Well, I had over 900 dives when I took DIR-F, and I had some things to unlearn ... despite the fact that I'd been diving with DIR-trained divers for more than two years prior to taking the class.
First thing I had to unlearn was the notion that I had a pretty good idea what it was all about ... oh, I had some pieces of the puzzle pretty well figured out, but what was missing was the "why" that made those bits of information into a picture. The lecture part of the class was excellent at providing a "big picture" that was in some respects completely unlike the things one thinks they learn by reading books or internet postings.
Then there were the kicks ... 600+ dives on split fins had developed a muscle memory unlike anything a DIR diver would want to admit to. I thought I had a frog kick down pretty well ... till I saw it on video. It wasn't a frog, it was a flog! My right foot was doing this inexplicable little twist that was just killing any chance for an effective glide. After I saw the video I pretty much had to start all over again and teach my legs and ankles to do something different ... and that's not so easy once you've developed the muscles to do it a particular way.
And where the hell did that all that left-arm action come from? I knew better than to hand-scull but was doing it unconsciously ... not out of any need but because I'd gotten used to doing it over time. And breaking that habit was like trying to quit smoking ... you had to make it a conscious effort all the time.
Situational awareness I had down pretty cold ... then again, I was already an instructor by then, and if there's one thing instructors need to do well it's keep track of where everybody is at all times.
On the other hand, my buoyancy control wasn't nearly as good as I thought it was. Oh I could hover with the best of 'em till a little task-loading was applied ... then I was all over the map! What I had to unlearn was the habit of taking that last big breath before handing off a regulator ... it kills your buoyancy. That wasn't hard, really ... I had just never really given it proper thought before.
I can't say I was completely impressed with my DIR-F class but in hindsight a lot of that was because all the glowing reports I read had set an expectation that was, in all probability, unattainable. It did provide me with a realistic baseline of where I was at, skills-wise ... and how to go about getting to the level I wanted to be. And in truth, that's about all a class of that nature can do.
As a result, I try to set the expectations for those who I refer to the class by telling them ... 1) go in prepared to work hard ... 2) leave your ego home, it'll only weigh you down ... and 3) don't expect to pass the first time around.
I think that last one is the thing most of us have to unlearn ... the notion that giving it your best shot doesn't guarantee that you'll pass the class. For almost all of us, that's a totally new experience ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
