A somewhat sad conversation last night

[boulderjohn]

The old issues of SFDJ.com back to 1993, are there for archive purposes. There is no intention of taking them down. Sorry.

You know, things have changed in the ten years I have been diving. Now please people, I am simply making a generalization and not trying say everyone is like this. So don't get your feelings hurt if you are not one of them. OK, now that the disclaimer is out of the way. It used to be that the DIR divers were very vocal and would call people out and start crap. Now that has shifted and the non-DIR divers are the ones raising the stink.

Just to repeat what I said earlier, things have indeed changed a great deal, but it is wrong to say that it has totally changed.

I am not referring to history. I did not pull those articles from archives--I found them on active sites, where they are used to explain the nature and purpose of DIR today. The article that clearly says that a DIR diver who is "stuck" diving with someone else should take the opportunity to show the buddy why the DIR gear setup is superior is found in the "About DIR" section of the web site of an organization that says that to achieve its purpose, it will "apply the philosophy, standards, and procedures of diving originated by George Irvine and Jarrod Jablonski, and taught through Global Underwater Explorers."

The incident I described earlier happened a couple of months ago.

It is a mistake to dismiss people who have bad impressions of DIR as reacting to something in the past. The actions that lead to those problems are nowhere near as prevalent as they were in the past, but they still exist, so we who have been trained in DIR should not be surprised with those attitudes surface.

 

[Hetland]

... those same folks will chime in shortly, telling us that certain people in the dive community have an axe to grind against _____

You know, things have changed in the ten years I have been diving. Now please people, I am simply making a generalization and not trying say everyone is like this. So don't get your feelings hurt if you are not one of them. OK, now that the disclaimer is out of the way. It used to be that the DIR divers were very vocal and would call people out and start crap. Now that has shifted and the non-DIR divers are the ones raising the stink.

This thread was started by a DIR diver.

IMO, she's done more in this thread to improve the DIR image than anyone else. If this was simply a "pile-on-DIR" thread, I wouldn't bother reading it, same as if it was a commercial for GUE. There's give and take here, and for the most part, both "sides" are being civil. Personally, I would be MORE likely to dive with a group called GUE-Seattle now, than I would have been before reading this thread. God help them if they gave me crap about my 5ft hose though

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Personally, I would be MORE likely to dive with a group called GUE-Seattle now, than I would have been before reading this thread. God help them if they gave me crap about my 5ft hose though

They won't give you crap about your 5-foot hose. In case you're not aware, GUE recommends a 5-foot hose if you don't use a can light ... it just routes cleaner. The 7-foot hose is a requirement for overhead diving, due to the necessity for that length if you're passing through a restriction while sharing air. For open water applications, a 5-foot hose works perfectly fine ... giving both the donor and donee plenty of ability to make a clean ascent without having to hang onto each other.

As for GUE-Seattle ... well, let's just say that after reading about, and in some cases experiencing, the animosity that exists in some other parts of the world between DIR and non-DIR people, I'm really glad I live here. Folks in this area are generally pretty laid back, and not particularly concerned about the initials on your c-card. Our local GUE instructor is also a PADI instructor for the largest dive shop chain in the area ... which means it's not in his best interest to be "exclusive" ... nor is it in his personality to do so. He's the kind of guy you'd have a lot of fun spending a few days on a liveaboard with, no matter what your diving choices might be.

I think there's a lot of regional differences, as well as personal experiences, that go into our perceptions on this topic ... and not a lot of room for changing anyone's mind. It makes for lively internet conversation ... but in the real world, all any of us care about is whether or not we can share a dive site, and perhaps a diving experience, without conflict or drama. As long as that's possible, it's all good ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

Well, I sort of hope I can put the ending bookmark on this thread.

Last night, we had our weekly Wednesday dive. I think we had almost 20 people altogether show up for one dive or the other (we do two most weeks). We had people trained by a variety of agencies and ranging from fairly new divers to returning divemasters to instructors. Viz was terrible, but somehow we managed to have fun anyway, and even find a few interesting critters. And at the end of the dives, over a dozen people repaired to the Matador for some of the most incredible Southwest/Mexican food you could ask for. Nobody hassled anyone about his gear, although people were helpful if anyone asked for it. Lots of stuff got lent to try. People practiced some skills, or just went sightseeing.

This is the reality I live in. What George Irvine wrote twenty years ago is not.

 

[gypsyjim]

You know, things have changed in the ten years I have been diving. Now please people, I am simply making a generalization and not trying say everyone is like this. So don't get your feelings hurt if you are not one of them. OK, now that the disclaimer is out of the way. It used to be that the DIR divers were very vocal and would call people out and start crap. Now that has shifted and the non-DIR divers are the ones raising the stink.

That could be perspective?

Good Rock and Roll seems to be a lot more irritating when it is coming from the neighbor's house late at night, than when it is coming from our own party.

 

[cocobello]

Sorry to ask this, I am new to Scubaboard, but what is DIR and GUE ?

 

[lazylady]

At the risk of being considered really, really dumb - what or who is GUE or DIR divers? I have no idea what this means...perhaps an explaintion would help in understanding this thread???

 

[gypsyjim]

Do not start a shooting war here folks.

With just 3 posts and 5 posts that may just be bait, so I would treat it like a mine field and walk softly.

---------- Post added April 19th, 2012 at 12:38 PM ----------

I am not a terrorist, but if I were it would look a lot like this

 

[Crush]

At the risk of being considered really, really dumb - what or who is GUE or DIR divers? I have no idea what this means...perhaps an explaintion would help in understanding this thread???

Sorry to ask this, I am new to Scubaboard, but what is DIR and GUE ?

GUE: Global Underwater Explorers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DIR: Doing It Right - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[gypsyjim]

GUE: Global Underwater Explorers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DIR: Doing It Right - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Best possible way to respond!