South Pacific Diver:
Someone who has been diving for 4 or 5 years and hooked on a fad coming out here and telling folks who have been doing this safely for 20 years or more that we are all hosed up and don't know how to dive, sure puts DIR in a bad light.
Yes it does ... but as with most things, there are more sides to the story than one.
I used to be pretty turned off to the DIR thing. Even as a fairly new diver, having someone criticize me ... or laugh at me ... because of my diving style was a huge turnoff. But I learned that it was only one face in a crowd ... and that I shouldn't make my own decisions based on their actions.
Over time I noticed that the "vocal" people weren't very representative of the majority of DIR divers I came into contact with. Most just wanted to dive, and were more concerned with their own diving habits than mine. Some befriended me and became dive buddies. I learned a lot diving with them ... not because they tried to convince me to change my ways, but because I'd see what they were doing and think "wow, that's pretty cool". I started seeing things from a different perspective ... especially in my approach to planning and executing a dive. Still ... having the basic "rebel without a clue" personality, I wanted to do things my way. DIR, to me, was still just a club ... and in general I'm not a "club" person.
But then, evolution happened ... first came the backplate, then the long hose, and then I parted ways with my beloved split fins. I broke my console and turned it into wrist gauges. Finally, I took a DIR-F class. Even my DIR friends were amused at my slow transition toward "the Dark Side". But I'm still the "rebel without a clue" ... and there are still some things I insist on doing my way.
Point is, why get all hung up over what other people think? It's just diving. If a different approach, technique, or piece of gear works for you ... go with it. If not, don't. If taking a class can help you be a better diver, don't let someone else's boorish behavior prevent you from taking it.
FWIW - I dive with a lot of DIR-trained divers ... and also with some excellent divers who do things a lot differently than DIR does. The best ones all have something in common though ... an open mind, and a willingness to learn. Those are the ones I want to dive with ... regardless of which agency trained 'em.
They're just divers ... as am I.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
