Gear required for Dirf

[Grajan]

Sorry if this has been covered but I could not find it....

Will I be allowed to do the Dirf course with the following gear?

Seaquest Balance (minimalist back inflate)
Avanti Fins (OK I'll put my Atomic splits away for a few days)
7' hose & bungeed backup reg setup (Apeks)
Wetsuit (Texas or nearby)
Suunto Cobra in gauge mode

I will be happy to listen politely to critiques of above but I've heard them all and, in the end, I'm the customer and I like my rig.

just want to know if I am going to be 'allowed' in.

Thanks

 

[docmartin]

bad news: i believe they won't let you in the water with the seaquest. check out the link with the gear requirements (2.1.10):



http://www.gue.com/classroom/standards/2/1.shtml

 

[cornfed]

Grajan once bubbled...
Sorry if this has been covered but I could not find it....

Will I be allowed to do the Dirf course with the following gear?

Seaquest Balance (minimalist back inflate)
Avanti Fins (OK I'll put my Atomic splits away for a few days)
7' hose & bungeed backup reg setup (Apeks)
Wetsuit (Texas or nearby)
Suunto Cobra in gauge mode

I will be happy to listen politely to critiques of above but I've heard them all and, in the end, I'm the customer and I like my rig.

just want to know if I am going to be 'allowed' in.

Thanks

I doubt you will.

Certainly you can use some of them, ie wetsuit, your regs(your supposed to have a long hose) and probably even your fins. Here is my take on the matter. DIR-F is designed, like the name implies, teach you the fundamentals of DIR diving. One aspect of this is the gear configuration. You can debate about the gear requirements but that doesn't change the fact that they are part of what makes up the DIR system.

If you don't want to buy gear (BP&Wings, etc) just for the class then talk to the instructor or shop hosting the class about renting it.

Cornfed

 

[Grajan]

Seems a little pedantic to me - Back inflate is back inflate.

Anyway - one less thing to worry about. There are plenty of other ways to improve skills.

 

[jonnythan]

Grajan once bubbled...
Seems a little pedantic to me - Back inflate is back inflate.

I used to think the same thing.

 

[Big-t-2538]

To be totally honest, I think it is more of an instructor thing if they will 'let you in'.

As for the cert, I know that you will not be able to 'pass' unless you are in the required gear.

IMHO I don't think it should be a requirement to have the specific gear just to take the class....there is a lot to be learned from it, regardless of your gear config, and having different gear is good for in-class discussion.

 

[herman]

Grajan once bubbled...
Seems a little pedantic to me - Back inflate is back inflate.

You are required to use a BP/wing but my instructor brought along some loaners, I suspect yours will also if you just ask. I did not have one and was not about to buy one just for the class. The rest of your gear looks ok. Without a canister light or pocket the 7ft hose is a little bit of a PITA, a 5ft works a lot better for me. Either is ok for the class.

I agree with your statement above, the BP was the only thing in the class I was not impressed with. For serious tech diving, it's the way to go but for general single tank rec diving I was not impressed.

 

[cornfed]

herman once bubbled...

Without a canister light or pocket the 7ft hose is a little bit of a PITA, a 5ft works a lot better for me. Either is ok for the class.

If you have your knife one your weight belt you can run it under that.

Cornfed

 

[Grajan]

I tried the 5' but did not like the routing. I keep my SMB in the Balance pocket where the canister light would go and this secures my long hose in exactly the same way.

The SQ Balance is effectively a BP/wing. The BP is plastic but otherwise the only 'significant' difference are the position of the 'D' rings and plastic buckles. It has almost no padding.

Given that I can see no DirF activities that would be compromised by this rig, the extraordinarily narrow course requirements seem to smack of either religious zeal or commercial intent. This puts me off the whole thing so I guess I will need to go elsewhere for my training.

I guess the problem is that DIRf is geared to people who want to do overhead diving whereas I just want to do warm water reef diving REALLY well and am looking for a little flexibility.

There is probably money to be made running a slightly less 'gear fixated' course for people like me.

 

[Big-t-2538]

Yeah, the 5 foot wouldn't come close to routing around my fat arse....7 foot routes nicely with a few inches tucked in the waistband of the harness.

As for the training....talk to one of the instructors who is going to be teaching a DIR-F in your area...you seem to be fixated on the gear issue. Forget about the gear, the class is all about your skills. The video reviews alone are worth the price of the class. And the instructors should hold a PH.D. in diving knowledge....thier passion for the sport is unparalleled.