Has anyone ever? Reasons for DIR...

[Cave Diver]

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

Exactly!

 

[OneBrightGator]

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.

But... you must agree to the path and the goal and not deviate to truly be DIR. As is stated many times, DIR has all the answers, there is no situation that someone smarter then you hasn't been in. There is no need to walk off the yellow brick road, Dorothy. So as long as you're content with following that path and reaching that goal, then DIR is great, and there are plenty of helpful folks to show you the way. If you want to try a different route, eCCR or sidemount for example, then you are forbidden from "the path" and you will never reach "the goal".

 

[Cave Diver]

But... you must agree to the path and the goal and not deviate to truly be DIR. As is stated many times, DIR has all the answers, there is no situation that someone smarter then you hasn't been in. There is no need to walk off the yellow brick road, Dorothy. So as long as you're content with following that path and reaching that goal, then DIR is great, and there are plenty of helpful folks to show you the way. If you want to try a different route, eCCR or sidemount for example, then you are forbidden from "the path" and you will never reach "the goal".

I have to disagree with this to an extent. DIR is a philosophy, not a boot camp. Sure, if you're a WKPP diver then you have to follow the procedures and protocols exactly as laid out and there are some very good reasons for that, considering the nature of their dives.

OTOH, I know a LOT of DIR oriented divers that have some slight deviations, myself included. I know of several that dive CCR that are a MUCH more "DIR" than I will ever be, even though DIR doesnt include CCR. Quite the paradox eh?

The only "true" DIR divers ever, were probably GI3 and JJ and last I checked, one of them wasnt even doing much diving.

If you agree with the philosophy and it improves your diving, great.
If you dont think you need it, that's fine also. No one is going to try and "make you." Thats the great thing about living in America, the freedom to choose.

 

[Rainer]

It's "A" path, to whatever goals you want. I've never heard a GUE instructor speak of it as "THE" path to anything.

 

[TSandM]

It's true that, if you are diving CCR, you aren't GUE DIR. That's fine. Maybe you took some GUE instruction on the way and got some good from it. Maybe you didn't, because you decided you wanted to dive rebreathers from the get-go, and knew this particular path in the diving world didn't get there.

To me, the core and spirit of DIR (and mind you, I'm a guppy -- you're hearing MY personal take on the philosophy, and why I follow it) is this: A standardized configuration that everybody diving understands (and which makes good sense, safety-wise, to me). A commitment to thorough pre-dive procedures, including dive planning and equipment checking. Standard gases, so you're all on the same wavelength for decompression planning. Strong personal skills, held to a high standard. Sharp emergency procedures. A strong team ethos, which includes pushing yourself to be the best member of your team that you can be, and knowing the other members of the team are doing the same. And a willingness to debrief the dives and accept criticism, if it's offered, so that the next dive can be smoother and more fun than the last.

If a CCR team meets all the criteria, they're diving the spirit of DIR, in my opinion. I wouldn't dive with them, or if I did, it wouldn't be a "DIR" dive, because it would violate a lot of those ideas. I don't understand rebreathers, I wouldn't be sharp in the emergency procedures involved with them, and we wouldn't be a team. Similarly, if I dove with technical divers who used a perfectly DIR equipment configuration, but had different dive and gas planning parameters, and different signals, it wouldn't be a DIR dive, because we wouldn't be a team.

As somebody mentioned earlier (I think it was Doc Wong), one of the really fun things about being a DIR diver is the ability to go somewhere else and dive with someone you've never met, and have the dive be seamless. I've done that now in Monterey, LA and Maui, and I've done it with visiting divers here in Seattle. You slip into the water and into a team, and it feels familiar and effortless and just . . . FUN.

Reading all the stories people post here about unpleasant or unsatisfying experiences diving with instabuddies on boats always makes me happy that I'm part of a cohesive diving subculture, where I could fly to England and get in the water with folks there and say, "Yeah, we're a TEAM."

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

From what I have read and from the divers I have talked to, the diving design is affected by the diving you do. From how I want to dive, I know there will be more than one setup for me between cave diving and ocean diving. I got to talk with Evelyn Dudas at length and why she sidemounts. For her it works, and who am I to argue with the first woman to dive the Doria. I am learning from so many divers, with so many different experiences with their gear and their dives. I think we all learn from each other and like anything else, there is always room for improvement. The one thing that has bothered me a bit, is the animosity between all the groups. From a new diver standpoint, that is what makes trying to educate yourself a bit difficult since in some instances it can be "Our way or the highway" types of attitudes that really make one second guess their decisions. I am happy to be on the course I have chosen, for me, I enjoy the challenge, but most of all, I feel that I have gained some freedom...kind of like finding my wings underwater. Learning how to use them and what direction to fly is the hard part, but also the fun part! It's great to have so many willing to help guide me on my way!

Happy diving!
Carolyn:sharks:

Ps...Thank you TSandM, your insites and information have been very influential in my continued education in this type of diving.

 

[DocWong]

(snip)

As somebody mentioned earlier (I think it was Doc Wong), one of the really fun things about being a DIR diver is the ability to go somewhere else and dive with someone you've never met, and have the dive be seamless. I've done that now in Monterey, LA and Maui, and I've done it with visiting divers here in Seattle. You slip into the water and into a team, and it feels familiar and effortless and just . . . FUN.

Reading all the stories people post here about unpleasant or unsatisfying experiences diving with instabuddies on boats always makes me happy that I'm part of a cohesive diving subculture, where I could fly to England and get in the water with folks there and say, "Yeah, we're a TEAM."

Yes, on my last trip out to Florida I had a chance to dive with both DIR and non DIR divers and the experience was the difference between day and night. I still had a lot of fun either way, though with the non-DIR divers I made sure they were only recreational dives.

On the non-DIR dives, one guy, I could see was a little stressed by his breathing rate and just as he was running out of gas, my long hose was already deployed and he didn't get a chance to miss a breath. At the very least, I've become a much better buddy!

Then I'd see divers routinely blowing up to the surface on their "No Decompression Limits" dives. Made me cringe every time. The cool thing about being in a .5 mil wet suit and 89 degree water was that I got to practice one foot per minute ascents from 20 feet when I got bored. Try that in our colder West Coast waters!

We're off to Tech One with JJ at the end of the month and we're nervous and excited. The standards are pretty high and we've been practicing for the last year consistently so wish us luck! I think as a team we've finally got our 3 foot ascents from 20' down. That was a breakthrough. Before Fudies, it wasn't unusual for me to vary from 15' to 25' on a mandatory deco stop, not pretty.

DIR isn't for everyone, what worked best for us, was to put our egos aside, know that we had a lot we could learn and get out of the class, be open to the concepts and give it a chance to see how it all worked together. So going thru fundies, I just did whatever our instructor said, figuring that if I didn't like it later, I could change it or do whatever I wanted. No one's going to hold a gun to my head after the class.

Of course he (Beto Nava) explained the rational behind each of his recommendations, wheather it was gear configuration, skills or diving concepts and as I dove everything fit together into a completer very workable package.

When I joined BAUE (Bay Area Underwater Explorers www.baue.org) the only thing I had to really change that was significant for me was Solo Diving. In the past I loved Solo Diving. Now of course I can give lip service and say, yea, yea, I won't do that and on my own do Solo Diving, but that's not me and that's not GUE or DIR either.

If a diver takes Fundies and goes off and dives completely different and they've become a better diver for having taken Fundies, then I think there's still an overall positive impact on our diving community.

 

[TSandM]

The cool thing about being in a .5 mil wet suit and 89 degree water was that I got to practice one foot per minute ascents from 20 feet when I got bored.

This made me giggle. One of the things that happens on DIR dives, when you get down there and the viz is crummy or you just aren't finding anything interesting to look at, is that you find "ways" to enliven your dive. There are NO boring DIR dives -- If the sea doesn't oblige, your buddy will

 

[grazie42]

I have made an effort to take training and dive with people who have different outlooks and focus.

My tmx/wreck instructor would assemble his gear for the dive on the way out to the wreck from a pile of equipment, "improvising a setup". My cave-instructor made me cut off my hose-protectors. I´ve done deep dives with people using a vr3, others with people using "deco on the pie" and everything in between.

I think what you miss out on if you "only" dive DIR or only do technical dives with DIR divers is a diversity of experience that, IMO, makes you a better diver.

I find it a bit ironic that any time someone critizices DIR the response is that that´s not "real world dir" or that you need to give it a few dives or that you need to spend more time practicing before you can really have an informed oppinion. Some seem to think that tech 2 is the minimum you need before you can make an informed comment.

If you´ve found DIR to be your path then that is great, if I wasn´t moving towards MCCRs I´d be on a dir-f course by now to see what "it´s all about". Just apply your own criteria for being informed about DIR to yourself before you speak about other diving stiles or start aknowledging opinions of those who haven´t even seen a dir-diver.

ymmv

 

[OneBrightGator]

OTOH, I know a LOT of DIR oriented divers that have some slight deviations, myself included. I know of several that dive CCR that are a MUCH more "DIR" than I will ever be, even though DIR doesnt include CCR. Quite the paradox eh?

No, they're not DIR.

To me, the core and spirit of DIR (and mind you, I'm a guppy -- you're hearing MY personal take on the philosophy, and why I follow it) is this: A standardized configuration that everybody diving understands (and which makes good sense, safety-wise, to me). A commitment to thorough pre-dive procedures, including dive planning and equipment checking. Standard gases, so you're all on the same wavelength for decompression planning. Strong personal skills, held to a high standard. Sharp emergency procedures. A strong team ethos, which includes pushing yourself to be the best member of your team that you can be, and knowing the other members of the team are doing the same. And a willingness to debrief the dives and accept criticism, if it's offered, so that the next dive can be smoother and more fun than the last.

If a CCR team meets all the criteria, they're diving the spirit of DIR, in my opinion

Still, not DIR.

Yes, on my last trip out to Florida I had a chance to dive with both DIR and non DIR divers and the experience was the difference between day and night. I still had a lot of fun either way, though with the non-DIR divers I made sure they were only recreational dives.

When I joined BAUE (Bay Area Underwater Explorers www.baue.org) the only thing I had to really change that was significant for me was Solo Diving. In the past I loved Solo Diving. Now of course I can give lip service and say, yea, yea, I won't do that and on my own do Solo Diving, but that's not me and that's not GUE or DIR either.

Also, not DIR.

It's been clearly established, if you have to use any qualifiers like: mostly, similar, almost, kinda, like, in the spirit, with the intent, everything but, akin to, etc. Then it is really not DIR.