Advanced training in the houston area?

[Grajan]

I am getting back into taking diving more seriously after a few years of intermittant activity. I went through a very robust training regime (French Deuxieme Echelon) a long time ago but it was not 'polished'.

I would now like to take some more advanced training to improve things like finning technique and buoyancy control etc. I have no interest in technical diving whatsoever. Just want to dive Cozumel etc. better.

Is there anything you can recommend in the Houston area? It will need to be somewhere that lets non-DIR in... (I do have back inflation).

Thanks a lot for any advice

Graham

 

[maddiver]

Fundamentals of DIR in August (call Discover Scuba)- they will let you in and you will learn all of that you refer to below...

Originally posted by Grajan

I would now like to take some more advanced training to improve things like finning technique and buoyancy control etc. I have no interest in technical diving whatsoever. Just want to dive Cozumel etc. better.

Is there anything you can recommend in the Houston area? It will need to be somewhere that lets non-DIR in... (I do have back inflation).

 

[Grajan]

Thanks Maddiver.

I will get in touch with them.

I have to admit that I have been shying away from DIR training because of the all or nothing culture it appears to have.

There are elements of DIR that I simply do not want to adopt for open water diving and I do not want to spend the course in an idiological 'debate'.

BTW. I was looking at the skills videos on the 5th dimension website and I saw horizontal ascents and descents. Apart from this being great trim practice why would you want to do that in open water? It strikes me that, particularly on ascent, it would restrict your awareness of important elements such as the location of your buddy, vessels overhead, obstructions in the water.

NOT picking a fight with DIR - just interested.

Graham

 

[maddiver]

Excellent Questions,

What you will find in a DIR Fundamentals class is that the instructors are professionals- and very unlike the loudmouth know-nothings on the internet. These guys do the dives and know why things were developed as they were and can explain the evolutionary cycle and logic process behind DIR.

Taking small aspects and applying them without the holistic incorporation does not work....read you may be and sometimes certainly are better off with your prior gear/attitude. Nonetheless taking this class will make you a more efficient diver regardless if you choose to go DIR or not.

Now to your question:

A horizontal ascent embodies control (control is required to keep from shooting to the surface or sinking to the bottom) and suggests the diver is in total control and near perfect buoyancy/neutral throughout the dive. This has also been shown to be the most effective position for offgasing nitrogen and other non-metabolized gasses (ie helium). It also allows for quickest reaction to a buddy in need of assistance (you have to swim over to them and donate your reg and going from vertical to horizontal takes an extra step...waisting time and efficiency not to mention placing additional issues of changed buoyancy characteristics that would affect the OOA situation).

What you tend to see in open water diving is that people who practice vertical ascents really are not in control (ie they need to kick to keep themselves up- staying negative to accommodate for some perceived issue with neutral buoyancy near the surface or at safety stop. What the horizontal position does is forces you to break bad habits and keeps you from having to exert more effort to ascend thus giving you better offgassing characteristics. Working underwater in any form is a catalyst for co2 retention and has links to decreased nitrogen offgassing abilities.

Originally posted by Grajan
shying away from DIR training because of the all or nothing culture it appears to have.

There are elements of DIR that I simply do not want to adopt for open water diving and I do not want to spend the course in an idiological 'debate'.

BTW. I was looking at the skills videos on the 5th dimension website and I saw horizontal ascents and descents. Apart from this being great trim practice why would you want to do that in open water? It strikes me that, particularly on ascent, it would restrict your awareness of important elements such as the location of your buddy, vessels overhead, obstructions in the water.

NOT picking a fight with DIR - just interested.

Graham

 

[daniel f aleman]

http://www.oceanicventures.com/

You're welcome.

 

[Dee]

Maddiver.....nice to see you again! We've missed you.

Graham.....Discover Scuba is closing, although I don't know the exact date when Art will close the doors. You might want to check with Houston Scuba Academy as well as Oceanic Ventures.

I second Maddivers description....the DIR divers and professionals I've met in person have been nothing like the majority you find on the internet. In fact, it was Maddiver who helped me so much when I first got my BP/W. He was extemely helpful in helping me fit it properly, explaining the why's and what for's of it all, I still use most of his little tricks, as well as showing the skills by example. He's simply a dream to watch in the water.... I had never seen such pinpoint accurant bouyancy skills! I learned a lot.