DIR... what is it, or who are they???

[Lost Yooper]

BradyMSU and I have some fundamental differences for sure, but I whole heartedly agree with him that the discussions should be kept civil. There's no reason for blood pressures to rise.
George Irvine ("leader"/founder of DIR) isn't the most personable guy, but I understand where he comes from and why he's so adement. Every time someone dies down there in a Florida cave doing something stupid it puts more and more pressure on banning that type of diving. Also, often times the WKPP is called in to fish those people out of the caves so it can become quite personal to those guys. I've talked to Irvine and JJ a lot, and they genuinly want to educate all divers and they do it for free. Ask yourself why they do this.
I too am not 100% DIR (perhaps 95%), but I have rarely heard a good argument against even strick DIR in any circumstances. The exceptions being commercial work and some search and rescue scenarios (though I used DIR for the sheriffs dept S&R team).
I am not saying that everyone should dive DIR or that diving should become standardized, but that DIR is a very good diving system that is very well thought out and proven in extreme environments.
I have dived in many different environments, and I have not found one single piece of my DIR configuration to be a short coming in any of them. IMO, DIR will work exceedingly well in any recreational and technical diving environment and will generally do so at equal or less cost.

There's my take.

Mike

 

[Scubadawg]

My personal opinion is that, What makes The DIR Divers Look bad is the WANNABE DIR Divers looking for DIR approved masks, fins, wetsuit, drysuit, hose manufactures, regs, spg's, toliet paper etc....thinking if they buy all the right name brand dir approved gear they wil then become DIR, I am A Public safety diver whose has incoorporated some of the DIR philosphy, unfortunatly we dive in o" visibilty with a rope tied off to us and usually dive alone, lying in 6 inches of mudd at the bottom of a lake in 40 ft of water. We use full face Ocean technology masks, with communications, can it fail...Yes, that is why we use rope signals ,and comms just for the odd question that needs to be asked, Our rope tenders monitor our time down, air consumption and position, we dont have the luxury of being able to lok at guages when eve we feel like it. This is probably everything against that DIR stands for . But this is what it takes to do the job that very few of else have the guts to do..

Ill get down off my soap box now .

 

[salty]

1. This thread is 3 years old and I havent even seen lost yooper in a while.
2. DIR and public safty diving are two very diffrent things. DIR was never ment to be a alternitive to public safty diving.

 

[Scubadawg]

1.Didn't realize it was that old.
2. I was told by a few DIR (wannabe) people that DIR will work with all types of diving regardless the enviroment. It is Sicking that there are a few out there that treat the DIR sytem like communism ..I totally agree with the statement that you made.. 2 different purposes. and 2 different gear configs.

 

[Uncle Pug]

...this is what it takes to do the job that very few of else have the guts to do.

It doesn't take much of a diver to wallow around on the bottom while tied to a rope.

 

[The Chairman]

Dang... I started this thread shortly after I joined. I can't believe that I actually thought that diving without a buddy was a "good idea"... and promoted it too! Too funny for words.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Yeah... I was about to ban you for trolling in the DIR forum and then I saw it was just an old thread resurrected by Scubaddawg!

 

[lamont]

1.Didn't realize it was that old.
2. I was told by a few DIR (wannabe) people that DIR will work with all types of diving regardless the enviroment. It is Sicking that there are a few out there that treat the DIR sytem like communism ..I totally agree with the statement that you made.. 2 different purposes. and 2 different gear configs.

1. check the dates on old threads before ressurecting. somtimes its okay in order to keep all the information about a subject collected together -- generally for flamewars like this it isn't.

2. also like completely unregulated free-market capitalism. just look at the record that the IMF has racked up (argentina, russia, asian crises, etc). True Believers in anything pretty much suck, DIR included.

 

[The Chairman]

Well UP... I did want to find out about DIR, and I surely got my wish! What a great board. Of course I get asked "What's UP Doc?" a lot...

 

[pipedope]

It doesn't take much of a diver to wallow around on the bottom while tied to a rope.

Heck, even I could do it!

You only have to be good enough at diving that you don't have to think about it so that you can keep your mind on the job.