DIR Poll

[100days-a-year]

I believe this is the "technical diving section"in which we discuss "tech diving"no need to discuss recreatioal diving preferences here.DIR is best suited to technically challenging dives.Those doubles and drysuit will look silly at Looe Key.The man asked a simple question .My answer would be as DIR as I need to be.The closer I get to dives that DIR evolved from the closer my equipment and practices get to it.A great deal is said by critics about how fervent the DIR "Koolaid kids" are yet the most vitriolic and near religious fanatacism I see comes from the critics who normally wouldn't seem to have ever even been 1000' back in a cave or 200' deep yet insist in telling people who do it as a matter of course how"wrong" DIR is.I applaud Pete as I have seen him acknowledge points and remain civil (altho cynical).If you don't actually have any technical diving expertise and run off at the mouth about it either for or against you run the risk of appearing foolish.It's not that big a deal either way it's just a choice of diving style.

 

[Diver0001]

Tekkie once bubbled...
Well,
I would say I am 2/3 the way there. The only thing I have too work on is my reg setup. My dad won't let me put my backup under my neck because he thinks it is going to choke me or something or it might get caught on something. But everything else I am DIR BP and Wings, no comp ect....
Tekkie

The only time I really needed my octopus I couldn't find it and it very nearly ended badly.

I was playing rescue victim and the 'rescuer" knocked my reg out of my mouth when he was trying to lift me off the bottom. Only he didn't notice this and he had my arms in a sort of weird grip (yes, he did it all wrong). I reached for my reg but I couldn't find it while I was being held like that. I had no idea where my octopus was either because it was in the days that dangling octos were the norm..... so I obviously couldn't find it either. At that point I wanted out of his grip but the more I tried the tighter he held on. I made it most of the way to the surface (10m/30ft) before the need for a plan got very urgent (actually it was urgent as soon as it happened but I was inexperienced and immortal at the time and I should have stopped him immediately. I thought I could handle it, which obviously I couldn't). I'm afraid my solution wasn't very elegant, it involved hitting him and spinning him around to get him off of me and then I signalled OOA, of course the only natural way that came to me at the time -- by opening my mouth and pointing in and he gave me his primary. I took it and only gave it back again when he started tugging on it. I'm not making myself look very " indiana-jones" like here but it's the truth and it *was* like 18 years ago so I've learned a few things since then . We finished the ascent buddy breathing because even though we had 3 other perfectly functioning regs dangling around somewhere we were both focussed on the one we knew how to find. It just goes to show you how easy getting in trouble can be from something as simple as not knowing where your octopus is.

Shortly thereafter I put an AIRII on my inflater so I my octopus would always be *exactly* where I left it! In 1986 we didn't have DIR so that seemed like the best solution at the time but the first time I got a good look at how tech divers were doing it I changed it.

The moral of my story is, of course when the REALLY NEED your octopus you REALLY NEED to know where it is. You probably know that but maybe you need some stories like this to convince your father.

Anyone else got a good story? Stick to true stories, no scenarios.

R..

P.S. I don't know if you know this but something like a half of all active divers have had some kind of panic situation at some point. It would be interesting to know how many of these (and indeed how many incidents) are caused by not being able to find the octopus when you need it. Anybody have any info about this?

 

[knives]

crazyc once bubbled...
I believe that no one can ever really become 100% DIR the way it is defined by George. Even George himself by his own admittance isn't 100% by the book. How can anyone be? If the true goal of DIR is to always look for a better/safer way to do something, then one may "stray" from the established norm of equipment/fitness/nutrition/attitude in order to find another way to do something right/better.

I look at being DIR as a journey instead of a destination.

CrazyC

Yes ...I that is how I feel too....I like the attitude of improving the whole package ...body , mind, skills...it is constant improvement.

 

[Tekkie]

I had a similar experience in my OW checkout dives Diver0001,
I had a really bad rental Bc and it didn't have one of the backup holders. I showed it to my dive con because I didn't want my reg bouncing all over the quarry bottom, so he put a bungie around it. I didn't notice it until I was in the water. Well at about 30 ft the head instructor made the out of air sign to me and so I gave him my primary. When I reached for my backup and jurked it, it didn't come loose and I almost had to take my primary back from the instructor. but luckaly I got it off after pulling half of my bc to my mouth. That wasn't much fun. Right now I have one of those ball backup holders on my backplate and wings. It looks kind of funny but it works. It sure will be intresting when I take my Stress and Rescue course in 2 weeks.
Tekkie

 

[Braunbehrens]

All these backup horror stories just illustrate why it's so much easier to dive with a long hose, and a backup on a necklace. The backup is always there when you need it, and I mean RIGHT there.

Also, the long hose makes it really easy to share air. In fact, it's so easy, I've been on rec. dives where I've shared air just because my buddy was getting a bit low and we didn't feel like turning the dive yet. I just handed him my primary, went to my backup, and we continued for a while longer. Of course we didn't wait for him to be dangerously low, he had plenty of gas so that at any time we could still both easily get out on what was in his tanks.

I'm telling you guys, part of the reason the DIR divers push the system so hard is that it's just way more fun, and way less stress. Everything works beautifully, everything has been tested by many many divers, and the system has proved itself on very serious dives, far more serious than I'll EVER do.

There may be another system out there that works, but how can you be sure? When everyone dives a completely different setup, you end up with no way of veryfying that any of these setups stand the test. The time you find out is usually when you really can't afford to do so.

I love to tinker and figure things out for myself an be different etc. But when it comes to life support, tried and true is better. If you want to tinker, buy a boat. You can mess with that till the cows come home, pour all your money into it, and if everything goes to hell call the coast guard. You don't want to "tinker" with life support. Just look at all the people who've lost thier life in this sport, countless ones were "tinkerers". Just off the top of my head, there was a guy in San Diego diving a modified breather. Then there was the guy diving that huge contraption with 7 different tanks strapped to his back (tony maffatone I think). It's not worth it to do that.

By all means, make sure that DIR makes sense. Ask questions, like I did, argue everything down to where you are convinced one way or another. That's exactly what I did. But in the end, if it all makes sense, then any reasonable person must come to the conclusion that it's safer to follow this sytem than reinventing the wheel.

Please excuse the long diatribe.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

I have my reg around my neck, but using the older surgical tubing method. If jerked, it will come loose! It is still exactly where I want it, around my neck. This method used to be DIR but is now not "technically" DIR anymore.

I agree with the fact that both regs should be in a completely obvious location. I just can't guarantee which reg will get grabbed. I can say that if I dive with someone without a long hose or a second around their neck, I will more than likely grab their primary and make them deal with finding their second.

To me, this is a situation where DIR had it right but took a wrong turn for the worst. I understand why they changed it. The surgical tubing can be a pain if not done correctly. The reg can fall out during the middle of the dive (very seldom happens). I have learned to deal with this to the point that I can't remember the last time it happened (2-3yr ago maybe). Now that I have a shorter second hose (DIR...) I see it being even less likely.

If you are diving with other DIR divers, go with the bungie attached to the mouthpiece method [it IS better]. Since my buddies aren't DIR, I have to make allowances for their safety. That is part of my job as a dive buddy.

 

[Purcell]

As usual with DIR, newbies in their flush of enthusiasm, can cause more damage than help. There are one or maybe two ppl here can guide/help anyone along the learning curve, one is Mike Kane, patient and accessible. I am not 100% DIR. I dont excercise often enough and my fitness could be improved generally.
DIR is not solely about kit. IMHO it is also a mindset . I`ll let other more suited ppl expand on this last statement.
Jack.

 

[Doof]

I picked up a bungie necklace from EE. I figure, what could be more DIR approved than that?

This bungie is so thick I don't see how it can go through the mouthpiece ziptie and still guarantee that the mouthpiece stays in place. Unless I'm misunderstanding that part.

So I left it so that it's possible the reg can be pulled out. Personally, I can see pros and cons doing it either way.

 

[diveski01]

Doof once bubbled...
This bungie is so thick I don't see how it can go through the mouthpiece ziptie and still guarantee that the mouthpiece stays in place. Unless I'm misunderstanding that part.

The bungie is tied such that it forms an opening which surrounds the mouthpiece. Snug up each end to secure it. I've quickly tried to find a clear image and have this but will try to find a better shot.

 

[The Chairman]

and are tasty during long decos too! :tease: