5thd-x Essentials of Recreational Diving v1.0
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djanni
Contributor
The DVD has been claimed. A member is sending me a DVD mailer.
Don, what were you expecting?
Jason -- they're mostly examples of bad trim, dropping knees, diving feet down or head down. I think most people would agree that continuously trying to swim at an angle to the horizontal is inefficient and not ideal.
OP
djanni
Contributor
dherbman:
Good question. I was expecting more content. Voice overlay. Explanations of why the skill is executed in a particular way and WHY.
Under what circumstances one would one use a skill that is executed in the way it is demonstrated in the DVD. For example; A Modified Frog Kick. TSandM made a point about the silt she encounters where she dives - so okay, that makes sense. Where I dive there isn't a problem with silt. If I were diving a cave or a penetrating a wreck then it might have a value. I really don't know but I've heard you encounter silt conditions in a cave/wreck. In the DVD the words "Mod Frog Kick" pop up and a diver takes off doing a mod frog kick. Humm... and the point to that is???
It was also far more bacic than I expected. How to clear a mask??? I wasn't expecting it to be oriented toward a group that needs to know how to clear a mask. Yet for those who don't know how, I doubt they would learn the skill from watching that DVD. It was very poorly presented.
OOA demonstrations are done using a 7' hose on the primary. Okay, but very few use a 7' foot hose or hang the octo below their chin. So yes, it's oriented to the DIR way of doing things. Nothing wrong with that but it doesn't match the rec diving we do. I think it would have been more appropriately titled: Recreational Diving for Divers who DIR. Again, had I read the report I would have realized it before purchasing.
Pretty stupid of me I know, but I'm browsing Amazon for Scuba DVD's and up pops Essentials for Rec Divers. I take pride in my skills and I'm always wanting to improve. So is my wife. Yet, I don't have a clue who 5thd-x is or that they are associated with DIR. I order the DVD. We watch it. We're dissappointed.
At least it's going to someone who knows what it's oriented toward and who wants it. Better than letting it collect dust.
Don Janni:
Did you read the discription of the video on the 5thd-x website before you bought it?
Directly from the 5thd-x website from the essentials dvd page:
OP
djanni
Contributor
amascuba:
Gosh man, did you even read my post? You replied to it??!?
This is from the post you just replied to: "Again, had I read the report (description) I would have realized it before purchasing" and I think I've said that twice now.
Since you brought it up - Valve Drills??? The DVD shows a diver reaching back over their shoulder opening / closing the tank valve. What is that supposed to demonstrate? That's it's possible? Are they suggesting one should practice this drill from-to-time? I can reach my valve and turn it. But the point is no information is offered.
D_O_H
Contributor
I bought the DVD a couple of weeks ago and I can understand where you're coming from, Don. It would be nice if there were graphics or voice overs pointing out the key elements and maybe even the whys of the demonstrated skills. Even after reading the marketing materials as well as a review of the DVD on this board, I was a little surprised by the lack of content other than visual demonstrations.
That said, I'm still glad I bought it for the following reasons:
1. I was relieved to see that even AG has to skull his fins a little bit to hold his position in the water column. From reading the board, I had been under the impression that I should be able to hold completely still and not slowly start to tilt one way or the other. No matter how much I've fooled around with placement of weights and equipment, this seemed like an impossible objective.
2. It was truly amazing even for a non-groupie to watch AG perform some of these skills. The guy looks like he's tethered to the bottom by about 50 invisible strings. I could lie on the ground on the surface and not be that stable. If I ever decide to take any DIR training (thereby picking up the key points and whys), I think this video will make a great resource.
3. I got a pretty priceless look from my girlfriend when she wandered into the living room, likely to investigate the source of the funky music I had turned up, only to discover that it was the soundtrack to a DVD of some guys doing pretty boring looking stuff while underwater.
That said, I'm still glad I bought it for the following reasons:
1. I was relieved to see that even AG has to skull his fins a little bit to hold his position in the water column. From reading the board, I had been under the impression that I should be able to hold completely still and not slowly start to tilt one way or the other. No matter how much I've fooled around with placement of weights and equipment, this seemed like an impossible objective.
2. It was truly amazing even for a non-groupie to watch AG perform some of these skills. The guy looks like he's tethered to the bottom by about 50 invisible strings. I could lie on the ground on the surface and not be that stable. If I ever decide to take any DIR training (thereby picking up the key points and whys), I think this video will make a great resource.
3. I got a pretty priceless look from my girlfriend when she wandered into the living room, likely to investigate the source of the funky music I had turned up, only to discover that it was the soundtrack to a DVD of some guys doing pretty boring looking stuff while underwater.
SparticleBrane
Contributor
Being able to turn around and turn your tank valve off is essential to your safety. If part of your first stage blew, or you lost a burst disc--you should be able to reach back and turn off your tank, turning it on only to breathe, etc (all while ascending).
Most divers that I see on a normal basis wear their tanks so low on their back that the tank valve is in the middle of their back and the bottom of the tank hangs below their butt. There's no possible way they could reach the valve in an emergency. I cringe as they walk by, waiting for the tank to drop on the ground.
As to the 'simple' skills--many divers still cannot comfortably perform these skills. Just go read some of the posts in the Accidents & Incidents forum and the new to diving/basic scuba forums and you'll probably see a few "having trouble clearing my mask" or "can't open eyes underwater!" threads.
As to not flutter kicking--I almost always use a frog kick, mainly because of the non-silting aspects but also because I just believe it takes less energy to maintain a good effective stride. Speaking with someone else, he said he was amazed at how much his SAC dropped when he switched from flutter to frog.
For AG finning--I know they said this about the Intro to Tech DVD so I would assume it applies here as well: They had to fin slightly due to the currents so that they could reasonably stay in the same spot while filming and not slowly be carried away.
Most divers that I see on a normal basis wear their tanks so low on their back that the tank valve is in the middle of their back and the bottom of the tank hangs below their butt. There's no possible way they could reach the valve in an emergency. I cringe as they walk by, waiting for the tank to drop on the ground.
As to the 'simple' skills--many divers still cannot comfortably perform these skills. Just go read some of the posts in the Accidents & Incidents forum and the new to diving/basic scuba forums and you'll probably see a few "having trouble clearing my mask" or "can't open eyes underwater!" threads.
As to not flutter kicking--I almost always use a frog kick, mainly because of the non-silting aspects but also because I just believe it takes less energy to maintain a good effective stride. Speaking with someone else, he said he was amazed at how much his SAC dropped when he switched from flutter to frog.
For AG finning--I know they said this about the Intro to Tech DVD so I would assume it applies here as well: They had to fin slightly due to the currents so that they could reasonably stay in the same spot while filming and not slowly be carried away.
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