Doubles recommendations for a small framed women?

[Surface Interval]

Have you considered side mount instead of doubles? I recently began using sidemount and it really takes the weight off of your back. (5'2 130ish lbs). I'm not sure how this affects you climbing around however since most of my entries are off of the boat or a dock like area. You will need an extra regulator for the reg swapping and an extra pressure gauge.

Other considerations for this are if you travel, it's easier to find 2 single tanks than the double tank.

 

[Rainer]

An awesome suggestion in the DIR forum.

Have you considered side mount instead of doubles? I recently began using sidemount and it really takes the weight off of your back. (5'2 130ish lbs). I'm not sure how this affects you climbing around however since most of my entries are off of the boat or a dock like area. You will need an extra regulator for the reg swapping and an extra pressure gauge.

Other considerations for this are if you travel, it's easier to find 2 single tanks than the double tank.

 

[kathydee]

What's the tuition for essentials? I guess my point was if you already dive with folks trained in "DIR" methods like it appears Kathy does it seems like a waste..

Essentials with Don a waste of good money??? Not at all!!!

Here's why:

I heard about DIR diving here on Scubaboard. The more I investigated, the more I liked what I heard, so contacted our local GUE instructor when I only had a few drysuit dives and still dove my BC and Octo. I had about 100+ dives in the tropics but obviously, wasn't ready for a cold water fundies class. The GUE instructor told me to contact him when I was ready.

I walked away from that email feeling quite lost and a little rejected. I’ve met other local divers that have had the same experience. So I came to this forum for advice (thanks for being here) and met Lynne & then Don who offered to mentor me.

Don didn't say come back when you are ready -- he helped me get ready. He took me diving, orientated me to our local dive environment & hazards, helped me with the drysuit, showed me drills, met me at our LDS, swapped out my hoses, answered every one of my 1,000 questions, loaned me gear, coached me through gear selection, encouraged me to limit my depth, schooled me in safer diving, introduced me into our local GUE/UTD community and continues to provide support. He's litterally provided guidance for the last 150+ dives and continues to offer challenges, coaching, advice and opportunities like the intro to doubles in 25 ft of water last weekend .

Taking Essentials with him was a natural continuation of the mentorship and a fun way to learn basic skills. He continues to provide post-Essentials guidance and coaching. A waste of money? Ha! I would not hesitate to pay twice the money to do it again and highly recommend him to other just launching on this path. I can't thank you enough Don!

There are lots of other divers here in our cold water, low vis, kelp forest dive environment that are interested in the DIR path, but the change can be intimidating. If you aren't lucky enough to have a great mentor, it's hard to know where to start.

Don makes the transition fun and accessible. He is literally hand-walking us through the conversion and providing a very gentle entry into the path through Essentials. Because of Don, our community is growing. Some of us will stop at Essentials level, some will continue on the UTD path and others will head to GUE already fully kitted out with a nice foundation of pre-Fundies skills. Our local UTD/GUE communities mix and many cross over in their training.

A little while back I finally met our local GUE instructor, he smiled at my gear which was Don’s handiwork. He remembered my inquiry and could see I was finally ready--so he invited me into his class. One of my classmates is also Don's Essentials student. Don's happy for us and very supportive.

Regardless, if we head towards tech or not, these skills and gear are quite useful in our local dive environment. So IMHO Don's Essentials class is very positive for our community. Thanks again Don.

 

[ae3753]

Ah shucks. That's all very kind of you, Kathy.

 

[StreetDoctor]

Sounds like a good enough reason! Before you explained your situation, from an outsiders stand point it seemed like a little bit of a waste. I guess too much education is never a bad thing anyways.

 

[Adobo]

Let me first start by saying that I have a ton of respect for Don. He is a wonderful guy, a terrific diver and though I have not taken any of his classes, I am sure he is a fantastic instructor.

I cannot speak for other people's interactions with Beto. I can only describe my own.

Beto has always been responsive to me and quite thorough with his answers - before, during and after class.

Before Fundies, Beto answered a bunch of my questions pertaining to a new drysuit. He also answered a bunch of my questions regarding - the appropriate type of tanks for me to dive as doubles.

When time finally came for me to take Fundies, Beto's class was 1 day longer than what one usually would find with the garden variety Fundies class. I did not get my tech rating the first time out but I did do a checkout dive with Beto free of charge.

When I was preparing for my Cave 1 class, Beto offered to help me and my buddy by giving us a line clinic. At the time, Beto used to give this clinic for free to people preparing for Tech 1 or Cave 1 but I insisted on paying as I had respect and associated value to Beto's time.

Recently, I asked Beto about Tech 1. His response was, "let's dive together to see where you and your team are before we commit to a firm date."

I am saddened to hear that your impression from your interaction with Beto is what it is - just as I would be saddened to hear if someone had a similar impression of Don. I and most of my friends who know Beto would not hesitate to say that he is incredibly generous with his time both inside and outside of a formal class.

Essentials with Don a waste of good money??? Not at all!!!

Here's why:

I heard about DIR diving here on Scubaboard. The more I investigated, the more I liked what I heard, so contacted our local GUE instructor when I only had a few drysuit dives and still dove my BC and Octo. I had about 100+ dives in the tropics but obviously, wasn't ready for a cold water fundies class. The GUE instructor told me to contact him when I was ready.

I walked away from that email feeling quite lost and a little rejected. I’ve met other local divers that have had the same experience. So I came to this forum for advice (thanks for being here) and met Lynne & then Don who offered to mentor me.

Don didn't say come back when you are ready -- he helped me get ready. He took me diving, orientated me to our local dive environment & hazards, helped me with the drysuit, showed me drills, met me at our LDS, swapped out my hoses, answered every one of my 1,000 questions, loaned me gear, coached me through gear selection, encouraged me to limit my depth, schooled me in safer diving, introduced me into our local GUE/UTD community and continues to provide support. He's litterally provided guidance for the last 150+ dives and continues to offer challenges, coaching, advice and opportunities like the intro to doubles in 25 ft of water last weekend .

Taking Essentials with him was a natural continuation of the mentorship and a fun way to learn basic skills. He continues to provide post-Essentials guidance and coaching. A waste of money? Ha! I would not hesitate to pay twice the money to do it again and highly recommend him to other just launching on this path. I can't thank you enough Don!

There are lots of other divers here in our cold water, low vis, kelp forest dive environment that are interested in the DIR path, but the change can be intimidating. If you aren't lucky enough to have a great mentor, it's hard to know where to start.

Don makes the transition fun and accessible. He is literally hand-walking us through the conversion and providing a very gentle entry into the path through Essentials. Because of Don, our community is growing. Some of us will stop at Essentials level, some will continue on the UTD path and others will head to GUE already fully kitted out with a nice foundation of pre-Fundies skills. Our local UTD/GUE communities mix and many cross over in their training.

A little while back I finally met our local GUE instructor, he smiled at my gear which was Don’s handiwork. He remembered my inquiry and could see I was finally ready--so he invited me into his class. One of my classmates is also Don's Essentials student. Don's happy for us and very supportive.

Regardless, if we head towards tech or not, these skills and gear are quite useful in our local dive environment. So IMHO Don's Essentials class is very positive for our community. Thanks again Don.

 

[Adobo]

What's the tuition for essentials? I guess my point was if you already dive with folks trained in "DIR" methods like it appears Kathy does it seems like a waste. Most of the things you listed you could easily pick up on from a good mentor that has UTD/GUE training.

Just because one is knowledgeable and trained as a UTD/GUE diver, it doesn't mean that person is effective at imparting that knowledge to other divers.

I know that Don had been training with UTD (and previously with 5thd-x) for a long time. And yet he still had to do a formal ITC. I suspect part of what is covered there is how to teach.

 

[Gombessa]

I am saddened to hear that your impression from your interaction with Beto is what it is - just as I would be saddened to hear if someone had a similar impression of Don. I and most of my friends who know Beto would not hesitate to say that he is incredibly generous with his time both inside and outside of a formal class.

Absolutely agree with the above, maybe it just came off poorly in transcription? I couldn't help but think 1) this sounds wholly uncharacteristic of Beto and 2) it may not be the whole story of the conversation. Somehow, I can't see Beto ever saying "you're not a good enough diver for my class, train more and return later." Perhaps the take-away was more along the lines of "If you don't feel you're prepared or have the necessary equipment for what you want to accomplish, I'll be here and we can set up a class whenever you feel you're ready"?

 

[Guy Alcala]

I kind of have fond memories of those cold, dripping, cramped bivis . But before led's and Gore-Tex? Ouch that's hardcore !

And no synthetic insulation, just down and wet, heavy wool. A guy I knew had to spend three days in a crevasse on the Whitney glacier during a storm on Mt. Shasta around 1978, as the winds were howling so hard they'd broken the tent poles. They used the tent as a bivy sack and waited it out as their down bags and jackets got soggier and soggier - reading wasn't an option as they had to hold the tent up (between shovelings) to keep the snow from burying them, even if they'd had sufficient batteries (Candles were out of the question, lithiums were still a few years off, alkalines didn't have the capacity they do now, and the bulbs were either Tungsten or at best, Halogen).

Ever read "Minus 148" by Art Davidson, about the first winter ascent of Denali (1967)? Their weeklong bivy in a snow cave at Denali Pass pretty much encompasses the experience of the (pre Gore-Tex) down and wool era, albeit at the extreme end. I'm quite happy to enjoy the benefits of technology, even if I tend to avoid doing that sort of thing now.

Going back to an even earlier era, I've always liked "Endurance" by Alfred Lansing (Shackleton) and "The Worst Journey in the World" by Apsley Cherry-Garrard (mid-winter trek on the Scott Expedition). The early arctic and antarctic types make us modern types all look like a bunch of whiners

Guy

 

[kathydee]

I am saddened to hear that your impression from your interaction with Beto is what it is - just as I would be saddened to hear if someone had a similar impression of Don. I and most of my friends who know Beto would not hesitate to say that he is incredibly generous with his time both inside and outside of a formal class.

Perhaps the take-away was more along the lines of "If you don't feel you're prepared or have the necessary equipment for what you want to accomplish, I'll be here and we can set up a class whenever you feel you're ready"?

Kenn,

Thanks, you're much better with words than I. That sounds like the message I understood. But I didn't know any locals and had no idea how to get "ready." There was one email I sent back in May inquiring about pre-fundies prep that was never answered. But perhaps it lost in a spam filter. I didn't press the issue. Instead I turned to this forum for advice on how to prepare (thank you for being here) and met Don who took an effective hands-on approach to the conversion.

Beto has been very kind, welcoming and responsive both in person and through email & I've really been looking forward to his class for a long time. I have tremendous respect for both Beto and the GUE path.