Ground-up DIR divers and preparation for the real world

[kanonfodr]

Given the relative lack of instructors in general, and of entry level students in particular, compared to other organizations, I wonder if the real problem won't be more with the other people on the boat -- from the DM/Instructors, captains on down -- wondering what the heck is up with DIR trained rec diver rather than the other way around.

And I don't mean that from just an equipment point of view. The idea of team diving on a rec dive where the dive plan is presented as "jump in, go to rope, follow me, back on boat at 500 psi" is simply non-existent.

Very interesting spin! I ran into this myself when I returned to Hawaii after my Essentials class. My equipment continually garners comments from other divers due to it's difference, simplicity, or whatever (just wait till I bring my doubles on the boats ). I've also had people comment on my skills in the water (mostly positive) and some of my DIR habits that require explanation. Some get it, some don't, many don't care.

Peace,
Greg

 

[ucfdiver]

Are we talking about sneak diving Wakulla or swimming with a few fish and sea turtles? Let's try to keep things in perspective here...I seriously doubt a DIR trained diver cannot dive with any other diver. There's got to be a line of acceptable risk, and diving with a newbie OW diver on an easy reef dive is well clear of that line in my book, but I'm not going to go scooter cave diving with them.

 

[jenth]

I was kind of trained in the manner discussed. My pool session was pretty much NAUI OW, but because my instructor took WAY too long to certify me, my husband (DIR diver) contacted his buddy (UTD instructor) to finish off my certification. I have a few pool sessions in a jacket BC/yoke reg, but all of my dives have been done in a BP/W.

I've only been diving less than a year, but the way I see it, everyone has a different style of diving. Some people have a 7' long hose, some people let their octos dangle in the sand, some people bungee their octos to their jacket BC, etc. Just because someone's DIR, doesn't mean we're on the exact same page. And just because they're not DIR, doesn't mean I can't have a quick pre-dive conversation with them to get on the same page. When I meet a new buddy, their personality has more of an impact on me than their gear. If they're a total spaz, I probably won't dive with them, regardless of whether their DIR or not.

Rereading the above post, something did occur to me and kanonford may have a point. Consider a new diver that started DIR style from day one, remember most of the DIR divers today started diving as a PADI/NUAI/SSI/whoever diver and then moved into DIR. He is expecting everyone to kit up exactly like he is, do what he does and react the same way he does. Now thow in a buddy who is 180 deg out from what he expects. His training has been narrowed to include only those things which are DIR- granted this may be an unfair accessment of the training, I have not reviewed it. He is in perfect trim diving along and has a reg failure, he signals OOA and expects to see a long hose deployed from a horizonal position but instead his buddy goes vertical, speads his arms and allows him access to his octo somewhere on his body. A diver who grew up in a non DIR enviroment would not likely have an issue with this senerio but how would a ground up DIR newbie diver react?

Like others have mentioned, divers like me who start out DIR are not diving in a DIR-bubble. At the shores and on the boats, we see plenty of different gear. When I dive with someone new, I will always run through a "what we will do for each other in an OOG situation". Besides, I don't see how the above mentioned situation would be any different for two people diving together for the first time who both aren't DIR.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[TSandM]

Unfortunately, piikki, I think it's quite possible that a DIR OW class would not take the time to talk about different configurations and explain that, out in the larger diving world, there are many people diving different gear and using different procedures. It is, to an extent, one of the weaknesses of the curriculum as I have seen it. For example, in my NACD Full Cave class, my instructor was quite careful to ensure that I knew all the issues that had to be brought up and gone over before a cave dive, assuming that my buddies might have differences in equpment, marking protocols, communication techniques, etc. We never did any of that in my GUE classes, simply because the assumption is that you will be diving with other GUE divers.

In fact, when I failed to get upset when a buddy had his spool and markers hanging from his butt d-ring, and gave as an excuse that I saw they were there but wondered if that was simply where he was accustomed to carrying them, my instructor was quite annoyed with me. I was expected to assume that everyone with whom I dive will follow the procedures I was taught.

It might very well be a weakness of the recreational curriculum. I don't know. Very few GUE or UTD OW classes have been taught so far.

I think it's a good question that kanonfodr raises.

 

[AndyNZ]

Unfortunately, piikki, I think it's quite possible that a DIR OW class would not take the time to talk about different configurations and explain that, out in the larger diving world, there are many people diving different gear and using different procedures.

FWIW, I have a copy of the GUE Rec 1 student manual..... it does talk about a whole bunch of things that won't be found in the curriculum of other GUE courses, for example, how to adapt procedures for diving air when required is one that springs immediately to mind. I'll have a look at again later, but I think given the nature of the course that it will go into more detail in to things we assume it wouldn't.

 

[Gombessa]

Given the relative lack of instructors in general, and of entry level students in particular, compared to other organizations, I wonder if the real problem won't be more with the other people on the boat -- from the DM/Instructors, captains on down -- wondering what the heck is up with DIR trained rec diver rather than the other way around.

This kind of "problem" isn't really DIR-specific though. I've been on a few resort and cattle boats, and you see all kinds of gear, from banded to slung ponies, big video rigs, to octos here, there, tucked and stuffed, to bp/ws, transpacs, FFMs and even rebreathers. I don't think a hog configuration really stands out in "weirdness," in that it'll attract no more attention than any of these other out-of-the-ordinary setups. Further, seeing a one-off bizarre config on a DM-guided boat dive seems less likely to affect a third-party diver who is in the norm, but it does prevent a drastically different environment than what a "DIR-trained" diver would expect.

That said, I think it's matter of 1-2 dives before such DIR-trained diver realizes there are a lot of people who dive in a lot of different ways. I don't think anyone is going to end up shell-shocked and unable to cope with the betrayal of how they were cruelly sheltered from the real, harsh world outside DIR.

 

[piikki]

Unfortunately, piikki, I think it's quite possible that a DIR OW class would not take the time to talk about different configurations and explain that, out in the larger diving world, there are many people diving different gear and using different procedures.

Well, I'll have to turn my respect down a notch then.

I would expect that any good instructor, whatever the leaning, would start up certain way with someone who is totally new. One thing would certainly be to offer at least a cursory view to the world of scuba even if the message was that one should stick to own kind.

I am not claiming that eg my OW course gave a detailed explanation of what others might be doing but at least we were warned that not everybody will be doing things like this particular instructor was teaching, and we better be prepared to look for our safety by keeping our eyes open. One of the ways of course is to check what others are wearing/carrying as we all know.

Your example could be a little alarming too. Maybe the trust can go too far too - you expect everything to be the same, so there is no need to check anything anymore or you trust that there must be some great rationale taught (just because it's another DIR diver). Simplest thing would be just to ask why someone is doing something different like mere mortals have to do

 

[Blackwood]

I would expect that any good instructor, whatever the leaning, would start up certain way with someone who is totally new. One thing would certainly be to offer at least a cursory view to the world of scuba even if the message was that one should stick to own kind.

Why?

If you are capable, you can adapt. Why should formal instruction time be spent talking about what other people do?

Even someone who is "DIR trained" may be rusty, un-reliable, or simply prefer other procedures (e.g. short hose + inline octo, etc.). Having expectations about unfamiliar buddies can bite you.

 

[kathydee]

It seems to me that most people who choose the more comprehensive DIR system of training from the beginning are well aware that others types of Scuba training/equipment exist. Paying the extra money to learn to dive in this style is probably a choice informed by plenty of prior research into various training paths. So, except for the rare individual who has indeed been sheltered by perhaps a spouse, I doubt these divers actually live entirely in a DIR bubble.

When I started diving in the USA with 100 dives I had never seen a PSI gauge (only bars), didn’t know how to dive in feet (only meters) and had never seen a long hose, a drysuit, BP/W, light cans, and certainly had no idea about DIR teamwork, etc – yet when I first encountered these differences – detailed topside communication and common skills (such partner awareness) made it possible to dive with both non-DIR and DIR divers.

I’d suspect that given the extra training, OW DIR trained divers are at least as capable of safely diving with different dive partners/systems/equipment, as OW non-DIR trained divers are .

 

[Gombessa]

It seems to me that most people who choose the more comprehensive DIR system of training from the beginning are well aware that others types of Scuba training/equipment exist.

At the risk of mass-scorn, my thought has always been that "DIR" style OW training as done by GUE and UTD would mainly be used by DIR advocates who have family/friends who are interested in getting into scuba; i.e., the knowledge/preparedness would come from the recommender, but many actual students wouldn't be coming into class with such a clear picture about what diving, and specifically, DIR, is all about. I think it'd take an enormous amount of effort and research trying to learn about scuba for a the typical non-certified diver to delve deep enough into discovering what GUE/UTD are.

I’d suspect OW DIR trained divers are at least as capable of adapting to different dive partners/systems, as OW non-DIR trained divers are.

Agreed! I think it's a pretty interesting question, but in reality, you dive once or twice, realize that the real world is different from your academic course (how many people have not experienced this?), and you move on. Heck, my PADI OW course emphasized that you always do buddy checks, pre-dive equipment checks, and maintain good buddy contact, communication and situational awareness. It was just as much a shock to me during my first post-cert dives to find out that most people completely ignored some or all of these teachings.