Disadvantages of DIR ?

[headhunter]

Those who are open-minded will look into it, no matter how it is presented, and they will see the advantages. Those who are not, will not, or they will go in with a "this is bogus" attitude and of course, come up with all kinds of reasons why it won't work for them. You won't teach a pig to sing.

NOW I understand the meaning of O-ring's title!

Christian

 

[BradJ]

It takes the fun out of it.

In reading the fundamentals book and taking the DIRf class, it was emphasized to me that a goal of DIR was to make recreational diving more fun.

That just wasn't the case. Since taking the class almost three months ago, I've pretty much lost all interest in the sport. I've tried to stay with it, but I just can't.

Did you ever take a class in college thinking that it would point you in the direction you thought you wanted to go only to realize that you were nothing like the instructor or the other students. Not that the subject wasn't for you, just the approach and the people weren't right, at least not for you.

I'll state again as I have before, GUE divers are very skilled, but if your intention is to stay recreational with no intention of moving beyond that, I would suggest avoiding their style/instructor type of training.

 

[Boogie711]

It takes the fun out of it.

In reading the fundamentals book and taking the DIRf class, it was emphasized to me that a goal of DIR was to make recreational diving more fun.

That just wasn't the case. Since taking the class almost three months ago, I've pretty much lost all interest in the sport. I've tried to stay with it, but I just can't.

Did you ever take a class in college thinking that it would point you in the direction you thought you wanted to go only to realize that you were nothing like the instructor or the other students. Not that the subject wasn't for you, just the approach and the people weren't right, at least not for you.

I'll state again as I have before, GUE divers are very skilled, but if your intention is to stay recreational with no intention of moving beyond that, I would suggest avoiding their style/instructor type of training.

Brad - I'm truly sorry to hear that was the case for you. Did you find your skills just weren't up to snuff and quit or something? I know I sure as heck went through "Post DIR-F Depression." It's very common.

There are a large number of recreational only DIR divers on this board. They commonly say the same thing - once your skills are in line, it makes diving far MORE fun.

 

[gr8white]

Read the excellent posting under "What is DIR?". I got my NAUI and PADI certifications over 25 years ago when you had (if I remember right) to show aquatic proficiency by swimming one mile before you could get certified. Today you simply need to show you can float so you won't drown. That leaves a lot of minimally trained and some unfit divers floating in the water subject to a lot of maladies and accidents waiting to happen.

You CAN get NAUI or PADI certified and do just fine IF you join DAN, read their magazine and practice what you learn, take continuing certification levels and practice what you learn and dive only with buddys who do the same. Unfortunately, even the best and most experienced divers don't do this. DIR simply makes sure you do - or at least gives you the training to want to do it that way.

I am getting DIR cert because they take the time to show you how to do things safely and efficiently. You simply need to be willing to show you are committed enough to follow through and do it. Read the posting - it is excellent. Then follow up with the links he cites. I don't think you will have any question after that.

One more thing. I noticed your profile lists you as a Solo Diver. Bad idea under any condition and definitely wouldn't fly with DIR. Dive with a buddy. As far as Solo diving being a growing trend and should be look at in skill equilivency to tech diving? (i read that in one of their posts) Thank God for Darwin Awards. It gives something to give to the legacy of solo divers. Good luck

 

[cyklon_300]

It takes the fun out of it.

...so, I guess this would mean that taking golf lessons would take the *fun* out of shooting 108...

 

[Kim]

...so, I guess this would mean that taking golf lessons would take the *fun* out of shooting 108...

I think that if you took golf lessons and could still only shoot 108 you'd have a reason to be seriously depressed. :11:
If you try to do something and realize that in order to really do it properly requires a much higher level of commitment than you want to invest then where does that leave you? OK - someone will probably say that you shouldn't be doing it in the first place in that case, but an awful lot of people do - and they are not all having accidents or getting killed. Let's face it, there is a world of difference between shallow reef aquarium dives (which lots of people are happy with), and the WKPP skills set that kicked off this DIR thing. Most people would probably agree DIR isn't for everyone. Some people are probably happier where they are.

 

[BradJ]

There are a large number of recreational only DIR divers on this board. They commonly say the same thing - once your skills are in line, it makes diving far MORE fun.

Thanks for your support.
That is the frustrating thing. My GUE instructors said that my skills were very good for recreational diving and that with a little work I'd be in-line with advancing along the DIR education path.
My problem is that the DIR method as taught in my DIRf class just didn't motivate me to continue with a GUE education.
It is certainly a subjective thing, I'm just trying to point out a potential answer to the original question of this thread:
It just might not be fun.

 

[BradJ]

...so, I guess this would mean that taking golf lessons would take the *fun* out of shooting 108...

It's interesting that you make a golf analogy.
While not a golfer, I could see how a DIR approach to this recreational hobby could play out...

The average guy takes a lesson so that he can enjoy a round or two on the weekends to unwind, or maybe complement a nice tropical vaction. His instructor is hot and heavy into training for his PAT (player ability test, required to become a PGA pro) and rides the guy as if his ambitions are the same.
What does the guy take away from the lesson? A drive to enjoy his golfing weekends like never before? Or the frustrations that this just isn't the route to progressing at his hobby that he invisioned?

I will state again that I believe DIR isn't necessarily suited to providing the average recreational diver with the appropriate course of continuing education.

 

[jbd]

I will state again that I believe DIR isn't necessarily suited to providing the average recreational diver with the appropriate course of continuing education.

Beyond DIR-F, GUE is technical agency in regards to their training program. If the average recreational diver is a diver not interested in cave exploration and deep wreck penetration then indeed this is not the right training path for them.

The skills and much of the material taught in the DIR-F class though is something that would enhance the diving experience of many and IMHO should be taught in all OW classes.

 

[Whirling Girl]

I will state again that I believe DIR isn't necessarily suited to providing the average recreational diver with the appropriate course of continuing education.

This invites a response like "you're entitled to your own opinion". And you are. And in fact, I agree that an 'average recreational diver', whatever that means, may never want to take Cave or Tech 1, so their only GUE course will be DIR-F, though they might want to take Rec-Triox, which I think is probably going to become increasingly popular as divers realize that diving Helium is much more fun than diving air.

In my experience, I almost quit diving before I took DIR-F, and that course was the only reason I stayed in the water. DIR-F is where I actually learned to dive. The skills I learned also enhanced my pleasure in diving by an unmeasurable amount. Diving is much more fun for me as a DIR diver because of the buddy relationship and all the cool things that I couldn't even imagine being able to do before.

But to respond to the original topic of this thread, I think there can be disadvantages to diving DIR, and you have to choose to accept them and not have them interfere. I think these have already been mentioned by other people on this thread, so my apologies for repeating them.

1. If you've already been diving awhile, you will probably have to buy some new gear. I was lucky; I hadn't bought all my gear yet before I took DIR-F, so I only had to buy it once. And let's say you buy a 10W canister light, and then the first time you dive with a buddy who has an 18W, you're going to want to upgrade. And then if you continue your GUE education, you're going to be tempted by ridiculously expensive things like Gavin scooters and Halcyon rebreathers and personal fill stations with a compressor and booster and Helium and Oxygen. So the initial gear purchase or changeover might be expensive, and any new toys you want after that, are ALOT more expensive.

After your initial gear purchase, though, I do believe that you save money in the long run, if you stay in recreational diving, because you don't need to buy any major new gear and you'll never be tempted by the latest stupid gadget at DEMA.

2. You might have trouble finding DIR dive buddies and limiting yourself to not diving with non-DIR divers. I don't see this as a disadvantage, but I live in DIR mecca, so I have never had a problem finding a dive buddy.

3. When you dive DIR, you move around alot less, and in cold water, you get colder. I'm being serious; I have hadalot of problems with staying warm, and diving DIR immediately reduced my energy output and made it harder to stay warm.

Those are the only things I can think of, offhand. The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages, in my experience.