DIR-F report: This ain’t no Clown College

[wb416]

Too funny, but so true! I was a fairly experienced diver (adv., Nitrox, rescue) going into DIR-F, but it was like learing to swim all over again. Very frustrating to begin with but once I started to catch on it was great. Keep working on that Backwards kick. All of a sudden, you'll just "get it". It comes in very handy. And hey, if you enjoyed feeling like and incompetant clown that has never swam before, you ought to try Tech 1 (I bet Cave 1 is even worse but I haven't been through that trauma yet). The classes are tough and the standards are high, but once you make it through, you really feel like you've acomplished something. :luxhello:

Dave Bush
Titusville, FL

It's my understanding that Tech 1 is "harder" than Cave 1. There's only so much they can do to you in a cave... but in OW, it's a different story... they can harass you throughout the water column.... anyway this was from buddies that have done both...

 

[headhunter]

Hey Christian! I just got back from Cabo (where I received the coveted Mexican Mystery Malady award, from which I am still recovering) and saw your report. Congrats on your experience!

Hey Ray!

Welcome back. I hope you are fully recovered from your malady soon!

Christian

 

[Peo]

It's my understanding that Tech 1 is "harder" than Cave 1. There's only so much they can do to you in a cave... but in OW, it's a different story... they can harass you throughout the water column.... anyway this was from buddies that have done both...

How you perceive these classese seem to be a question of which order you go through them. Many people find the first class of the two, time-wise, to be the hardest. To some extent, they also exercise different skill sets, so depending on where your weaknesses are, they may appear different.

 

[WaterDawg]

It's my understanding that Tech 1 is "harder" than Cave 1.

Ive heard the same thing.

 

[dbush]

Tech harder than Cave? Hmmm... that is encouraging for me! I figured cave would be harder with the bouancy/silt issue, reel running, search drills, etc. The toughest thing that I had to learn, and am still learning is bouancy with no visual references (blue water deco stops). I'm usually +/- 3ft with occasional excursions outside of that range. Either way the DIR-F/Tech 1 combo was quite an eye opening experience but I really felt like I accomplished something worthwhile after each of them.

Dave Bush
Titusville, FL

 

[wb416]

Tech harder than Cave? Hmmm... that is encouraging for me! I figured cave would be harder with the bouancy/silt issue, reel running, search drills, etc. The toughest thing that I had to learn, and am still learning is bouancy with no visual references (blue water deco stops). I'm usually +/- 3ft with occasional excursions outside of that range. Either way the DIR-F/Tech 1 combo was quite an eye opening experience but I really felt like I accomplished something worthwhile after each of them.

Dave Bush
Titusville, FL

We had to deal with bouyancy silt issues in Tech 1 also... Instructors chose locations for skills portion with silty bottom and lot's of line work. Understandably, those of us with cave training did better (relatively speaking ) than those without.

Your blue water reference should be your buddy... and that's usually good enough for me if I see my depth and my buddy in the same line of sight..... or better yet... I like the part with no mask ascents where the buddy did all the work!!

 

[dbush]

I like the part with no mask ascents where the buddy did all the work!!

Yeah the no mask thing was great. Once the instructor takes your mask, you know your dive is over (unless you have a REALLY evil instructor). You are pretty much on coast after that. Your buddy has to do all the worrying.

 

[detroit diver]

How about 1 really evil instructor, and a sadistic assistant!

WJL and I were a team in a class. We were to "just go ahead and have fun exploring" so we swim a bit. Of course, he "loses" his mask, so I give him my backup mask. There is an airplane that we are going to enter, and WJL goes first into the doorway. Just as I am about to enter, of course I "lose" my mask. At this point I'm laughing so hard that I almost snort water up my nose. WJL has the good sense that something was going to happen and turns around, see me sans mask and hands me his backup mask. No sooner do I get that than he loses HIS mask. I have nothing to give him and he knows it! So, while we're floating there for a minute or so, all of a sudden a shower of masks comes raining down in front of my face! Relieved, I take one and hand it to WJL. We get sorted out, and don't you know, a reel has jumped off of the bottom and attached itself to my rear D-ring!

Just another day in paradise....!!

Yeah the no mask thing was great. Once the instructor takes your mask, you know your dive is over (unless you have a REALLY evil instructor). You are pretty much on coast after that. Your buddy has to do all the worrying.

 

[TSandM]

I get the feeling sometimes from reading these stories that the GUE instructors have WAY too much fun teaching the advanced classes . . .

 

[detroit diver]

I get the feeling sometimes from reading these stories that the GUE instructors have WAY too much fun teaching the advanced classes . . .

I think you're right! By that point in the class above, we were having as much fun as they were, except that we couldn't reverse the "attack"!

At some point, you say to yourself-"It's gonna happen anyway, so I might as well just enjoy it!"