DIR wars...Is it the name?

[MXGratefulDiver]

I’ve read the GUE manuals. I agree with 90% of it. I’ve adopted 85% of it. Some of it does not work for me, and does not work on the boats I dive on. By the DIR definition, I therefore have an unsafe attitude and am a Stroke, not DIR.

No ... by the DIR definition, it simply means that you are not a DIR diver.

Let me throw this out. Can you pass DIR-F and not be DIR?

Yes ... DIR-F requires a proficiency in specific skills in order to pass. But you can pass the course and not be 100% DIR compliant. And of course, once you pass the class you are free to dive any way you want ... there are no DIR police.

I have most of the skills for DIR-F. With a little effort, I could probably pass. However I do not agree with one equipment configuration fitting all circumstances. Nor do I agree with the one size fits all mentality. Therefore, my diving would not be DIR.

There's a difference between being a good diver and being a good DIR diver. I thought I could pass the class with little effort too ... I was wrong. I still think I'm a pretty good diver ... but that doesn't make me a good DIR diver. There are style differences between what we learn from the other agencies and what you'll learn by taking the DIR-F class. What I found out is that the more experienced divers often have difficulty making the adaptations necessary to transition to the DIR style. In and of itself, not being able to make that transition doesn't necessarily make you a poor diver.

Does that mean I’m not seeking the best / safest way to dive. NO! I am seeking the best way to dive in my environment. That is where I have an issue with DIR.

Then perhaps DIR isn't for you. That's not a reflection on your skills so much as it is a reflection on your goals. DIR isn't for everybody ... follow your own goals.

But I have to tell you that, in my experience, your "issue" is more with the Internet chatter than it is with the DIR program.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[scubamoo]

I am now starting in production of

"I (heart) DIR" and "There's no ME in DIR" bumper stickers - catering to both sides of this delightful debate.

I only see one side in these bumper stickers. That is if you're interpreting the second to mean, "There's no 'I' in team."

That does emphasize one of the foundations of DIR diving -- the team concept.

 

[Viscya]

....
Yes ... DIR-F requires a proficiency in specific skills in order to pass. But you can pass the course and not be 100% DIR compliant. And of course, once you pass the class you are free to dive any way you want ... there are no DIR police.

....
But I have to tell you that, in my experience, your "issue" is more with the Internet chatter than it is with the DIR program.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

If you can pass DIR-F and not be DIR,
then, can you be DIR without being GUE certified?
The answer to that must be YES!

DIR is not passing a class. JJ’s own words are along the lines of “DIR is a holistic system”. The class teaches this system, but DIR-F is not the system. I have no doubt that it is a great course. I'm not putting it down, or trying to talk anyone out of taking it. Everyone I know that took it learned a great deal from it.

Many of us accept most, if not all, of the DIR tenements, but we are not DIR by the all or nothing rules. I think that is what most of us object to. Because I do sometimes dive solo, I can not be DIR. If you smoke you can not be DIR. If you go to McDonalds you are not DIR.

I think it is because of this mentality that DIR gets it’s bad name. On most boats I dive DIR carries such a stigma that, I would never want to admit to being DIR.
(One of those: I would never want to join any group that would have me. )

Again, I have no intention of flaming any one. I’m not arguing wether DIR is good or bad. I have not met a DIR diver I didn’t like. I agree with their diving methods and principals. I’m just trying to answer the initial question: is it the name? My answer is no, it is the All or Nothing ness of it.

 

[dweeb]

What incredible BS!
I drive a Chevy, my buddy drives a Ford. No problem. It isn't a question of right or wrong - it's a question of preference.

You failed the reading comprehension test. I said you can't "HOLD A CONVICTION" Your choice to drive a Chevy isn't a matter of conviction, unless you have an unhealthy attachment to it.

Now, if you and your buddy were debating which is superior, in a given class of vehicle, one may be clearly superior to the other. Then again, it may not be so clear. The inability of the two of you to clearly determine which is better doesn't mean the answer isn't out there.

Oh? Riddle me this, then...
"To quote Bill Gavin regarding gear, a diver must 'settle for nothing less than perfection. Those who do will discover on their own the value of such effort. Those who do not will never understand what the others are talking about'.

This is his first statement. Nothing wrong with it. It speaks of the existence of a right answer, but does not make any claims on what that answer is.

What we have presented here is called the 'Doing It Right' system, and is a platform that is integrated completely and accommodates all contingencies and additions, but no phobias." Doing it Right Gear Configuration by George Irvine

Here he makes the case for his system being the best approximation of that right answer. You may or may not agree that he's successfully made his case, but that doesn't impact the character of the attempt.

I would characterize the way I dive as within the set of many safe ways, never as the "right" way

Then what are you doing to improve it?

Interesting perception. I do object to the term "DIR" as defined by GUE and the self-proclaimed "DIR" adherents. They, for their part, claim "DIR" as their own - and that claim is what flies in the face of "objective truth."

Hardly. Their claims depend upon and argue for the existence of objective truth. One cannot claim to seek, or have found, objective truth without acknowledging that it exists.

Your objections amount to little more than emotional lashing out at the prospect that someone might actually find a right way and your way may be found wanting. You're obviously not as secure in going YOUR way as you claim, if you get your knickers in a knot over someone else seeking THE way. That's the path they've chosen, and I find it amusing that relativists like you get so bent out of shape when someone else chooses an absolutist path, because your own mantra should dictate that you don't give a rat's behind what GUE does, or what name they give their method. The fact is, your umbrage shows you're far more concerned about the choices others make than you're willing to admit, and thus you're no different from the most rabid DIR fanatic. No one at GUE is trying to stop you from doing your thing, but your anger over them doing their thing and calling it what they wish is palpable. This is EXACTLY what I was talking about, and I thank you for the illustration.

 

[novadiver]

Fly It Right (FIR) Forum

Q: When I am landing my airplane, how soon after the wheels touch the ground should I cut the throttle?

FIR: You should not cut the throttle, you should go to full throttle immediately and let you tailhook catch the wire. Then you can fly away safely if you miss the wire. You can cut the throttle after you buddy has signaled that you have caught the wire.

Q: My airplane doesn't have a tailhook. I just want to land at the general aviation airport. I don't have a flying buddy.

FIR: You really should get a tailhook. Hook-Rite is the best one. You will need it when you want to land on an aircraft carrier. Have you taken the FIR-F course? Everyone that takes is amazed by what a lousy flyer they really are. If you take the course, you will learn how to use the tailhook. You should always fly with a buddy who has a 7' aerial refueling hose, what if you ran out of fuel?

Q: I just have Cessna that I like to fly for fun. I already have pilot's license. I just watch the fuel gauge on the instrument panel and land when I need more.

FIR: Oh, an instrument panel? They're not really a good idea. You should get a separate fuel gauge that you clip to your right shoulder D ring.

Q: OK, but I still don't think I need a tailhook. I don't really think I will ever want to land on an aircraft carrier.

FIR: After you get more experience, you will. You should get the right airplane from the start. The agency that issued your pilot's license has very low standards. They just want to get as many people flying as possible to make more money. .

Q: <enters catatonic state>help me.....

There, did I cover most of it?

Gear 2500$

Training 1025$

Training twice 1025$

This last post ; priceless.

 

[FreeFloat]

Gear 2500$

Training 1025$

Training twice 1025$

This last post ; priceless.

I agree!

 

[novadiver]

I agree!

I'm still sitting here laughing, I must be running a PPN2 of 5.5, I'm just flat out narced

 

[jagfish]

If you can pass DIR-F and not be DIR,
then, can you be DIR without being GUE certified?
The answer to that must be YES!

DIR is not passing a class. JJ’s own words are along the lines of “DIR is a holistic system”. The class teaches this system, but DIR-F is not the system. I have no doubt that it is a great course. I'm not putting it down, or trying to talk anyone out of taking it. Everyone I know that took it learned a great deal from it.

Many of us accept most, if not all, of the DIR tenements, but we are not DIR by the all or nothing rules. I think that is what most of us object to. Because I do sometimes dive solo, I can not be DIR. If you smoke you can not be DIR. If you go to McDonalds you are not DIR.

I think it is because of this mentality that DIR gets it’s bad name. On most boats I dive DIR carries such a stigma that, I would never want to admit to being DIR.
(One of those: I would never want to join any group that would have me. )

Again, I have no intention of flaming any one. I’m not arguing wether DIR is good or bad. I have not met a DIR diver I didn’t like. I agree with their diving methods and principals. I’m just trying to answer the initial question: is it the name? My answer is no, it is the All or Nothing ness of it.

This is becoming more complicated than the ending to Matirx 2... :06:

 

[adurso]

I don't know anyone who believes that except people who are rabidly anti-DIR for whatever reason. I've never met a DIR diver who feels that way, and the attitude you describe is rare online, and nonexistant on the three major boards, including this one.

It's threads like this that get people riled up. Here's my prediction: DIR guys will come and calmly explain their case, and they will get attacked, called names, and accused of calling everyone else strokes.

I did meet a diver on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico with that attitude. Here is the story: a young man gearing up for his first dive of the day placed his octo in his bungee cord and was asked by another diver what he was doing, the reply was " I am doing it right!" The other asked what that meant, and was told that the other divers do everything wrong and were going to die, at this point I really looked at the fellow, with his back plate and wings, bungeed octo, and asked him why he was diving the short hose if he was DIR. He got terribly upset and went into the water, with the current, and I happened to be back up when he surfaced 100 yards down current and could not make the swim back to the boat, causing the skipper to go and fetch him. Oh, he was also solo. Now I know that he was not really DIR, but making the claim, then acting like a fool, and doing things wrong puts a bad taste in the mouth of those who hear the DIR word

 

[opiniongirl]

how dare you speek ill of DIR...

NO SOUP FOR YOU!!!!