Attitudes Toward DIR Divers

[NW Dive Dawg]

In my estimation, most of the negative feelings towards GUE and even more to DIR come from GI3 clones back at the beginning of this century. Those guys were bombastic a-holes and so full of themselves. JJ and the entire GUE system have done all they can to distance themselves from those former DIR idiots.

I really appreciate the new attitudes they've been working on.

I agree with that statement....and that's probably where some of my personal "attitudes" towards DIR / GUE result from. At the beginning of this century, I was managing a dive shop, teaching and running mixed group charters here in the Sound, up to the San Juans and BC and had some "encounters" with some of those same "bombastic a-holes that were so full of themselves". Glad to hear that attitudes have changed!

 

[flymolo]

I agree with that statement....and that's probably where some of my personal "attitudes" towards DIR / GUE result from. At the beginning of this century, I was managing a dive shop, teaching and running mixed group charters here in the Sound, up to the San Juans and BC and had some "encounters" with some of those same "bombastic a-holes that were so full of themselves". Glad to hear that attitudes have changed!

yea well with the exception of maybe some newly graduated fundies divers who don't have much real world experience and haven't learned to be humble, i find the majority of gue divers are pretty chill, albeit particular about who they dive with. which makes sense because it's more enjoyable to dive with someone who's safe, knows where to position themselves and be helpful so you aren't looking for them the entire dive, doesn't do anything strange or unfamiliar in the water, and follows proper planning so everyone has enough gas and redundancy for emergencies. not to mention having sufficient physical fitness to help out on the boat or carry gear on land and not get hurt doing it

 

[The Chairman]

Glad to hear that attitudes have changed!

As an aside, GI3 has an account here. It's my understanding that he was asked by his good friend, JJ to not post. To date, he has kept that promise.

yea well with the exception of maybe newly graduated fundies divers who maybe don't have much real world experience and haven't learned to be humble,

I tend to disagree. I've had new divers from many agencies tell me that my gear was set up wrong. Hell, I had an instructor report me to my training agency for teaching my students neutrally. He didn't like that they didn't kneel to clear their mask, etc, etc.

It's pretty normal for newbies to see something different as being inherently wrong due to their nascent ignorance. After they learned the mechanics, I would dive with different setups just to edumacate them.

 

[rddvet]

An important point that is hard to understand unless you've experienced malfunction on serious dives.

Or have been tortured in class to the point that you realize how serious a malfunction can turn a big dive badly sideways very fast. I've been lucky enough to have only had to deal with what I consider small malfunctions like a reg failure less than 2k from the entrance. But I was lucky enough that the other diver in the team would have helped me out exactly how I would expect. With someone without similar training, I would have had alot more butthole pucker.

 

[rddvet]

And cemeteries should be reconfigured as golf courses. Bury-em vertically and skip the head-stones. Or better yet.... send-em on a final deep water ocean solo dive for natural "recycling" purposes.

I say get rid of golf courses altogether. Its a stupid sport that takes up way way way too much real estate that could go to better use. Add to that the absurd levels of Nitrates and other runoff chemicals they bring to keep the pretty grass green.
As for cemeteries I grew up in New Orleans where we bury our dead above ground in mausoleums or crypts. I do not understand the huge amount of wasted space that the rest of the country uses up to bury people. No matter if you're cremated, put in a mausoleum, or buried, all that will eventually be left is bones. Cremations fastest, mausoleums and how we bury people in crypts in New Orleans and Europe is second fastest, and buried just takes forever for your to decompose.
Cemeteries and golf courses are two of the largest wasters of green space in our country (IMO).

 

[steinbil]

I feel like a lot of the Tech / DIR / GUE stuff is gatekeeping.

It's a matter of "are you good enough to dive with us" for whatever measure of "good enough" we are talking about. Are you good enough to be certified at this level? Are you good enough to be part of our team? etc etc.

I think there's another perspective that keeps getting missed in these conversations, and I'll use myself as an example:

I'm a newly certified Tech 1 diver. When I do recreational dives, I'll dive with pretty much anyone, as long as they're not very unsafe. Why? Because I feel confident and comfortable with those dives, even with divers of less experience or with different gear – I feel like I can handle it without compromising my own safety, although I might prefer to dive with certain divers. At this moment, doing Tech dives, I only want to dive with other GUE Tech divers, and preferably divers I know/have seen in the water. Why? Because I'm inexperienced. For my own comfort and safety, I want to dive with other divers that have the same training, the same protocols, the same equipment. It has nothing to do with elitism, I just want to dive with someone that dives the same way I do when I do dives that are close to the edge of my training, experience and comfort.

Does that make me arrogant? I don't think so. If a Tech diver from a different agency does not want to do Tech dives with me because they have different protocols or gear, I think that's perfectly reasonable. Am I not allowed to choose who I want to dive with to make sure I'm comfortable and feel safe? Who knows, maybe when I'm more experienced my stance will change, or maybe the line I draw will shift depending on my own level of experience and comfort?

 

[PfcAJ]

Scuba is why I found myself back to doing CrossFit. After all, you’re farmer’s walking those tanks/cylinders. But until you’re Olympic lifting your gear or doing gymnastics underwater…

But cardio doesn’t really impact one’s fitness to dive when it pertains to air use, but it does pay dividends in other areas.

The cardio matters when you have to do something unexpected.

Tow a diver? Move against a current it’s (make-pretend to just think you’re so skilled and wise to never have to do that)? Assist with an emergency on a boat?

The rationalization some folks make to just ignore their fitness is mind boggling.

 

[jellycatsdad]

The cardio matters when you have to do something unexpected.

Tow a diver? Move against a current it’s (make-pretend to just think you’re so skilled and wise to never have to do that)? Assist with an emergency on a boat?

The rationalization some folks make to just ignore their fitness is mind boggling.

Yea, I admit I’ve been neglecting my cardio for strength - but once I’ve had a 1/2 mile swim in full gear to a safe shore bailout out when the swell picked up. That was a wake up call. One dive buddy is an avid runner, I try to go on a bike ride on the weekends to keep the heart working. I should incorporate 20-30 minutes of cardio when I’m at the local climbing gym. A lot of our local diving is shore diving and we’re going out a few hundred yards to either drop in or get out.

 

[Celt]

I dived with half a dozen good friends for a long time, never seen anyone to point the finger about another’s skills or lack of. Some are like fish and others a bit awkward but everyone learns and enjoys at their pace. I think this, I’m not diving with you if you smoke a fag, or your gear is not like mine is keyboard rubbish and not reality for diving friends who are diving a lot together.