SeaJay
Contributor
Okay, look. Daily I am eating my words. Every time I get into the water and go through all of the aggravation of setting up gear and all, and then trying to figure a better, simpler way, I end up with a rig that is perfectly DIR. It's really beginning to tick me off. 
It started with the mask. I had a clear silicone one, and used simiar masks for years. Unfortunately, the more I got into scuba diving instead of snorkeling or freediving, the more that the "bubbles in my periferal" and "ghosting reflections on the glass" began to bother me. I bought an all black ScubaPro Fino. Love it. But it was all downhill from there.
EXACTLY as was predicted, the more my skills grow underwater, the less I value the features that were so important to me before (I don't even use pull dumps on those BC's that DO have them... It's just a habit thing. It's also reassuring to FEEL the air coming out of the BC...) And the the more my skills grow underwater, the more I value the exact same thing that DIR is teaching. I am certain that I am being assimilated.
I may have a saving grace, though... I will not ditch my BFK. I like my pigsticker. Sure, it's rediculous, but it's great to use as a little mini anchor in high current, zero-vis dives with a muddy bottom. It also makes a cool clanking sound when I walk topside. Oh yeah, and my girlfriend says it's sexy. Little kids think I'm Captain Hook.
I also hate weight belts. I wear them for my classes to get them on and off easily, but I hate them with a passion. I could go into this, but it'd just start a flame war, and I'm not interested in that.
Oh, and I still want a computer. See, I think it boils down to the kind of diving I'm doing. Anyway, more on that another time.
My question is this... I'm really beginning to hate the bigass loop that a short reg hose makes over the right shoulder of a diver. Do you know how much it sucks to get a 5' nurse shark caught in there? No kidding... I'm feeding at the Aquarium today, and this nurse come up from behind me and wants his share. Unfortunately, he felt that it was best to get to my feed bucket through the loop in my primary. Problem would not have been there if I'd been wearing a longer hose, wrapped up nice and close to my body, DIR style.
But I have no need for a canister light in that Aquarium. What's the DIR protocol in this situation? How do I keep a long hose secured properly at my waist with no canister there? DIRIII with George suggested a 5' hose wrapped under the right armpit, with no canister light... What do y'all do?
Oh, and if you're wondering what I did about the shark... I spit out my reg, placed my hand firmly on top of his head, and pushed him away. He obviously came back, but at least he was clear. I did a sweep and replaced my reg while an audience stood, dumbfounded, about how I'd just escaped death by simultaneous shark attack and drowning.
Land people are funny.
It started with the mask. I had a clear silicone one, and used simiar masks for years. Unfortunately, the more I got into scuba diving instead of snorkeling or freediving, the more that the "bubbles in my periferal" and "ghosting reflections on the glass" began to bother me. I bought an all black ScubaPro Fino. Love it. But it was all downhill from there.
EXACTLY as was predicted, the more my skills grow underwater, the less I value the features that were so important to me before (I don't even use pull dumps on those BC's that DO have them... It's just a habit thing. It's also reassuring to FEEL the air coming out of the BC...) And the the more my skills grow underwater, the more I value the exact same thing that DIR is teaching. I am certain that I am being assimilated.
I may have a saving grace, though... I will not ditch my BFK. I like my pigsticker. Sure, it's rediculous, but it's great to use as a little mini anchor in high current, zero-vis dives with a muddy bottom. It also makes a cool clanking sound when I walk topside.
Oh yeah, and my girlfriend says it's sexy. Little kids think I'm Captain Hook. I also hate weight belts. I wear them for my classes to get them on and off easily, but I hate them with a passion. I could go into this, but it'd just start a flame war, and I'm not interested in that.
Oh, and I still want a computer. See, I think it boils down to the kind of diving I'm doing. Anyway, more on that another time.
My question is this... I'm really beginning to hate the bigass loop that a short reg hose makes over the right shoulder of a diver. Do you know how much it sucks to get a 5' nurse shark caught in there? No kidding... I'm feeding at the Aquarium today, and this nurse come up from behind me and wants his share. Unfortunately, he felt that it was best to get to my feed bucket through the loop in my primary. Problem would not have been there if I'd been wearing a longer hose, wrapped up nice and close to my body, DIR style.
But I have no need for a canister light in that Aquarium. What's the DIR protocol in this situation? How do I keep a long hose secured properly at my waist with no canister there? DIRIII with George suggested a 5' hose wrapped under the right armpit, with no canister light... What do y'all do?
Oh, and if you're wondering what I did about the shark... I spit out my reg, placed my hand firmly on top of his head, and pushed him away. He obviously came back, but at least he was clear. I did a sweep and replaced my reg while an audience stood, dumbfounded, about how I'd just escaped death by simultaneous shark attack and drowning.
Land people are funny.
