I fully agree that there has been an obvious and concerted effort to make DIR less confrontational and controversial. So why do these attitudes still seem to exist?
One reason is that, like Typhoid Mary, one person can spread a lot of disease. The incident I mentioned above happened only a couple of months ago. How many more people has that one person similarly confronted in his attempts to help them? He
really pissed off the person who told me about it--how many others has this one person similarly affected?
Another problem is that many of the caustic words of the past are still in use via the magic of the Internet. When I learned decompression, I was taught that there were 13 reasons that a DIR diver does not use 80% O2 for deco. Those 13 reasons were created long ago, but they are still being quoted in instruction today.
Here is a DIR-based web site that keeps those reasons prominently displayed for its customers. A quick Google search showed that those same 13 reasons can be found in many places today, so they are still a part of the culture. The shop I mentioned above banks 80% O2 because of the large demand of its customers--how tactful do you think they find it to be told that one of the reasons that they are wrong in doing so is that
"Only a card-carrying stroke would do something like this, and showing up with 80/20 is no different than wearing a sign on your back saying 'I am a stroke, and have the papers to prove it'. It announces to all the world that you have no clue, kind of like wearing clip-on suspenders or having dog dirt on your shoes."
Finally, even more cautious words can be misconstrued or taken to an extreme. For example, an Internet search reveals
an article by Dan Volker describing how DIR divers can make recreational divers better. In the final section it talks about the importance of all buddies on a team diving with the same gear, meaning BP/Ws and long hoses. It says,
And of course, keep in mind an even bigger rule than all others mentioned in this article--Rule number one is don't dive with unsafe divers. Try to dive only with people you know are safe, and who dive the same procedures and configurations you do. If you are "stuck" with someone you see gearing up badly, with a poor configuration, try a good natured explanation of why the "Doing it Right" system would have him/her configured differently.
A DIR diver reading this gets a clear message that if he is "stuck" diving with someone who is not DIR, then he or she has a mission to help that person understand why it is better to be a DIR diver. The message should be delivered good naturedly, but it should be delivered. The non-DIR diver reading this gets the clear message that a DIR diver feels "stuck" in that choice of partner, and knows that a good natured lecture will be coming. The goal might be to help, but there are those who will not appreciate it, and there are those who will naturally fear a coming dive with someone they know to be DIR.
In the context of this article you found....imagine you find yourself on a boat, and the buddy you are about to be assigned to dive with, has his tank hanging 8 inches below his butt.....he has his octopus hanging behind him where he could not find it, and a console dragging on the floor as he walks on the boat. You further see that he is wearing about 30 pounds of lead, but with a shortie and little body fat, you are reasonably certain he is overweighted to a dangerous level......In fact, this was a picture we were often presented with...So what would you do? Would you say hi, I'm your buddy, and leave it at that, or would you offer more?
