Attitudes Toward DIR Divers

[Lorenzoid]

Team diving is unnecessary and often distracting to those who want to look at pretty fish and float along a reef. No need for long hose, 10 ft stops, gas switch verification, or standard kits to do that.

When I took GUE Fundies the first time, as a purely recreational diver, the impression I got was that despite all the standardization, it's acceptable to take the context--in my case, pure rec--into account in applying the standards.

For example, for a 2-person "team" doing a single-tank dive "to look at pretty fish," the "team diving" aspect really doesn't mean much more than being a good buddy, including being there to donate gas if necessary. In the rec context, there aren't really any special team member duties beyond what I believe every agency teaches. Cave and tech contexts add more team member duties, sure.

As for the long hose, given that primary-donate is increasingly common among divers of all stripes, is a 5-ft hose burdensome? Personally, I didn't like the feel of the 5-ft hose, so after using a 7-ft hose for a while for my OW rec dives I eventually switched to the so-called "streamlined OW" configuration where a 40-inch hose goes under my arm and has an elbow fitting at the second stage. It's not DIR, but I'm comfortable with that deviation for my rec-only pretty fish-watching dives. I still feel the core principles of DIR make sense.

As for gas switching, now we're in the tech realm. So I guess we're diving a deep reef to look at pretty fish down there. As far as I understand, all agencies teach some type of gas switch verification protocol; it's not exclusively a DIR thing.

On lazy reef dives, stopping at 10 ft. intervals for 30 seconds on the ascent can be a fun way to keep buoyancy skills sharp and ensure the ascent never gets out of control, but of course doesn't have any other real advantage over a slow and steady ascent. If one is "inadvertently" sloppy about it I don't think the DIR police are going to come calling. Also, if the dive has me slowly winding my way higher up the reef, or on typical shore dives, the 10-ft stop thing is superfluous.

Personally, I wouldn't call these things "unnecessary" as much as I would call them things to be applied in context. A rec dive to see the pretty fish on a relatively shallow reef leaves some room for interpretation, while a tech dive demands more rigor in applying the DIR principles.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I wonder if their name could possibly indicate or insinuate in any way that others are Doing It Wrong?

It was in response to the adherants of medicrioty that they were doing it wrong.

And their system is A WAY, not the only way of diving. Per an interview with the thank-God-he-wasn't-an-ambassador-to-the-Soviet-Union-during-the-peak-of-the-Cold-War GI3, it was designed from when things went really wrong, how were they going to get out.

 

[Zach The Diver]

Perhaps the long hose is sub-optimal since it is unnecessary in some situations, gas switch verifications wouldn't come up if you weren't switching gases (so that aspect is irrelevant rather than sub-optimal) and perhaps I am ignorant of the full meaning of team diving, but I don't see anything in that regard which is sub-optimal?

Similarly, the applicability of 10-ft stops would seem to be mostly unrelated to water temperature, so I don't see that as a "warm water recreational" issue either?

As for the need for everyone to dive a standard kit, I would not argue that this type of conformity is needed for a typical recreational dive, but on the other hand, I might say that this restriction is inconvenient rather than "sub-optimal".

I am most interested in hearing about DIR "things" that are felt to be sub-optimal.

I’d argue that the long hose is necessary due to the amount of play you have if you do donate it as well as the fact that you won’t unwittingly lose control of your secondary as it’s around your neck- seen way too many octopuses floating around just asking to get entangled or damaged. This is one of the few aspects of DIR I think SHOULD completely replace more traditional methods. Recreational regulator configurations are suboptimal in pretty much every way, and standardization and familiarity equals success in high-stress situations such as an out-of-gas diver needing help.

I agree with pretty much everything else you’ve highlighted. DIR diving gets written off as “unnecessary” without anyone being able to elucidate on what exactly is unnecessary about it. People will write it off without knowing much about it at all.

 

[Zach The Diver]

Team diving is unnecessary and often distracting to those who want to look at pretty fish and float along a reef. No need for long hose, 10 ft stops, gas switch verification, or standard kits to do that.

Gas switch verification is well outside the realm of diving an OW reef.

What about the rest of that is “distracting”, assuming you train and dive that configuration regularly?

 

[Zach The Diver]

When I took GUE Fundies the first time, as a purely recreational diver, the impression I got was that despite all the standardization, it's acceptable to take the context--in my case, pure rec--into account in applying the standards.

For example, for a 2-person "team" doing a single-tank dive "to look at pretty fish," the "team diving" aspect really doesn't mean much more than being a good buddy, including being there to donate gas if necessary. In the rec context, there aren't really any special team member duties beyond what I believe every agency teaches. Cave and tech contexts add more team member duties, sure.

As for the long hose, given that primary-donate is increasingly common among divers of all stripes, is a 5-ft hose burdensome? Personally, I didn't like the feel of the 5-ft hose, so after using a 7-ft hose for a while for my OW rec dives I eventually switched to the so-called "streamlined OW" configuration where a 40-inch hose goes under my arm and has an elbow fitting at the second stage. It's not DIR, but I'm comfortable with that deviation for my rec-only pretty fish-watching dives. I still feel the core principles of DIR make sense.

As for gas switching, now we're in the tech realm. So I guess we're diving a deep reef to look at pretty fish down there. As far as I understand, all agencies teach some type of gas switch verification protocol; it's not exclusively a DIR thing.

On lazy reef dives, stopping at 10 ft. intervals for 30 seconds on the ascent can be a fun way to keep buoyancy skills sharp and ensure the ascent never gets out of control, but of course doesn't have any other real advantage over a slow and steady ascent. If one is "inadvertently" sloppy about it I don't think the DIR police are going to come calling. Also, if the dive has me slowly winding my way higher up the reef, or on typical shore dives, the 10-ft stop thing is superfluous.

Personally, I wouldn't call these things "unnecessary" as much as I would call them things to be applied in context. A rec dive to see the pretty fish on a relatively shallow reef leaves some room for interpretation, while a tech dive demands more rigor in applying the DIR principles.

Agree completely.

It’s more about teaching a mentality than a single way to do things.

Some adherents will see it both ways, but I’ve always adapted the principles I’ve been taught to the dive itself.

I dive BPW and doubles now with long-hose… but I’m not crunching min gas numbers for a 40 ft dive.

 

[MB NZ]

DIR diving gets written off as “unnecessary” without anyone being able to elucidate on what exactly is unnecessary about it.

Buddies

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Wait a minute, you mean to tell me my configuration of one single second stage, an SPG, no BC, no computer, no timer, only a compass, with all my bags clipped off everywhere and my lift bag clipped off where ever seems convenient, and rocks stuffed into the vents of my jet fins, a wetsuit in 49 degree water with steel tanks and a weightbelt, and solo, isn’t DIR???
Well it is to me…

 

[tursiops]

People will write it off without knowing much about it at all.

Yes, they will. Frustrating, isn't it?
They will also write it off for their diving when they do know a good bit about it.
I'm sure that is also frustrating.
Best to just get over it.

 

[Boarderguy]

Gas switch verification is well outside the realm of diving an OW reef.

What about the rest of that is “distracting”, assuming you train and dive that configuration regularly?

let's get this straight, I don't care what other people do and I avoid most as I solo more often than not.

The VAST MAJORITY of people don't dive in any configuration close to the DIR/GUE mantra that was developed for cave and wreck penetration. There is no need for that. It isn't needed and the gear is prohibitive. There are tens of thousands of instructors in the world all teaching similar ways to PADI. Jacket BC, buddy near you, Octo donate and it works for millions of dives per year. It stands to reason that they're doing it right and it is optimal to the dives they're executing. Anything beyond that is not optimal as it would be distracting to what they want to do.

 

[Zach The Diver]

let's get this straight, I don't care what other people do and I avoid most as I solo more often than not.

The VAST MAJORITY of people don't dive in any configuration close to the DIR/GUE mantra that was developed for cave and wreck penetration. There is no need for that. It isn't needed and the gear is prohibitive. There are tens of thousands of instructors in the world all teaching similar ways to PADI. Jacket BC, buddy near you, Octo donate and it works for millions of dives per year. It stands to reason that they're doing it right and it is optimal to the dives they're executing. Anything beyond that is not optimal as it would be distracting to what they want to do.

So by that token it’s distracting to adjust or change your configuration to better suit your needs, achieve your dive goals, and practice dive fundamentals? I should never change or deviate from the way I was taught in my original PADI OW class? By that logic, I should still be doing my mask clearing drill on my knees and diving 20 lbs overweighted.


What a ridiculous statement.

By the way, diving is a prohibitive activity by nature. If you don’t follow certain prescribed procedures even as a PADI or whatever OW diver, you die.

I’m shocked to see you say that considering that you said that you were a solo diver. That in itself requires changes to your gear configuration.