How DIR are we, actually?

[MXGratefulDiver]

Originally Posted by MaxBottomtime
According to George Irvine, there are only a handfull of divers who are actually DIR. There are GUE instructors who still smoke, a few who are at least 50 pounds overweight, and I won't even get into the teaching of Rec Triox and ratio deco, which is technically also not DIR. The only chance you have to be truly 100% DIR would be to join the WKPP and follow GI's orders to the letter. Until then, just do your best to be the best dive buddy you can be.

All I can say is:
:rofl:

Max - i love this!!!!!
Mania

Me too ... it's a good example of how easy it is on an Internet forum for someone to speak with authority on a topic about which they know nothing.

To address the original topic ... I never considered "being DIR" as relevent to my goals as a diver. What I learned from taking GUE classes and workshops was done in the interest of acquiring the skills and mindset to be a safe diver. DIR is just one of several legitimate ways to do that ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[limeyx]

I had hoped that by wearing all black it would make me look thinner and thus be in shape. Well - there still is the the extra 10 lbs and I doubt I would be able to frog kick for a mile or more in current without cramping up.

So I don't smoke, don't drink, always dive with a team, plan my dive, keep my configuration / gas the same as my buddies and have similar skill sets etc...

I'm overweight and out of shape.

I'm not DIR - though hopefully one day, I might be good enough to think that I am.

yeah, I must have the wrong kind of wetsuit because mine definitely adds 15 pounds rather than removing it, but then they say the camera adds 15 pounds so maybe I really *am* just that fat

 

[Cacia]

What I do appreciate about DIR is a logical approach to risk. (points of failure, etc)

Of course, I realize I don't know that much about it, but I prefer to think I

understand the philosophy. Even though I don't join "the church" I like to drop in on

Sundays for inspiration. When I manage my diving risk and assess what is most

probable to go wrong, I always try and make myself be realistic about my

cardiovascular status , in particular. (Mainly from looking around and noting who

dies, and why) If I have twenty minutes to spare, I will ask

myself where I will get the most return on that time.

(Sometimes, this involves leaving a salty wetsuit in a heap until tomorrow.)

TSandM has bought into one of the most noble tenets of DIR if she is turning the light

on to the fitness component. Nobody has to be Arnold. But, in my opinion, anybody

who goes beyond recreational depths and into overhead environments, needs to have

their ticker on the radar of priorities. Wanting to be fit and recognizing the merit of a

self actualized approach to your health as you move forward is one of the most

admirable concepts put forward in DIR, IMO. I really respect "them" for that.

Again, not about judgement of others, but about asking honest questions of yourself

and putting your conclusions in the "plan".

 

[Adobo]

It is actually pretty amazing how much time has been spent in the past debating gear related topics (long hose, bungied backup, backplate, paddle fins, and on and on and on). Quite honestly, the gear portion of the equation is the absolute easiest thing about what I understand to be DIR. You throw money at it and it's done.

Everything else about the DIR approach is far more diffiicult and gets comparatively little attention. As you mentioned, the physical fitness aspect of it is there. It takes far more effort for the average person to analyze where they are with their fitness, analyzing where they should be and then figuring out how to get there. After that comes the two hardest parts; actually doing the things to get in better physical shape (working out, better diet, proper rest) and maintianing that level of fitness over the course of weeks, months and years.

So everytime I see a thread with people bashing each other about DIR configuration (pro and con), I wonder if it is me that doesn't get it or is it them.

What I do appreciate about DIR is a logical approach to risk. (points of failure, etc)

Of course, I realize I don't know that much about it, but I prefer to think I
understand the philosophy. Even though I don't join "the church" I like to drop in on
Sundays for inspiration. When I manage my diving risk and assess what is most
probable to go wrong, I always try and make myself be realistic about my
cardiovascular status , in particular. If I have twenty minutes to spare, I will ask
myself where I will get the most return on that time.
TSandM has bought into one of the most noble tenets of DIR if she is turning the light
on to the fitness component. Nobody has to be Arnold. But, in my opinion, anybody
who goes beyond recreational depths and into overhead environments, needs to have
their ticker on the radar of priorities. Wanting to be fit and recognizing the merit of a
self actualized approach to your health as you move forward is one of the most
admirable concepts put forward in DIR, IMO. I really respect "them" for that.

Again, not about judgement of others, but about asking honest questions of yourself
and putting your conclusions in the "plan".

 

[rjack321]

I whole heartedly agree that how you tie the clip onto the long hose is alot less likely to whack you than an MI underwater - regardless of dive or dive environment.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

TSandM has bought into one of the most noble tenets of DIR if she is turning the light

on to the fitness component. Nobody has to be Arnold. But, in my opinion, anybody

who goes beyond recreational depths and into overhead environments, needs to have

their ticker on the radar of priorities. Wanting to be fit and recognizing the merit of a

self actualized approach to your health as you move forward is one of the most

admirable concepts put forward in DIR, IMO. I really respect "them" for that.

True ... but it's not just DIR that believes so. Despite various "helpful hints" from my friends about improving my cardio fitness, it wasn't till I signed up for a NAUI Tech class that I decided it was time to start working out every day. Physiology doesn't care who you train with ... if you're going to put yourself under those kind of stresses, you'd better be prepared for it. I think any responsible tech instructor would tell you that ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Boomer7]

It it very funny that the thread was started the day before Thanksgiving. I will remember it while I am having my third piece of pie and telling my wife that I need a new 18 watt light because that is what my team is using.

 

[Thalassamania]

The DIR folks that I respect always write first about being a thinking diver. I know that Lynne thinks and in return for her thought another thinking diver should be more than willing to help her carry her tanks or steady her on entrance or exit, I know that I would. While some view a team as being only as strong as its weakest link (the glass is half empty) I'd rather see it as greater than the sum of its parts (half full). Rember, not all divers can be (as Jim English, the ops mgr of CANDIVE used to say), "strong like bull ... smart like streetcar!"<G>

 

[ArcticDiver]

Good Grief! Have some lost the reason why they dive?

Most everyone I know dives because it is FUN. The remainder started out diving because they had some macho(macha?) thing to prove to themselves. All who have stuck with it do it for fun, or profit.

So, if you are a Thinking Diver what really counts are the skills and mental attitude to carry out a safe, fun dive.

Being a Groupie to any particular dive philosophy or marketing tactic has no place in the Safe/Fun equation.

So, take classes from a wide variety of people. Take suggestions from even a wider variety. but always remember they are only suggestions unless you put a greater weight on them. Use them together with as much practice as can be done. Always seek to improve as defined by each individual diver.

But always remember that no one needs permission to do a particular dive unless on private or regulated property. Also remember that, just like in other businesses, that the seller of gear or instruction may not have your best interests at heart.

For me: I don't care what a fellow diver's philosophy is. I care that they are a decent human being that can be part of a mutually supporting and fun adventure; that they are honest with me about their comfort level and that I'm honest with them. If they are a little slow, or I'm a little weak; so what? We help each other and we both have fun. I breathe a little more gas than the other person; so what? We are both having fun. They swim slower than me; so what? We are both having fun. We are helping each other get the most of that part of our lives.

 

[jeffrey-c]

It it very funny that the thread was started the day before Thanksgiving. I will remember it while I am having my third piece of pie and telling my wife that I need a new 18 watt light because that is what my team is using.

Hmmm, could it be possible that the whole DIR thing is a scam to let us equipment junkies justify our expenses to our spouses? "But dear, my team has just upgraded to (fill in choice of equipment here), and if I don't get the exact same thing I will die as soon as my toes touch the water!!!"