DIRF completed, forum question...

[herman]

To answer your question Bmuise, I passed the course with an AL-80 and a wetsuit as did several others in my class. June 03

 

[FFMDiver]

Yes I plan to work on my skills. I accept my level of diving related to GUE. I am not bitter - I know where I stand and I'm taking the steps to improve. I understand I'm not chasing a cert. Now that I have taken the course I understand its not just about equipment. I would just like to know if anyone passes with a single & wetsuit. Most of the folks who passed were in doubles and drysuits with TONS of experience. I do lack experience which will come with time, I humbly accepted this fact. If I'm not headed in this equipment direction, I'm wondering if it would be futile to gain more experience, lock down my skills, only to fail due to a lack of twins & drysuit. I would hope not. Sometimes I just suspect that the ultimate goal of DIR (equipment wise) is Nitrox twins, drysuit and BP wings setup. Regardless, the DIR method has me convinced - I'm in it for the methodology. Just purchased downstreams today. Just looking down the road a bit. If I ultimately need twins and a drysuit, I will need to really re-think retaking DIRF next year. Working up to doubles will take me some time. I'm just mulling things over in my mind like, does passing DIRF mean your already at a level with doubles and a drysuit...these kinds of things. Thank you.

I'm not sure what this particular config. has to do with passing the course. The skills are as applicable to warm (or cold) water wetsuit diving as they are to cold water drysuit diving with a steel tank. If anything executing the skills in a wetsuit might be easier, as I think it's easier to reach your valve in a wetsuit than a drysuit and precise buoyancy control is impacted by one less volume of air (that in your drysuit) to manage. At any rate, just be patient and give yourself time to practice, and you will make progress.

 

[FFMDiver]

Great, thank you for all the responses. Its nice to have a diving goal. I'm going to get ready for next year!!!!!

 

[MikeFerrara]

So ... if they're not much different, why do you suppose they require you to have an OW certification as a prerequisite to DIR-F?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

You misunderstand me I think. I was pointing out that the list of skills reads almost exactly the same.

 

[MikeFerrara]

So, aside from all the differences, its the same thing

Well, I'd say in the real world that an OW class is just that, meant to teach non-divers how to dive.

Whether the skills are the same, they are sure not performed at the same level, under non-certified dive conditions.

That would depend on who's teaching the class. LOL. What do you mean by non-certified conditions? Almost the whole class is at 20 ft?

I really can't believe you even said that Mike.

Why?

You've just been conditioned not to expect an OW class to be anything beyopnd breathing underwater.

 

[MikeFerrara]

After a little more thought I thought I'd give your post a little more of an answer than I did in my last post.

So, aside from all the differences, its the same thing

Same skills...not the same class.

Well, I'd say in the real world that an OW class is just that, meant to teach non-divers how to dive. Whether the skills are the same, they are sure not performed at the same level,

Actually this is exactly the point I was making

I really can't believe you even said that Mike.

If you can't believe that I said that then you haven't read anything I've written in the last couple of years.

I sat through a DIRF class and part of another at the gracious invitation of MHK and later Brando and Scott. I thought it was a great class and they did a fantastic job of teaching it.

From what I saw it's certainly true that long time divers (even recreational instructors) don't seem to do any better for the most part than many of the newer divers. Yet, the list of skills taught is pretty much the same. I say the reason is that mainstream training doesn't teach people how to dive at all even at the instructor level.

Your statement...

Well, I'd say in the real world that an OW class is just that, meant to teach non-divers how to dive.

might explain why the newer divers have trouble but what excuse should we make for the other divers who have taken lots of classes? I guess AOW, DM and instructor courses are just meant to ...teach non-divers to dive? LOL

My point? Again it's that mainstream training doesn't require good basic technique at ANY level.

Personally I'd rather not take a diver to 100 ft in an AOW class unless they've done a DIRF...or spent a couple days somehow working on the same stuff at 20 ft and then a few dives to practice it.

NWgratefuldivers divers question

So ... if they're not much different, why do you suppose they require you to have an OW certification as a prerequisite to DIR-F?

Makes me wonder if GUE will require graduates of their OW class (when it comes out) to take a DIRF prior to moving on to other classes.

 

[H2Andy]

I'm going to get ready for next year!!!!!

that's a great attitude for any class. the goal is to learn and
become a better diver, not just to get a card!

 

[MechDiver]

Your statement... might explain why the newer divers have trouble but what excuse should we make for the other divers who have taken lots of classes? I guess AOW, DM and instructor courses are just meant to ...teach non-divers to dive? LOL

My point? Again it's that mainstream training doesn't require good basic technique at ANY level.

And you know why Mike? Because its not NECESSARY. In Utopia City, where everyone maintains perfect trim, buoyancy and does nothing on dives except practice drills, your vision of diving is true.
In the real world, where most divers dive just to have fun, it isn't, and most likely never will be. And, aside from the fact that most divers can't dive well, they are not dropping like flies because they haven't had a DirF class.

Some of us are better divers because we cared about how we dove and wanted to be better. We are the minority, as most just want to have fun.
Untill the public as a whole decides to pay many times more for basic scuba instruction, devote a large percentage of their dive time to skills and learning, and actually **work** at being better, what you see is what you're gonna get.

Your visions of Utopia are nice, but they don't meet reality. THAT'S why a DirF and OW class are not the same.

MD

Sorry, just realized what forum we're in. I don't pay that much attention most of the time. Feel free to edit/move this if appropriate, but I think the post had moved out of DIR range anyway.

 

[Capnsnott]

OK,
So if I'm probably taking the DIRf class this summer, with a single 80, bp/wing, 7' hose..........
bmuise,
What skills were hardest to figure out for someone without a bunch of dives? I have 40 at this point, probably close to 60 by the September class date. I have videos of some of the skills and am trying to get some of the stuff comfortable to do.
IE. I have been trying to figure out the frog kick, how in the heck to you get your ankles to move like that????? Break them first and put them on a hinge???? LOL
Anyway, what would you suggest in the way of getting ready for it?
thanks
Greg

PS, Mike, I see your point as to the skills portion. But from what I can tell, the how it's taught is the kicker. Most AOW students don't care how good they look or feel, I have fights with my dad all the time about skills. He thinks I'm wasting my time even trying to learn more. That's the general rule of thumb from what I can tell. Figure out how you can make someone see that doing skills on the bottom is bad and you may be able to get people to care more. Just my .00002 worth (I'm cheap).

 

[cornfed]

Anyway, what would you suggest in the way of getting ready for it?

MHK wrote a few things about this recently,

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=50466