Has anyone ever? Reasons for DIR...

[Footslogger]

OTOH, people with thousands of dives have found DIRF courses to be beneficial.
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I understand and respect that to be true. My position is not fueled by a resistance to change and I absolutely agree that divers should always be looking to improve their skills. To that point, as I observed a group of GUE divers over a weeks period of time on a liveaboard this past year I actually found myself comparing their techniques to mine and making some changes.

I guess where I drew/draw the line is the techniques versus the equipment ...or at least the extent to which that can be reasonably considered. While I fully acknowledge the importance of and continued refinement of safe and responsible diving techniques I have a hard time relating to the whole equipment conformity side of the equation.

When I was in the miliary I was well schooled in small group dynamics (prior life - don't go there) so the aspect of individual responsibility embedded in coordinated team operations is not something new to me. I'm also way beyond the ego side of not "measuring up" and passing a DIR-F course.

I've probably wasted enough of everyone's time on this thread. And, as you pointed out, I am not the target market for DIR training anyway. I do thank you and everyone else who offered honest feedback and constructive critism without attacking my position.

 

[TSandM]

No, I think you raise a good point about equipment, Footslogger. Equipment is one of the biggest reasons people don't take Fundies (at least that's what came out in the thread I started a while back asking why people who thought the class was a good idea weren't taking it.) And conformity of equipment is certainly one of the central tenets of the DIR philosophy.

It doesn't mean you can't ever dive safely with other equipment. There are tons of people who do. But even at the recreational level, there are advantages to standardizing equipment. I can glance over my buddies quickly and see if anything is out of place or twisted or improperly hooked up, because we all look the same. When I dive with somebody who doesn't dive the DIR configuration (or the NTEC configuration, depending on your particular allegiance), I have to spend a lot more time looking at what they have, where it is, and how it works. Underwater, it might take more time for me to help somebody with something, especially since I know I don't think as well at 60 feet as I do at the surface.

The gear configuration we use is simple, streamlined, flexible, and completely understood by all members of the team. But it's a big commitment to change, if you've started out with something else and you're happy with what you have. But DIR diving is a commitment, as RTodd observed in a prior post. For me, the returns more than outweigh the costs, but I can see how somebody might make a different decision.

 

[Cave Diver]

Well, the equipment side of it is the part everyone seems to focus on, when its simply one part of a holistic approach.

While it's all important, the team mindset, dive planning and skills eclipse the equipment side of it for me.

If you would like any help with the "equalization of the equipment conformity" please feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to discuss it with you, even from a recreational standpoint.

Your comments are certainly not a waste of time. Different viewpoints inspire an exchange of ideas, which is never a waste as long as it's productive instead of argumentative.

 

[TSandM]

It IS only one part of the whole system, but it's an unavoidable part, if you are going to be DIR. And since you can't even take Fundies without compliant gear, it's the first hurdle most people are going to face, and an expensive one.

 

[Footslogger]

The gear configuration we use is simple, streamlined, flexible, and completely understood by all members of the team. But it's a big commitment to change, if you've started out with something else and you're happy with what you have.
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Honestly ...my gear is darned near always in a state of evolution (hopefully in the right direction). Over time I might end up finding myself with some version of the equipment configuration I have seen DIR divers using ...but most likely that decision would not be the result of signing up for a course, if you understand my meaning.

Again, thanks for taking time to reply. I've learned a lot from reading your and other members posts.

 

[DocWong]

There's another big advantage and that is buddying up with other divers. When I went to South Florida, I got in touch with the local DIR divers there and dove with them. We did some decently complicated dives and I was able to interface with them seamlessly!

We went thru our standard pre dive planning and protocols and it all went incredibly smooth. This was true when I met other DIR divers on various other trips. Here's some video of that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7joa6HhIiLc

Diving off commercial dive boats in Key Largo on the wrecks like the Spiegel Grove, Duane, and Bibb yealed some very mixed results.

I'd look ont he boat and see if there was anyone with a back plate and there were usually 1 or 2,then I'd casually go over and talk to them and I'd soon hook up with them as they typically were more advanced divers.

It went ok, but still not optimal, but I still had a great time!

Here's a video I took then: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WsZIp3Bic8

 

[Cave Diver]

Honestly ...my gear is darned near always in a state of evolution (hopefully in the right direction). Over time I might end up finding myself with some version of the equipment configuration I have seen DIR divers using ...but most likely that decision would not be the result of signing up for a course, if you understand my meaning.

Again, thanks for taking time to reply. I've learned a lot from reading your and other members posts.

Again, if you ever choose to discuss your equipment evolution, I'll be happy to discuss it with you. Sometimes stepping back and looking at the how, or why, eclipses the what. The Hogarthian setup started the same way; a constant evolution of gear. That's the starting point for the DIR equipment setup...

Learning was the whole purpose for my starting this thread.

 

[Footslogger]

Again, if you ever choose to discuss your equipment evolution, I'll be happy to discuss it with you. Sometimes stepping back and looking at the how, or why, eclipses the what. The Hogarthian setup started the same way; a constant evolution of gear. That's the starting point for the DIR equipment setup...

Learning was the whole purpose for my starting this thread.

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Sincerely appreciate your offer.

 

[Cave Diver]

No problem, PM me anytime.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Equipment is actually the easiest part of the DIR "equation" ... which is (IMO) why it's always what gets talked about.

Adapting to the mentality of being part of a team, and acquiring the skills to be a contributing member of that team is the more difficult part ... and the part that defines the biggest difference between the DIR approach and that of the mainstream recreational agencies.

Looking at the list proposed in the original post on this thread ...

So, has anyone ever:
Looked around and wondered where your buddy ran off to?
Found yourself having to share equipment and fumbling to make the exchange?
Wondered how you managed to rip your wetsuit so badly on a piece of coral?
Wished you had brought a piece of equipment (lift bag, knife, etc.) with you on a dive but hadnt?
Found yourself popping to the surface unexpectedly during a safety stop?
Been surprised at how low you or your buddy was on air when you finally checked during your dive?
Wondered where the boat was?
Been on the verge of panic because you found yourself in conditions above your experience leve?
Tried unsuccessfully to get your buddies attention?
Wondered what that piece of equipment is that's dragging behind them?
Almost got your mask kicked off by someone you're diving with?
Unexpectedly find yourself in deco?
Marvel at how the dive guide just seems to be able to hang motionless?
Just want to improve your overall skills and comfort level?

... 11 of the 14 issues brought up by the OP are completely unrelated to the gear you are wearing.

All of them, however, are fundamentally related to how you approach your dive.

For those who are wondering about DIR, that's what I'd recommend you consider ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)