DIR-F: March 10-11, erm, March 9-11: Part 1

[dsteding]

Yikes, we think it's freezing when the water temp hits about 59 degrees....Soon it will start to climb back to the 80's where it belongs....

I hate you

Only times I see water that warm is (1) in the shower (2) when drinking tea or coffee or (3) after at least a six hour plane flight. Ow wait, I also occasionally take dips in the hot tub in my building . . . if no kids have been in it recently.

I was thinking about the upcoming spring blooms and the crappy vis that will result, and was saying to myself "well at least the water will warm to the low 50s so I can go back to my thin undergarment and hood."

 

[amascuba]

wow! I may have to rethink this NM diving plan. I thought it was somewhat warm in the west. 55-62F is drysuit temps.
I plan on going to Pelham, Ala at the end of this month because DUI is hosting a DOG rally wherein they will offer information on drysuits and allow divers to try them out. of course, only having seen a drysuit once, I believe I need some instruction first otherwise I may find myself diving head down.
If you wear a 7 mm in 55 F water, you are a stud. I wear a 3mm in 80F water.
Perhaps I can invite you to dive in the Gulf or Florida springs. The springs range from 68-72F depending on the spring and the Gulf is cold now, around 62-65 but will be in the 70's by April. Taste the salt, smell the open air, enjoy 70foot vis, see the occasional grouper, jack, turtle and tons of little stuff like fairy basslets, damsils and such.
shoots, I was thinking I would hit the water in NM but I gotta get drysuit qualified before I can do that, your place is downright cold.
Now I see I am just not dedicated enough.

I wear a drysuit. My philosophy is that if I get cold in a 3mm suit then it's a drysuit for me. I might take you up on that sometime.

Downright cold?

From the perspective of the 43 degree water I was floating around in in Lake Washington on Sunday, 55 sounds lovely!

Those 43 degree temperatures were one of the deciding factors for me not going to Seattle for Fundies, even though it would have been cheaper for me to in the long run. I figured that being cold while task loaded wasn't a good idea for me. I've been in water that cold, but I'm generally not geared up for water that cold.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I've been reading this forum for about 5 years now ... and it never fails that whenever someone posts anything critical about a Fundamentals class they get jumped on ... like it was all their fault.

Nothing ever gets resolved by a "good news only" approach to conversation.

Fact is that sometimes students don't connect ... even with a very good instructor. Sometimes expectations get built up too high, to the point where things that wouldn't otherwise have seemed bothersome suddenly do.

I can relate ... I didn't "connect" with my first DIR-F instructor, even though I believe him to be an excellent instructor. I felt the whole class was way too rushed, and that we skimmed over ... or skipped over ... things that were important to me, and were in fact the reason I had signed up for the class.

It happens. GUE could benefit from more critical evaluations. But the trend I've seen ... watching and participating in this forum now for five years ... is that anyone who gives less than a glowing report is made to feel like they're somehow being unreasonable.

And so those who might be able to provide good, constructive critiques that might actually improve the class are discouraged from doing so ... and those who say they have yet to hear a negative Fundies class report can continue to convince themselves that is the case.

GUE has great classes ... and high standards ... but they're far from perfect.

Might be better to listen to what these (occasional) critical reports are saying, rather than spending so much effort explaining to them why they're wrong ... could be that by listening to what folks like this have to say, GUE might actually be able to improve their classes.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[amascuba]

I've been reading this forum for about 5 years now ... and it never fails that whenever someone posts anything critical about a Fundamentals class they get jumped on ... like it was all their fault.

Nothing ever gets resolved by a "good news only" approach to conversation.

Fact is that sometimes students don't connect ... even with a very good instructor. Sometimes expectations get built up too high, to the point where things that wouldn't otherwise have seemed bothersome suddenly do.

I can relate ... I didn't "connect" with my first DIR-F instructor, even though I believe him to be an excellent instructor. I felt the whole class was way too rushed, and that we skimmed over ... or skipped over ... things that were important to me, and were in fact the reason I had signed up for the class.

It happens. GUE could benefit from more critical evaluations. But the trend I've seen ... watching and participating in this forum now for five years ... is that anyone who gives less than a glowing report is made to feel like they're somehow being unreasonable.

And so those who might be able to provide good, constructive critiques that might actually improve the class are discouraged from doing so ... and those who say they have yet to hear a negative Fundies class report can continue to convince themselves that is the case.

GUE has great classes ... and high standards ... but they're far from perfect.

Might be better to listen to what these (occasional) critical reports are saying, rather than spending so much effort explaining to them why they're wrong ... could be that by listening to what folks like this have to say, GUE might actually be able to improve their classes.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Bingo. Thanks Bob.

 

[Rainer]

Downright cold?

From the perspective of the 43 degree water I was floating around in in Lake Washington on Sunday, 55 sounds lovely!

And 43F is toasty compared to our 36F.

 

[SparticleBrane]

80s is still bathing suit temps!
Been in low 50s in a 3mm before. Got chilly after a few minutes. In my 6.5mm two-piece I'm good all day in 55º.

With that being said, I now own a drysuit so hopefully I'll never have to dive temps like that with a wetsuit again.

 

[amascuba]

80s is still bathing suit temps!
Been in low 50s in a 3mm before. Got chilly after a few minutes. In my 6.5mm two-piece I'm good all day in 55º.

With that being said, I now own a drysuit so hopefully I'll never have to dive temps like that with a wetsuit again.

I'm almost to the point where I loath wetsuit diving all together.

 

[marusso]

Yeah and what's really funny is that we can never find anyone else interested in to go diving with us.....They say stuff like, "I only dive in clear blue water...."

 

[TSandM]

Bob, I do think a couple of us suggested that Caribbeandiver be sure to fill out his Q/A report and let headquarters know of his concerns. I also said I'd be miffed if my pre-class questions were tersely referred to the website.

Fundies suffers from an enormous problem, in that it's trying to take divers at very different points in their development and make what are sometimes truly quantum changes in their technique. There's a ton of material (and I thought the class was now supposed to be four days), and if you've got someone stuck at the "I can't get neutral in my gear" stage, I can imagine it's pretty hard to know what to do if the other students are past that. Do you hold the whole class to the level of the diver having trouble, or do you do what you can with that diver, and hope he can go off and work on things on his own?

And sometimes, as you said, the intersection of expectations and student and instructor doesn't isn't a happy one.

Nobody's trying to say the class is perfect. But nobody's got a good alternative to offer, either, except for those who have access to a cavern class.

 

[Vayu]

Wah wah wah Lets all shutup and go diving.