DIR video of open water divers

[large_diver]

Andrew G. showed us some video this past weekend of a woman who has 9 dives under her belt, but who was trained by Andrew's shop, where they include DIR principles in BOW training.

Her trim and buoyancy were pretty impressive.....

 

[Soggy]

I didn't watch the video, but what is wrong with holding onto the anchor/bouy line on the safety stop? It allows you to very very easily stay at a constant depth, even if there is a current.

I wouldn't do it without gloves, though ouch

 

[Rick Murchison]

First of all, you don't have to take "DIRF" or be "DIR" to hover horizontally off the line. We were doing that years before "DIR" existed, and we still do it - without a "DIR" rig. (sometimes even with it) And I train my students to do it, without "killing" them during training.
Second, there is absolutely nothing "wrong" with using an anchor line to maintain depth for a safety stop so long as sea conditions permit. However, where current permits, hovering is generally better because you don't have to deal with the constant up and down of the line as the boat pitches and rolls with the swell. Hovering has the additional benefit of honing your buoyancy skills while you're "just marking time."
Third, (see the Flower Gardens trip report) especially in the Gulf, hovering off the line is not always an option, because the current is faster than one can swim. "Bunching" can be avoided by using a deco bar or line (I prefer the trail line off the anchor line as it eliminates most of the up & down). I carry my own line that I can clip off to the anchor line and hang away from it - and it's long enough to share with two more divers.
Rick

 

[JimC]

On my first boat dive ever, there was an anchor line.

And there were other divers.. Imagine that.

And my wife and I were acending. I was doing my first ever free accent, horizontal and having quite a bit of fun trying to control it. I was also within easy grabing distance of the line, this being my first time.. I was a bit uncertain and wanted the safe feeling of the solid line.

At about 20 feet I get kicked in the head, mask comes off, reg out.. ouch. After catching my mask, replacing my reg, checking my depth and boyancy I looked up at a good 10 divers almost brwaling for the 15 foot spot on the line.

*mental note* look up more often.

Faced with a delema.. enter brawl fo 'spot' on line, hover around, or do my stop lower. Well, I hovered, which has paied off many many times in boyancy controll and trim for all of my dives.

While most people are hanging onto a line and fighting each other, I am practicing boyancy. Infact my wife has started to emulate it because it looks more natural.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Waterlover once bubbled...
It will explain alot about why DIR skills are so important. A little background.

The people shooting the video are open water trained divers, who have taken the DIRF class. One of the people with the death grip on the anchor line is a master instructor from a well known agency. I think the video says alot. see if you agree.
Enjoy

What does it explain about the importance of DIR skills?
What is a DIR skill?

What do you think the video says?

 

[landlocked]

I watched the video. I'm confussed. It seems like the video is taken at a depth even with the divers on the line. We pan to David and then the filming is taking place from about 10 feet below the divers on the line. Then we are above the divers on the line and then even again. I rarely hang on to a line, even when one is available, but I really try to keep my depth a little more constant during a safety stop than what the video seems to show. I'm new so I may have missed something important here. I do confess that maintaining a constant depth with no anchor point and being task loaded (with the filming) would be difficult for me at my skill level but I don't see anything diferent here than what I am used to.

Next point of curiosity, what difference does it make whether I choose to do my safety stop horizontal, vertical, or (as my dive master likes to do) upside down? The point is the depth not the orientation is it not? Like I said, I must be confussed.

 

[Ron Brandt]

The dir divers are swimming and moving their arms. Hell everybody knows it's easy to maintain bouyancy while moving and not holding on to a line.



The guys hanging onto the rope looked like a student I saw on their first open water dive last weekend

Ron

 

[sheck33]

it makes offgassing more efficient being horizontal. I do not know if there is actual data to support this. The fact that the divers on the line are finning makes me wonder whether they are finning to stay at depth If that is the case they obviously have little bouyancy control, it is what new divers usually do, then once they stop finning they start sinking because they werent neutral to begin with. Yes the DIR divers are moving their hands but not to control position or depth

i dont think that at any point the DIR divers are above the ones on the line. It is hard to estimate distances under water, but i will watch it again to check that.

 

[DivePartner1]

Gee, does that mean the rest of us should pretend to forget about bouyancy and grab the line if DIRs are watching?

 

[k4sdi]

I would like to see this video to see what all the fuss is about, but I can't get it to play. I get a message that says,
"Quicktime is missing software required to perform this operation. Unfortunately, it is not availiable on the QuickTime server"
Any Ideas?