Has anyone ever? Reasons for DIR...

[rainman_02]

Those two experiences expose a way of thinking that I have found to be germane to DIR. They are not insular.

So, when I was taking my PADI AOW/Nitrox class on Guam, the owner of one of the shops (a tech diver) made it a point to inform me (someone who wanted to be a tech diver) that on the Internet there were these jerk divers called DIR divers. He talked about these jerks a bunch.

Ultimately, it made me look up these jerk DIR divers on the Internet. I initially found GUE and ScubaBoard. Plus it turns out I know a guy who is a DIR diver...and he wasn't a jerk. I did a bunch of reading, and also found my local DIR crew (5thD-X). I met up with them during the switch from GUE to NAUI Tech...but I was impressed with how friendly they were, their high knowledge levels, and their in-water skills. I'm sure Delia and Joe remember what a mess I was a few years ago in that strange "circle current" that seemed to only affect me...but these days it is jump in the water with Delia, AG, and many others for some great DIR Tech dives.

Shoot, just check out the video from Sunday. 140' dive on the far side of Bluefish Cove.




And you know what? I'm really thankful for that shop owner who told me about those Internet jerk divers...so that now I can be one!

 

[onfloat]

Which dive shop in Guam?

 

[OneBrightGator]

Great, my Nephew just called me from UGA and reminded me..."Gators Suck Snot"

Super... so now I have two wannabes on my case. :nonono:

 

[Cave Diver]

Why DIR sucks!

There ya go! Thanks DIE!

 

[Cave Diver]

If you've made the commitment- then go for it. Leave onebrightgator behind and don't waste your time with a reply.
#1- don't dive with unsafe divers
#2- don't listen to unsafe divers

I believe that OBG is probably both a very good diver and a safe diver. He has just had different experiences in regard to DIR than others have.

I started this thread so there would be a compelling list of reasons for anyone interested, but undecided on DIR.

I realize it's hard to stay on topic a lot of times, but I'm hoping to keep this to a mostly positve thread. There are plenty of others that stray the other way.

What I'm hoping for here, is exactly what your first sentence said: "make the commitment and go for it." I've gotten a lot of feedback from the article I wrote that a lot of divers were encouraged to try DIR after reading it, and I'm hoping posts like the one's all of you are provding here will encourage even more.

DIR, it's not for everyone.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Getting back on topic ... although I haven't exactly "gone DIR", I did take Fundies ... twice, actually. Took a few workshops put on by our local GUE shop as well. Even worked for that shop for a while and "marinated in the kool-aid".

Why ???

I wanted to have the skills those guys had. I spent a few years hanging out and diving with a bunch of DIR-trained divers ... learned a lot from them too. Developed some pretty good skills, and eventually decided to take the class just to see if I was as good as I thought I was.

Nope ... not even close. There's a world of difference between doing fun dives "DIR style" and actually testing your skills with a GUE instructor. Came out of that first class ready to eBay my gear and take up bowling. Thank goodness for a few hardy souls who'd been there, and were willing to put up with me while I worked on things I thought I already had learned.

I still don't like the "exclusivity" that seems to come with the program ... goes against my nature. And there's an element of shop politics that sometimes rubs me the wrong way ... but I do appreciate what I've taken away from the program, and ultimately think it's not only made me a better diver, but also a much better scuba instructor.

And that's worth a lot ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[lamont]

Well, about 6 years ago, just before I got cave certified I was in a dive shop. One of my friends had recently been intro certified and being a college student didn't have a lot of money to spend on gear, in fact, the best light he could afford was a UK D8 (remember, 2001). He talked to one of the people who was working at the shop, who had helped him buy his gear and sign up for the class and was DIR, and asked if they would cave dive with him sometime. They said absolutely not, because he didn't have an HID cannister light, no offer to do cavern or an "easier" dive, just a flat out "No."

Sometime later a friend of mine was talking to a GUE instructor about cave diving, chatting for some time. The instructor asked who my friend's instructor was, upon hearing the name, he promptly turned on his heels and walked away without a word.

Because I can not act like either of these people did is why I do not believe DIR is the best nor will I ever strive to DIR. I guess your first experience has a big effect.

Sorry to pee in your coffee (std. issue black, no cream, no sugar)

I listened to Leon rant for an hour on sunday. Guy seems like a complete GI3-level *******. I guess that means that rebreathers all suck and I'll never dive one. Leon also clearly had nothing worthwile to say because the way he said it invalidated the truth of any point he was trying to make.

Or maybe judging a way of diving by a few pricks that dive that way isn't useful at all...

 

[RTodd]

This post probably won't be well received but it is sort of the unspoken part of DIR and, I suspect, is part of the root of why DIR has so many vehement ditractors. The DIR philosophy is great if you have the natural ability to learn how to dive to the level espoused by DIR. Many people don't. The traditional diving agencies will pat you on the back and give you a card anyway.

But, if you are willing to put in the time (which varies between individuals) necessary to develop your diving skills to meet the bar set by DIR your diving can be much more rewarding. That is what DIR offers. But, the people it can actually offer that too are a subset of active divers. I am not saying all of DIR's detractors lack the ability to learn the skills, but as onfloat said, many of these detractors don't deal well with the blow to the ego that they experience when they learn it is going to take a lot of work to reach this level.

The other side of the coin are the freshly minted Fundamentals students that spend all of their time practicing skills because they fall on the less naturally skilled end of the diving spectrum but are willing to put in large amounts of time to reach the bar set by the DIR mindset. The attitude that these guys can show further annoys anti-DIR divers that consider themselves better "natural" divers. In some cases they are, in some they aren't. But, the anti-DIR guys that are naturally more capable of reaching the DIR bar aren't willing to put in the time and so the newer DIR guys bother them even more.

So, what DIR offers is an ability to greatly improve the quality of your diving. But, depending on your natural ability to learn the skill sets, it may be simply too frustrating to go that route or not worth it for the once a year diver. For recreational diving, I don't have a problem with many of the people that pass on the required DIR commitment. (However, even at the recreational level, there are plent of people that just shouldn't be allowed in the water under any circumstances.)For more techincal diving (I hate that term), the decision to dive outside of the DIR philosphy becomes more questionable since it tends to show a lack of commitment or lack of skill level. (Statements like that are obviously very controversial and are a generalization. So, for those that get in a huff, just assume you are the exception and aren't choosing the DIR route for other reasons.)

A thread about why all of the excuses for not being DIR due to a desire to adopt pieces of the system and make changes or because a diver feels his circumstances are different would be helpful but is probably outside the scope of the topic of this thread. DIR is not dogmatic, it has evolved greatly in the past 15 years. However, unless you are extremely versed in the system, most attempts to change things prove to be based on flawed thinking.

 

[Cave Diver]

I listened to Leon rant for an hour on sunday. Guy seems like a complete GI3-level *******. I guess that means that rebreathers all suck and I'll never dive one. Leon also clearly had nothing worthwile to say because the way he said it invalidated the truth of any point he was trying to make.

Or maybe judging a way of diving by a few pricks that dive that way isn't useful at all...

Yes, I'm sure Leon knows nothing about rebreathers or diving at all!

Run! Run! Run for your life!

 

[Footslogger]

So, what DIR offers is an ability to greatly improve the quality of your diving.

========================================

...and to be honest, it is this sort of claim that tends to alienate.

I think of myself as a pretty open minded person. I have dove in the presence of (but not with) DIR/GUE divers and respect their "style" of diving and the committment thereto.

I can't speak for the "anti-DIR" diving community, but truthfully, I am very satisfied with the QUALITY of my diving and I cannot see where/how adopting a new equipment configuration and diving methodology could lend to its improvement.

What DIR would offer me, if I chose to embrace it, would be a change in the NATURE of my diving ...not the QUALITY.