I went it into the Fundies class with 28 years of rec. experience. I got recertified OW, AOW and several other certs in the past 18 months. Over the years I probably have had a bit over 300 dives. My knowledge level and skills seemed to be fine in warm water, but were pretty poor in cold water w/ drysuit. I didn't seem to get what I needed from the recent certifications and that is what ultimately led me to DIR.
I took DIR-F not to pass, but improve myself as diver. In my class we had a mix of very experienced to just certified divers. None of us passed and none of us failed. We are all provisional and will all be re-evaluted in the near future. Sure it was an ego downer for us all. Bob - Grateful Diver perhaps had the most experience and I suspect he expected to breeze through it. His expectations for his performance were higher than mine, so he had further to fall. On the other hand he learned what his weaknesses are and has overcome them faster than some of the rest of us.
The short of this in my humble opinion is to take this class as soon as you can. You will learn new things no matter who you are. As has been the case with my classmates you may be put on provisional status, but don't make that a big deal. This class is all about showing you the things that you need to work on. If you have never tried or learned some of the skills that are taught, then don't expect yourself to learn and perform them flawlessly over the course of the weekend. A lot of information is thrown at you in a very short time and you will likely suffer from sensory overload.
I would also like to address the some of the negative things that people think about DIR. If you haven't been exposed to DIR through one of GUE's classes you really cannot make clear assessment of how unnecessary it may be. If you have dove with someone who has passed Tech 1 or higher and still don't feel that you can learn from them then fine, DIR may not be right for you. DIR-F students skills are the most basic and we should not be looked upon as fit representatives for this style of diving. To put it in perspective DIR-F is the OW of GUE. No one comes out of OW an expert at anything. Choose someone who is further along in their skills that match your own for a fair comparison. To those who have chosen DIR and choose to put others down that dive in another fashion, perhaps you should look in the mirror. First of all most of us we were divers before hearing about DIR. We dove successfully and safely during that time. Those of us who have chosen the DIR path have done so because we feel that other methods of learning have been lacking for our OWN personal needs and style of diving. I think that many who have adopted this path and call others strokes do so because they cannot think of themselves standing in those same shoes at some point in their past. It is a form of shame that they need to put down those who emmulate their own bad characteristics that they have worked so hard to change. There is also perhaps another reason why DIR converts choose to call non believers strokes and why they try to convert them. It is because they recognize their own failures and now finally see the obvious path. It frustrates them because others can't grasp it, since now it seems so simple and clear. They seem to forget that it took them (each of us) quite some time to finally evolve into this style of diving. For their own sakes I would like to see them stop condemning these other divers. It would be wise to remember what it felt like when they were just learning and stiring up the silt. If someone had come up to them and told them they would die and that they were a CF, then they would have been turned off completely. They should try mentoring with some of the same patience that was shown to them when they were learning. My advice to these advocates is to think about the following statement from AA: God grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change. The courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
I dive with a variety of different divers. Just a few months ago after DIR-F I only wanted to dive with DIR divers because I was so uncertain about my skills. As I have practiced what I have learned and started honing my skills, I find myself no longer worring about diving with less experienced divers. Now it's kind of cool when someone asks me about how I don't stir up the silt or why my gear is configured the way it is. Do I like diving with people that churn up the bottom - yes and no. If they are receptive to learning a new skill like the frog kick then yes, I love it. That person can be my buddy any time. If they only want to dive their way and not learn a new trick that will increase their safety/ pleasure, and make my dive a pain, then no. Those people I won't dive with again. At the very least I won't bust their chops. Refer to the serenity prayer.
While DIR is about team diving, the process of adopting this style is an individual path. It may work for some of us, but not work for everyone. Can you be a safe and responsible diver without adopting DIR principles - yes (mainly for recreation diving). I certainly was for 28 years. Was I as skilled as I am now? Absolutely not. I also hope the DIR-F is just the beginning of a fun and enjoyable learning curve. I'll never be an expert diver no matter what I may achieve and I'm satisfied with that knowledge.
