What does DIR mean?

[rjack321]

This one is fun: The Deco Stop

Ahhh this is getting good. Note the: last post. So now we're waaaaay back in the mid to early 80s. Almost 2 decades before GUE and roughly a decade before George got a keyboard. And it STILL has nothing to do with "DIR" and everything to do with attitude.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

P.S. Incidentally, Bob, this one comes close enough to support what I was saying in my last post:

Quote:
"It is my opinion that the horrifying strokery that we see out there is the fault of the instructors... and most of them suck, just plain suck. Any methods other than what I use are bull****." -- George Irvine III

That sounds way close to what we get in here all the time from folks like Walter and Thalassamania ...

... like I said, it's not unique to DIR.

Don't confuse someone's ego with their style of diving ... they're two very different things.

And FWIW - George Irvine is a classic sociopath ... and AFAIK, doesn't even dive anymore ... most of the loudmouths I've ever known who crashed and burned through DIR don't dive anymore ... they're off being "the best" at something else now.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Wetbones]

I did a bunch of reading before my wife and I got certified. My LDS wouldn't sell me a back plate and wing. I happened to mention DIR while in the shop and there were audible groans. When I started looking into it (DIR) on the forums DIR had a "closed off" feeling to it, not inclusive at all. The thing that never (and still) doesn't make any sense is this: I have not met a recreational or DIR diver that was mean, condescending, smug or sarcastic in person. Divers seem to be some of the most polite and genuinely nice people that I have met. If everyone drove their car the way they dive it would be a lot more fun to be on the road. I mean, it takes a real effort to go diving and it isn't the thing that you stop and do on the way home, just because the mood strikes. So, for me the big question is why the disconnect between real life experience and the internet?

I still believe that the training that you can get from a DIR/Hogarthian agency would be what most recreational divers would consider "over-trained". I think most recreational divers would say "do you really need to know how to calculate your dcr so you can know what your spg should be reading before you look at it?" I think most divers would just like to look at the computer and have it tell them what is going on and all that other stuff is overkill, sucking the fun out of being underwater. A lot of it seems esoteric and hard to grasp if you just read about it. Rock bottom? you should have seen all of the angst in our class when we were trying to learn how to calculate it. Once we got through all of that it was like a whole different way of diving opened up to us (in our class). It bonded us together and gave a new dimension to the FUN. And maybe that is where the disconnect starts. I immediately feel a certain bond with another DIR diver since I know EXACTLY what he was taught and vice versa. There is also this "confidence" in the water that you can see. It is really hard to describe but once you see it you won't forget it. It has a kind of beauty all of its own. I think the whole DIR system (personal and team skills), when you see it executed in the water is almost like a ballet. If you get the chance to dive with someone DIR, watch an S-drill, or one minute ascent drill, a normal ascent, listen to the pre-dive check, watch the team positioning, etc. I think it is just cool to WATCH, and really fun to be a part of.

I know this probably sounds hokey to some of you, but I really love diving and I really like that the DIR system seems to show a LOT of respect for the sport. You won't find a DIR diver that dives twice a year while on vacation. At least I don't think so. They seem REALLY dedicated and maybe that is also where the snotty aspect comes from-they rarely find someone as dedicated as they are to it (or so they think. I am sure there are some recreational divers out there that are really dedicated too), but then if you are as dedicated as you think you are why wouldn't you want the most top-notch training possible? I asked our instructor why they were teaching us so intensely in one class. His answer was "I am training a future team member". Do you see what I mean? Does this make sense?

 

[mikemill]

I am a fairly new diver and I just want to give my personal experience with conventional recreational diving and DIR diving. My wife and I got into diving about a year ago and started on a path of taking a bunch of classes through PADI, which at the time seemed like the agency to get training from. We took OW, AOW, Rescue and then some specialties. At the end of that we still didn't really feel all that comfortable and confident in the water. I thought my wife may give up diving all together-there was a weird anxiety before every dive and it was starting to make diving not so much fun, but more like a challenge. So to maybe head off losing my dive buddy, I started to look into the DIR philosophy. I thought she might respond really well to this "style" of diving-she likes structure and order, the idea that everything has a place. I talked with a UTD instructor in our area and he talked with both of us at length. We looked at the course materials. We signed up for the class at took it in late Feb. of this year. The training that we received so far surpassed everything that we were taught before. I really felt cheated by our previous instruction-why weren't we taught gas planning, propulsion techniques (more than one), doing skills while not sitting on the ocean floor, how to plan a dive, who is responsible for what, proper gas choices-the list is kind of endless. I also understood right away that this class was going to take a LOT more effort from us as students.

I am glad we did it for a lot of reasons. Yes, the training was rigorous and at times hard to watch (the video de-brief sessions), but I figure any hobby you have to go on life support to engage in probably deserves some pretty intense training. I like that they pushed us, made us learn some simple math, made us learn basic underwater communication, put our computers in gauge mode, etc and I also like that now when I dive with someone other than my wife I know they are on the same exact page as I am. My wife does not have the pre-dive anxiety that she used to, and the whole thing is a lot more fun now-for both of us. We look forward to diving instead of kind of fearing it.

Our instructors were the first DIR divers I had actually seen in the water. That made a huge impression on me. They were so calm, still and in control in the water. Elegant would be a good word to describe it. I had not ever seen anything like it before.

I don't understand some of the internet attitude that I see expressed by DIR practitioners-every single one that I have met in real life has been really kind, helpful, supportive and patient.

I don't really want to get into the whole gear thing. In the Essentials class, the only requirements were non-split fins (so you can learn all of the propulsion techniques-back kick), and a 5' or '7 primary hose.

Thanks for posting this. I'm considering taking the UTD class and am happy to see a non-"DIR" person giving a positive impression of the attitude of the instructors.

 

[ShakaZulu]

The dir command allows you to see the available files in the current and/or parent directories.

 

[SparticleBrane]

^ winner

 

[TSandM]

Honestly, it has amazed me, and continues to amaze me, how much sturm and drang this topic excites.

DIR is very simply defined: It's a highly standardized approach to diving, based on the concept of divers operating as a team.

People who like the idea of standardization and team operations like the system.

People who don't, don't.

It's a lot of work. You have to study, you have to practice, and if you really adopt the system, you have to exercise and eat right, too. A team is no stronger than its weakest link. Your personal diving skills have to be impeccable, and your commitment to your buddies has to be strong.

NOBODY needs to dive this way. Those of us who adopt the system, do so because it appeals to us. Anybody who has gotten this far on this thread has seen a couple of very nice testimonials from people who have put a toe in the DIR water and liked the results. If it doesn't catch your interest, or if you object to the principles, you don't have to dive this way.

In the past, there have been some obnoxious people endorsing the system by denigrating anybody who doesn't adopt it. I think the majority of DIR divers nowadays don't care how you dive. They care how THEY dive. They may care a great deal how their buddies dive, at least when the dives get challenging.

To me, no one is a stroke, unless they have an irresponsible approach to diving. I know some people whose behavior underwater is pretty iffy -- no buddy skills, no care with gas, a desire to go deep without the skills, training, gas or equipment to do so. I don't dive with those people. But I dive with a ton of people who aren't remotely DIR, because I honestly believe that some of the principles of the system ought to be exported -- meticulous buddy checks, solid dive plans, a gas plan, and strong buddy skills. No matter what your equipment or your training, those things SHOULD be part of your diving practice, and all too often, they aren't. I respect and support GUE and UTD for teaching their students that nothing short of careful, consistent procedures is acceptable, and for teaching solid personal diving skills, and for constantly emphasizing the concept of team.

If you are frustrated by buddies who don't want to take the time to do checks; if you are stressed by buddies who disappear underwater and don't seem to care; if you would like help in being more effortless and more controlled in your own personal diving . . . The DIR system teaches these things, and DIVES these things. That's what caught me in the first place, and that's what keeps me diving as DIR as I know how.

 

[SparticleBrane]

I am a fairly new diver and I just want to give my personal experience with conventional recreational diving and DIR diving. My wife and I got into diving about a year ago and started on a path of taking a bunch of classes through PADI, which at the time seemed like the agency to get training from. We took OW, AOW, Rescue and then some specialties. At the end of that we still didn't really feel all that comfortable and confident in the water. I thought my wife may give up diving all together-there was a weird anxiety before every dive and it was starting to make diving not so much fun, but more like a challenge. So to maybe head off losing my dive buddy, I started to look into the DIR philosophy. I thought she might respond really well to this "style" of diving-she likes structure and order, the idea that everything has a place. I talked with a UTD instructor in our area and he talked with both of us at length. We looked at the course materials. We signed up for the class at took it in late Feb. of this year. The training that we received so far surpassed everything that we were taught before. I really felt cheated by our previous instruction-why weren't we taught gas planning, propulsion techniques (more than one), doing skills while not sitting on the ocean floor, how to plan a dive, who is responsible for what, proper gas choices-the list is kind of endless. I also understood right away that this class was going to take a LOT more effort from us as students.

I am glad we did it for a lot of reasons. Yes, the training was rigorous and at times hard to watch (the video de-brief sessions), but I figure any hobby you have to go on life support to engage in probably deserves some pretty intense training. I like that they pushed us, made us learn some simple math, made us learn basic underwater communication, put our computers in gauge mode, etc and I also like that now when I dive with someone other than my wife I know they are on the same exact page as I am. My wife does not have the pre-dive anxiety that she used to, and the whole thing is a lot more fun now-for both of us. We look forward to diving instead of kind of fearing it.

Our instructors were the first DIR divers I had actually seen in the water. That made a huge impression on me. They were so calm, still and in control in the water. Elegant would be a good word to describe it. I had not ever seen anything like it before.

I don't understand some of the internet attitude that I see expressed by DIR practitioners-every single one that I have met in real life has been really kind, helpful, supportive and patient.

I don't really want to get into the whole gear thing. In the Essentials class, the only requirements were non-split fins (so you can learn all of the propulsion techniques-back kick), and a 5' or '7 primary hose.

Now after seeing the difference between the two sources of instruction, are you at all surprised that the average drop-out rate for diving after several years is 80-90%?

When diving isn't FUN and people are anxious before each and every dive...diving sucks -- people are always on edge, then someone runs out of air and has their life flash before their eyes and gives up on diving. Only when diving is practically effortless does it become enjoyable.


I might also add -- in your other post you mentioned driving and DIR. I think you would be impressed by what a difference "thinking DIR" has made on my life (and especially on driving). Situational awareness, "buddy skills", taking dangerous activities such as driving a bit more seriously...

 

[JeffG]

Really? Thanks for making my point so clearly. (Directed at Jeff, not all DIR divers.)

My Bad. I didn't realize your point was "Reading Comprehension Issues."

 

[Wetbones]

I am not at all surprised the drop out rate is so high. I didn't even think it took years. I never saw one of the students from my OW class after the class. We thought we would hook up with some other divers after AOW, but that didn't happen either. There was one guy from AOW who did Rescue...I don't know if any of those people still dive or dive regularly. Now there is an e-mail almost daily from someone who wants to go dive.

You are right about the anxiety. It was making the whole thing start to be not fun. So, I guess that ultimately I NEEDED to dive this way if I was going to continue to dive.

I don't know...I'm just glad I did it and now I have more fun diving and met some awesome people. That is all I was ever really trying to say.

Oh yeah, I live in LA. I definitely plan my drive and drive my plan.