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10W lights seems rather wimpy in bigger caves that just suck up the light. I'll take an 18W or greater anyday.
nadwidny:
"DIR: Fundamentals of Better Diving"
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Zephrant
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Back to the question at hand, I believe on the GUE videos it is mentioned at least once, that sometime they just had to chose ONE way of doing things. Consistency among the team is key of course.
So if there does not appear to be a reason behind something that appears arbitrary.... it might be one of the things that was, but had to be nailed down for everyone's benefit.
So if there does not appear to be a reason behind something that appears arbitrary.... it might be one of the things that was, but had to be nailed down for everyone's benefit.
I'm in the same camp as the OP - inquiring minds want to know the hard-earned 'why this way' that DIR has landed on, and that really isn't captured in one place. I'm sure the old pros know, but that information is scattered around and shouldn't be lost.
For example: why tie off bolt snaps with cave line, which can (and does) abrade and lose strength? Why not use industrial 50lb test cable ties? (the ones with the SS tongue, something we use often in the offshore oil industry)
Answer: because its easy to cut off the cave line if the snap jams and locks to the D ring. The same toughness that makes a industrial cable tie resistant to wear makes it a bear to cut with anything other than diagonal cutters. Relying on a pair of diagnonal cutters is bad because it adds to your equipment burden and they have close tolerances subject to jamming from silt/sand/corrosion.
There is a ton of information like this that should really be captured because it makes the case for DIR so strong, shows why seemingly small deviations may have big consequences, and really demonstrates DIR's holistic approach (e.g., you need a bolt snap to secure your primary, and you tie it with cave twine because if the snap jams, its safe and easy to cut off with a short bladed knife that everyone carries).
I'd be happy to collect the gems like these in an FAQ, but the cave twine one is the extent of my knowledge.
For example: why tie off bolt snaps with cave line, which can (and does) abrade and lose strength? Why not use industrial 50lb test cable ties? (the ones with the SS tongue, something we use often in the offshore oil industry)
Answer: because its easy to cut off the cave line if the snap jams and locks to the D ring. The same toughness that makes a industrial cable tie resistant to wear makes it a bear to cut with anything other than diagonal cutters. Relying on a pair of diagnonal cutters is bad because it adds to your equipment burden and they have close tolerances subject to jamming from silt/sand/corrosion.
There is a ton of information like this that should really be captured because it makes the case for DIR so strong, shows why seemingly small deviations may have big consequences, and really demonstrates DIR's holistic approach (e.g., you need a bolt snap to secure your primary, and you tie it with cave twine because if the snap jams, its safe and easy to cut off with a short bladed knife that everyone carries).
I'd be happy to collect the gems like these in an FAQ, but the cave twine one is the extent of my knowledge.
PerroneFord
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Amazingly, answers like this are readily available if you take a GUE course. This information is only necessary to be "captured" if you're trying to learn it off the internet.
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Yeah its kinda funny that they actually offer classes when you got SB :mooner:
PerroneFord
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munitor:Ah, the infallible memory of oral tradition.We do it this way, grasshopper. Only the ancients remember why...
OR,
You could purchase a copy of DIR: Fundamentals of Better Diving, a copy of "Dress for Success", and save the manuals from your Tech1, Tech2, Cave1, and Cave2 courses in which the philosophy, gear, and methodologies are shown, explained, and demonstrated. Additionally, you can purchase the DVDs from GUE that show on video these same concepts, and explain the why's and wherefores of it all.
Or we could make a FAQ online here at SB.
Your choice.
I like the "we" in that option , but obviously if all the information about the "why this way has turned out to be the best way" of DIR is already well documented, no sense in reformatting it. My sense from reading DIR: Fundamentals of Better Diving and from the videos was that there is a lot of knowledge not written down about alternatives tried and rejected. My experience is that the "why this way has turned out to be the best way" gets lost pretty quickly in most environments, creating tension for deviation that takes energy to manage, energy that could be better spent in implementation.
, but obviously if all the information about the "why this way has turned out to be the best way" of DIR is already well documented, no sense in reformatting it. My sense from reading DIR: Fundamentals of Better Diving and from the videos was that there is a lot of knowledge not written down about alternatives tried and rejected. My experience is that the "why this way has turned out to be the best way" gets lost pretty quickly in most environments, creating tension for deviation that takes energy to manage, energy that could be better spent in implementation.
PerroneFord
Contributor
Really, this is quite simple. There are many ways of accomplishing diving. There are even multiple ways of doing the kind of diving done in the WKPP. DIR has proven to be one successful way. But the fact is, all the books, videos, and internet FAQ's in the world are not suitable to replace time in the water for learning lessons on how to configure your gear or why something is deemed optimal.
Honestly, if you'd like to begin a DIR FAQ on why certian things are done the way they are, I encourage you to research it. But before you do, have a conversation with Bill Main. I would have encouraged you to speak with Parker Turner who's views shaped most of the DIR concepts, but he is no longer with us. I would also suggest you speak to JJ and well as George and get some ideas from them on why these things were chosen.
You are absolutely right; hoever, in stating that in most environments, the why's get lost quite quickly if they are not written down and shared.
Honestly, if you'd like to begin a DIR FAQ on why certian things are done the way they are, I encourage you to research it. But before you do, have a conversation with Bill Main. I would have encouraged you to speak with Parker Turner who's views shaped most of the DIR concepts, but he is no longer with us. I would also suggest you speak to JJ and well as George and get some ideas from them on why these things were chosen.
You are absolutely right; hoever, in stating that in most environments, the why's get lost quite quickly if they are not written down and shared.
having just perused "Dress for Success," I still like the idea of a FAQ, not because the information isn't otherwise out there, but because there are always curious peeps who wander in off the internet (like me) and inevitably ask the same basic questions over and over. It's just nice to be able to point us to a FAQ rather than send us off to find an assortment of books and training manuals. So long as someone enjoys creating and maintaining such a FAQ, having one seems to be a matter of convenience for everyone 
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