusively, but if I end up with a mix of EAN30 or EAN34 I'll dive it no worries.

I dive 28-33% all the time just like EAN32, never had a DIR buddy bat an eyelash about it.

 

[TSandM]

Yeah, "32%" is a label that around here covers a wide range of gases, actually. If you don't mix your own, you get what you get! As long as I stay above 1.2 in the working part of the dive (which, as anybody who dives with me knows, probably involves about as much exertion as most people's deco) I'm cool, and since the END of 100 stops me before the MOD does, I'm pretty much always cool.

 

[grazie42]

I'll do a tech dive with anybody, as long as I'm comfortable with their skills, and we can agree on a deco profile. FWIW - the only people who've ever refused to dive with me are DIR guys ... guess I just don't want to belong to any club that wouldn't have somebody like me for a member ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

That´s what I don´t get either...I´m a travelling diver, I do techdives around the world and sometimes I don´t manage to bring a buddy with me...perhaps dir-divers don´t do those kinds of trips but for me, not doing a dive because you couldn´t be bothered to spend an extra 5 or 10 minutes talking to a guy and agreeing on a dive-plan and deco schedule, seems like a massive waste of good dives...also a pretty bleak view of your fellow divers which wouldn´t really help make diving more fun, IMO...

I´ve never had anyone refuse to dive with me or refused anyone, not even dir-divers, so maybe it´s mostly an "internet thing"...

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I´ve never had anyone refuse to dive with me or refused anyone, not even dir-divers, so maybe it´s mostly an "internet thing"...

In my case, pretty much ... some people aren't happy with some of the things I say on the Internet ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[rjack321]

Unfortunately while there are 5-10 minutes worth of planning for when things go right... There's alot more to manage when stuff goes wrong. I rely on GUE and a select few other instructors to vet my instabuddies; they haven't really goofed yet for me. Other random agencies/instructors are not so reliable. And as we all know from here, its easy to talk a good talk.

That´s what I don´t get either...I´m a travelling diver, I do techdives around the world and sometimes I don´t manage to bring a buddy with me...perhaps dir-divers don´t do those kinds of trips but for me, not doing a dive because you couldn´t be bothered to spend an extra 5 or 10 minutes talking to a guy and agreeing on a dive-plan and deco schedule, seems like a massive waste of good dives...also a pretty bleak view of your fellow divers which wouldn´t really help make diving more fun, IMO...

I´ve never had anyone refuse to dive with me or refused anyone, not even dir-divers, so maybe it´s mostly an "internet thing"...

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Unfortunately while there are 5-10 minutes worth of planning for when things go right... There's alot more to manage when stuff goes wrong. I rely on GUE and a select few other instructors to vet my instabuddies; they haven't really goofed yet for me. Other random agencies/instructors are not so reliable. And as we all know from here, its easy to talk a good talk.

The flaw in that logic is that people only begin the learning process with an instructor. There's much more learning that occurs from actually diving.

The only real way to know what someone's capable of is to dive with them.

Of course, if you outright refuse to dive with 'em because they took classes from the "wrong" instructor, you'll never really know what they're capable of ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[rjack321]

I didn't say I'd flat out refuse to dive with them.

I am much more willing to dive closer to my limits with buddies who have been trained by people I trust (GUE and a select group of non-GUE instructors).

I will say that diving together is all well and good, but problems only crop up so often and generally speaking good problem resolution skills are mostly learnt in classes.

So when everyone here says "its all about the instructor!" I agree with that. If you have "no name" (to me) tech or cave instruction I don't want to dive with you at those levels. And a few (or even alot of) recreational dives together probably isn't going to change that very much. Its my life, I am entitled to be picky.

The flaw in that logic is that people only begin the learning process with an instructor. There's much more learning that occurs from actually diving.

The only real way to know what someone's capable of is to dive with them.

Of course, if you outright refuse to dive with 'em because they took classes from the "wrong" instructor, you'll never really know what they're capable of ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ucfdiver]

Of course, if you outright refuse to dive with 'em because they took classes from the "wrong" instructor, you'll never really know what they're capable of ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Depends on what that instructor teaches that I don't like.