For or Against DIR?

[sillygrendel]

I've read their fundamentals book, as well as their cave and technical manuals pretty carefully. I'm pretty new to diving but I have to say that most of it makes a lot of sense.

I have never seen or dived with a DIR diver. If I had access to those books without hearing all of this DIR controversy I probably wouldn't think much more than these are some people who do some pretty difficult dives and have developed a system that works very well for them... Just from reading the books I would never have guessed that it evokes so much of a reaction!

So I think their equipment configuration seems nice enough. It makes enough sense that I'm going to try it out... (I'll let you all know how that goes!) But I don't think thats really the isuue.

What I feel is interesting about the DIR system is that it sets a definite bar for water skills and buddy awareness. If you asked most people I don't think they'd tell you that diving is a competitive sport...

I feel that for the most part setting a bar like that is necessary for the kind of diving it was designed for. I also think this bar also introduces a competitive aspect to diving. This bar has come to be associated with DIR (and they tend to encourage this association) and from my limited experience I feel that this causes resentment.

You don't have to be DIR to be an excellent diver... Not all people who claim to be DIR are excellent divers. I think that DIR is a good thing because it encourages people to be better divers -- even if they are not DIR and hate them for it.

I would like to be a safe diver and I would like to be a skilled diver. I'm working as best I can on both of those and would gladly dive with anyone who feels the same way! I would like to take the GUE Fundamentals class because I've heard it is a great learning experience. I would like to learn.

Since I started diving 3 months ago I've been really puzzled by all of the conflicts there seem to be in diving. This one confuses me just as much...

 

[MNScuba]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

How's about tomorrow afternoon?

Sure! Can you make it to Minnesota by then?

 

[WreckWriter]

The reason it sparks this sort of reaction and debate is because it represents a change in the basic philosophy of diving. It is a movement away from the "anyone can dive" mentality. It pushes fitness and skills, instead of just fun for Dick and Jane.

If all divers were to be forced to conform to GUE standards, most of us couldn't dive. The guy who can't swim well, he's out. The fat guy, he's out too. All smokers are out. Anyone with health problems is out. Less than perfect buoyancy? You're out. Instead of millions of divers there would be only thousands. Profit margins for manufacturers, shops, and boats would go in the toilet.

The DIR approach is, in my opinion, the future face of diving. Within 10 years a diver who isn't diving a Hogarthian rig will be as uncommon as a diver today wearing a horsecollar BC and only one second stage. It's coming, because it's better.

I think there will be modifications as it grows, some softening of the standards as other training agencies begin to adopt the approach, but the end result will be a better, safer sport for everyone.

Face it, it's everywhere now, catching on like wildfire. Hang on

Tom

 

[Grajan]

Sorry - not sure how to quote yet....

I'm in Houston and was planning to get on the Discover Scuba course. It looks (looked) like the training would be really valuable.

Then:

I read one of the course guides (from another site) that basically said it had to be all or nothing on gear. 'If you are not going to totally conform don't bother turning up' - well...........

I kind of like the setup but I also like my back-inflate BC (Seaquest Balance) and my AI computer (Cobra) although I would have done without the latter for the course. This was making it look tricky but still doable. so I was willing to work with this one.

Then:

I got absolutely assaulted by Roakey for daring to suggest that the DIR book was a little doctrinaire. I would have been happy to enter into a discussion about it but all I got was a face full of insults.

Feeling a bit put off at this point.

Then:

I read all the rest of the 'we are better than you' BS on this site and I think - too hard - I don't need this - there is plenty of other training out there.


I am definitely DIR influenced - using back inflate BC, probably switching to the hose configuration, keeping thing as minimalist as possible. I am unlikely to buy into the horisontal ascent. And I am going nowhere near the attitude.

And I will continue to thank whatever gods you like that I live in a society where freedom of choice and expression continue to prevail - despite all efforts to the contrary.

Graham

P.S
I have a lot of experience of high risk sports where equipment and technique failures kill you FAST. Some of them (flying in particular) have MUCH better training standards, equipment standards and corrective action standards than SCUBA with no attempt whatsoever to make everyone use the same gear. We could learn a lot........

P.P.S I'm new to this group but have Deuxieme Echelon (French Federal Divemaster equivilant) training and have been diving since the mid seventies - dates me a bit... Oh well....

P.P.P.S
When I did the DE training we were not allowed to us a BC (They were invented by then...) as we had to demonstrate full control without it. We did have lifejackets with a single shot gas bottle - You sure as SH$% did not want to use that! Those were the days........

 

[O-ring]

And I am going nowhere near the attitude.

Not everyone has the attitude. That's like me saying all French people are a-holes. I'll tell you what though...the more people keep saying that "all people who dive DIR are a-holes", the harder I find it to restrain myself and not be one..

 

[jonnythan]

Grajan once bubbled...
Some of them (flying in particular) have MUCH better training standards, equipment standards and corrective action standards than SCUBA with no attempt whatsoever to make everyone use the same gear. We could learn a lot........

Isn't that precisely what GUE is addressing with DIR and DIRF? Training to a far higher standard, and the enforcement of standardization of equipment and corrective actions? Just because a couple of a**holes argue for it makes it bad? Didn't you just say it was good and virtually necessary?

 

[Grajan]

Unfortunately, judging by the general backlash, the bad attitude is clearly rising above the input from the 'good guys'.

Perhaps the DIR guys need to try and rein in their more counterproductive advocates.

Graham

 

[Grajan]

'Equipment standards' are not even close to the same thing as 'standard equipment'.

This is precisely my point. There are thousands of different types of aircraft ands dozens of ways of enjoying (or making money from) the activity.

All this diversity is governed by strict standards with very little impact on choice.

It works - we should look at it.

Graham

 

[jonnythan]

Grajan once bubbled...
Unfortunately, judging by the general backlash, the bad attitude is clearly rising above the input from the 'good guys'.

Perhaps the DIR guys need to try and rein in their more counterproductive advocates.

Graham

When you have a group of people constantly referring to your group as a**holes, I imagine it gets hard to defend oneself and one's system without becoming an a**hole yourself.

 

[Grajan]

I think it is important that all the good stuff in DIR reaches out in a balanced and inclusive way. This means more effort is needed to present it in that way.

Got to do some real work now.....

More later.

Graham