Has anyone ever? Reasons for DIR...

[Cave Diver]

...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.

Well, the real problem with his statement is that the term "quality" means different things to different people. His definition of "quality" may (and most likely does) differ from yours.

OTOH, you mention being open minded and diving with DIR divers, but you can't see how adopting a new configuration and diving method would improve your diving.

Is this statement made after actually trying it for yourself over the course of 4-6 dives, or simply from watching/being around them and deciding it doesn't work for you?

 

[TSandM]

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.

Oh, man, was that me! (Still is, only it's rec triox now.) But I think I'm living proof that almost any yahoo CAN reach the bar, if they're willing to work hard ENOUGH. And, of course, I had a buddy who was willing to put up with my bumbling and laugh about it with me. (The image of me, lying on the surface, laughing hysterically, completely festooned in my SMB line that I came up through when I corked, comes to mind.) And how unpleasant is the practice, anyway? Is anything unpleasant, when it means you're diving?

And I have to say that improving my skills HAS improved the quality of my diving. And diving as a team improves it beyond measure.

 

[Footslogger]

Well, the real problem with his statement is that the term "quality" means different things to different people. His definition of "quality" may (and most likely does) differ from yours.

OTOH, you mention being open minded and diving with DIR divers, but you can't see how adopting a new configuration and diving method would improve your diving.

Is this statement made after actually trying it for yourself over the course of 4-6 dives, or simply from watching/being around them and deciding it doesn't work for you?

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Absolutely true ...QUALITY is a relative term.

I could (and would) totally agree with your last statement if I was a new diver. And, maybe it's a bit of the "old dog - new tricks" scenario however I do think that with number of years I've been diving that I am in a position to objectively look out and evaluate alternative dive methodologies. Plus, it's not so much that it wouldn't "work for me". Rather, after familiarizing myself with the DIR style and personally observing it in action I can honestly say that it does not appeal to me as representing any form of real improvement in the pleasure or satisfaction I derive from diving.

It might help to also qualify my diving as being purely recreational. I do not penetrate wrecks or enter caves. I respect that type of diving as requiring skills and equipment I do not possess. Ironically, when I started diving in the early 70's I would commonly enter wrecks and caves (stupidly) and who knows ...if the DIR school of thought had been available I might well have gone that route.

This all loops back to your original comment, with which I completely agree. QUALITY is to diving as BEAUTY is to the beholder. I totally believe that non-DIR and DIR diving can peacefully co-exist ...and probably should. However neither method should be touted as (in and of itself) being RIGHT or RIGHTER than the other.

 

[Cave Diver]

Fair enough.

Although I do have to say that diving with the DIR configuration and mindset has vastly improved my enjoyment of purely recreational dives.

Again, that's not to say that there aren't some very accomplished and capable divers out there that don't dive this way.

I do recall one comment by an instructor after completing and advanced nitrox class in Grand Cayman with him. When sending off the request to our c-cards to the agency, there was a place for instructor comments. Before signing off on us, he discussed our completion of the requirements and showed us his comments. "Both students have demonstrated skills and comfort level far beyond the scope of this class." That was probably one of my proudest moments as a diver and certainly a tribute to the previous training I had done and as a result we had a 12 days of the most fantastic recreational diving ever.

 

[Footslogger]

Fair enough.

Although I do have to say that diving with the DIR configuration and mindset has vastly improved my enjoyment of purely recreational dives.

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I will tell you that as a diver who started with a rigid backpack and military surplus CO2 activated Mae West horse collar set-up and progressed to the BCD ...I truly do respect the "wing" technology in terms of trim management. When it's time to replace my current BCD I will definitely consider the rear inflate technology.

 

[FIXXERVI6]

I have gained big from DIR, when I first started diving and was wanting to get more into the overhead and deeper realms finding information that was GOOD information was almost impossible to get, I heard it all, everything from "your gonna die if you become a cave diver" from "all cave divers eventually die in caves" yadda yadda on and on, even when preparing for classes I'd ask instructors about what gear I needed for the class etc the answer was "take the class".

The people that had the info wasn't sharing and the people that was sharing was sharing bad info.

So I found a Video of GI, from there on I laid my hands on all of the GUE/WKPP material info I could find and my technical training started with self education as nothing good was to be found around me. Not that there are not instructors in the area, its just they wouldn't even talk about things like gear configs unless the $$ was rolling down the counter toward them, and I wanted the proper gear before the classes etc, and not pushed toward gear that they sold because they sold it not because it was best for what I wanted to do.

DIR may have a bad wrap in a lot of circles but they willingly share information, and for that I am gratefull and have learned a lot, it gave me my starting point for where I am today, so even tho I am not DIR, DIR got me on the right path.

 

[TSandM]

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Good buoyancy control, the ability to dive without disturbing the dive site, sharp emergency procedures, good gas management, proper dive planning, and good buddy skills are part of good diving for ANY diver, no matter what philosophy or school you follow. And as I keep saying, I don't know where to send a purely recreational diver who wants to achieve those goals, except to Fundies. Yes, there are instructors out there who are teaching for other agencies and teaching those things. Shoot, I had one of them for a mentor! But Fundies is the only class I can send someone to anywhere in the country (or maybe the world) and pretty much GUARANTEE that they'll receive training in all of those areas.

You can undoubtedly learn all those things over time by yourself, especially if you somehow discover that they are out there to be learned. But it's a lot faster and more efficient to do it with some instruction, I think.

Even if someone takes Fundies and doesn't pass it, and admittedly a lot of people do, they've seen the example, they've taken away the intellectual information, and they've gotten a head-start on the techniques. Wouldn't the whole diving world be better off if every diver had a gas plan, and could control an ascent, and leave a dive site as they found it?

 

[lamont]

It might help to also qualify my diving as being purely recreational. I do not penetrate wrecks or enter caves. I respect that type of diving as requiring skills and equipment I do not possess. Ironically, when I started diving in the early 70's I would commonly enter wrecks and caves (stupidly) and who knows ...if the DIR school of thought had been available I might well have gone that route..

If you have been diving since the 70s, and have already learned good buoyancy, good finning technique, good situational awareness and good buddy skills and you have no need of anything beyond recreational diving, then DIR would probably be of a very incremental improvement if at all. OTOH, people with thousands of dives have found DIRF courses to be beneficial. You aren't really the target audience for DIR, or for any of the GUE courses though.

 

[DocWong]

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

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...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.

I think being open minded and skeptical is a good way to approach DIR diving. When I took Fundies, I wanted better skills and got that, I definitely improved, but it was not an end, only a good beginning.

My 2 other buddies were very experienced before Fundies too. One a long time technical diver and the other an experienced instructor. Fundies had us crying "uncle" but we got thru it. Now after a year of practicing, drilling and working on skills we're maybe ready to take Tech 1 at the end of the month.

Over the last year of practicing, our diving has really transformed. My gas consumption which was decent to start with improved dramatically and my comfort in the water quite improved. None of these may be what you need but how much room do we all have for improvement? I think anyone can improve their diving.

I do about 180 dives a year and I'm having more fun now than ever, so I'd encourage you to check it out. Here's a video of a very fun dive I had last week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSj7Zu-eWBs

 

[Carribeandiver]

becoming a good diver; that is, one that leaves the dive site undisturbed, can make a controlled descent and controlled ascent, plans the dive and dives the plan, practices good safety procedures and considers a dive buddy to be part of himself/herself, is a mindset. How many divers have a gazillion dives and still have no skills? I have seen many and have seen them oblivious to gaining any skill.
Then there are those who accept nothing less than their best and constantly raise the bar, always working to be the best they can. Good divers are made, not born. The amount of effort and practice may vary but a good diver is a good diver, and we all know one when we see one.
TS&M, you are truly an inspiration to us all.