Gear dependancy and additional training

[Teamcasa]

Keeping in mind this is posted in Basic Scuba Discussions, only friendly responses are requested.

It never ceases to amaze me that the mere mention of DIR/GUE ect raises the hackles of so many people. Many divers that post here (and other boards) are very passionate when comes to diving styles and their choices of gear. However, being a skilled diver is simply not gear dependant. Once you become a slave to your gear selection, will your overall skills begin to suffer?

• Buoyancy control is not gear dependant.
• Learning to navigate is not gear dependant.
• Staying off the bottom/reef is not gear dependant.
• Planning the dive and executing that plan is not gear dependant.
• Situational awareness and buddy practices are not gear dependant.
• Sharing air with a buddy anywhere but a confined space is not gear dependant.

What is gear dependency?
Specialized gear can make it easier and in some cases, like confined space diving, safer to do and practice the above list. The basic recreational open water/reef diver simply does not need to be outfitted to dive a cave or penetrate a wreck.

What the basic recreational diver does need are the skills to stay off the reef, off of the bottom and not silt the site up for others. The recreational diver needs to navigate, be a good buddy and ready to assist in an emergency.

Can a cave/wreck diver use their gear to dive a tropical reef, sure. Is it necessary, no. Is a fully geared technical diver safer than a skilled recreational diver in open water, no.


Additional training is good. However, training a recreational diver in the skills and the use of the associated gear configurations is fine but misses the point unless that diver plans to do cave/wreck diving. I would suggest that concerned recreational divers, the ones that want to learn more and improve their skills but have no plans to dive the Andrea Doria or some deep cave in Mexico or South Africa should seek out an instructor or mentor proficient in teaching those skills that are not gear dependant.

 

[ianr33]

Have you considered taking Fundies?

 

[JeffG]

Have you considered taking Fundies?

now thats funny.

 

[Diver0001]

• Buoyancy control is not gear dependant.
• Learning to navigate is not gear dependant.
• Staying off the bottom/reef is not gear dependant.
• Planning the dive and executing that plan is not gear dependant.
• Situational awareness and buddy practices are not gear dependant.
• Sharing air with a buddy anywhere but a confined space is not gear dependant.

What is gear dependency?

Decided to put on you fire-proof undies and cape did you?

I'll go one step further than Dave and put a little twist in it.

I would submit, (respectfully although emphatically), that if you can't show good diving technique in "any old gear".... then you have become equipment dependent.

Furthermore, I would submit (respectfully although emphatically) that if you want to answer this question with something that starts with "Yeah ... but!" that your skills are acutally suffering from you gear choices.

Good divers don't need a particular configuration to look *tight* in the water.

Thanks for starting this thread, Dave. You keep shooting and I'll keep digging.

R..

 

[Queen]

People, as a rule, like to think their way is the best way. After all, they chose "their way" after plenty of careful consideration. The "exclusive club" view can also be very alluring.

I prefer to keep an open mind with regards to gear, I've seen lots of new/better/best gear come and go over the years and when I find something that works better (splits) or helps me dive safer (gauges) then I'm a happy camper and convert readily.

 

[RonFrank]

Unfortunately I'm not sure a lot of divers do careful consideration of their gear choices until well after purchase. They often reay on the Instructor, and than a salesman, who is NOT going to consider or recommend something that is not within arms reach at that shop, or that can be ordered. At many dive shops, the instructors are *required* to dive gear that the shop sells. This is obviously NOT by accident. This is also not always true, but generally.

Ironically EVERYTHING in diving IS gear dependent, hence the gear. However I know what Teamcasa is saying.

I'm the Oxymoron in the mix! I own Splits, and paddles, a BP/W, and a BackInflate BC! I choose my equipment based on the situation I'm in, and THAT for me is doing it right!

 

[rongoodman]

The basic recreational open water/reef diver simply does not need to be outfitted to dive a cave or penetrate a wreck.

Agreed, but who has suggested that they do? The OP looks like a classic example of a straw man fallacy.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

I will agree that skills are not dependent on equipment but the right equipment sure makes life easier.

A good example for me was diving locally with a bunch of people who just completed cave training and dive drysuits and bp/w's.

I was stuck in a wetsuit and diving a jacket bcd. I tried really hard to do what they were doing as far as buoyancy and trim and finning was concerned and it was far from easy. after doing 25 or 30 dives with these guys and screwing with weight placement and other equipment configurations I broke down and got a backplate and wing. Immediately on the first dive I was able to hover horizontal and buoyancy was a breeze. Sure it was a bit harder to get into and out of but the folks on SB gave me some tips as did the local guys so in about 5 or 6 dives I was dialed in. I would never go back.

i followed the DIR threads and read through their equipment guidelines on the GUE website and on the forums. some of their stuff I couldn't apply to myself like team diving, sometimes i dive solo or I cant dive (not an option). But other things like hose lengths really made sense but I didn't go with the standard hose lengths for everything, I went shorter on the HP hose and for single tanks I dont dive an octo so i eliminated it all together. I tried to go with the most streamlined configuration I could and made sure there was a good reason to everything I did.

I am 200 times more comfortable in the water and my SAC rate proves it, its way easier to do things like check tank pressure ( I dive with thick dry gloves) when I keep everything tight and in the same place.

You dont have to follow DIR, I dont, but there is nothing wrong with trying to streamline your equipment to make it more efficient. Efficiency and self reliance makes a better diver IMO.

 

[JeffG]

However, training a recreational diver in the skills and the use of the associated gear configurations is fine but misses the point unless that diver plans to do cave/wreck diving.

or wants to dive DIR. (Which is more than just Wreck/Cave)

 

[TSandM]

Oh, I'll cheerfully admit that there are some things where my skills have weakened because I'm "gear dependent"! I frequently forget to ask other divers about how their inflators work, or where and how they stow their weights, because I'm so accustomed to diving with people whose stuff is just the same as mine. I also forget to ask people what they have in their tanks, because I'm used to people who, for a given dive, will have what I have without it even having to be discussed.

I do think there are gear setups that really hinder people from showing the good qualities listed in the original post. If your stuff is badly out of balance, it's going to be quite difficult to keep your feet up out of the silt or the reef. And some setups make sharing gas a lot easier than others. But for the most part, I wholly agree that that entire list of good diving skills close to gear-independent, and those are all qualities every diver should strive for.