How DIR are we, actually?

[Ben_ca]

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.

Who said we aren't having fun? Might want to tone down a little.... sounds like you are coming off the top rope and bashing the DIR crowd... remember this is a DIR friendly zone

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

Sounds like more bashing to me

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.

I agree with you here

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.

Where did this come from?

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.

I think the "Take away" lesson in this thread is to acknowledge your weaknesses and strengths and make these known to your team (as good team mates they know what your strengths and weaknesses are) and form a team that is greater than individuals

 

[Cacia]

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).

But..you should always bring as much to the table as possible...and I say that whether you have comitted to a team or only to yourself.

As far as what Bob says...I think NAUI has a comittment to fitness, perhaps (am I wrong?) from their Navy Seal history. When I was coming up...my (and most, I thought) of the NAUI instuctors were former navy divers.

But, no, I don't think PADI has any comittment beyond lip service, to fitness. Leaving it to the individual is an acceptable option, but they don't incorporate it in any way.

 

[scubak]

Oh what a fun thread...finally....
Gee whiz this place was getting a bit sullen...
Thanks,
K

 

[TSandM]

1) I started this thread in the DIR forum for a REASON. This was a question thrown out to people who ostensibly have bought into the DIR philosophy, about how far they've bought in.

2) A lesson I keep learning is what a team is. A team IS greater than the sum of its parts. But if the sum of the parts is greater, the team is greater.

3) It is absolutely within my power to improve my strength and fitness. I just don't do it.

4) As I look forward to overhead training, the importance of strength and fitness (and all other things that help the team) looms larger.

We dive for fun (except for people who get paid to do it, and I'm not one of them, nor is any of my friends). But the better I've gotten at it, the more fun it's become. The stronger I get, the less the annoying parts of diving are going to irritate me -- schlepping gear and getting in and out of the water in it.

None of my dive buddies -- DIR or not -- has ever, ever said one word to me about resenting helping me with my gear, or helping me get out of the water. This is MY issue, not theirs.

 

[theskull]

Who said we aren't having fun? Might want to tone down a little.... sounds like you are coming off the top rope and bashing the DIR crowd... remember this is a DIR friendly zone



Sounds like more bashing to me



I agree with you here




Where did this come from?



I think the "Take away" lesson in this thread is to acknowledge your weaknesses and strengths and make these known to your team (as good team mates they know what your strengths and weaknesses are) and form a team that is greater than individuals

Bashing?

A reminder that the primary goal is to be safe and have fun.
A well-reasoned point that not all advice is right for YOU, even if the giver has a card with specific letters on it.

This was one of many bits of very good constructive advise in this particular discussion.

theskull

 

[theskull]

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)

IANTD calls staying in good physical shape "survival training". And Tom Mount sets a truly excellent example with his martial arts practice and cycling.

I, too, stepped up my workout routines when I entered the tech diving arena. So far it has paid off even more so on the recreational side, where I have had many opportunities to "assist" nearby divers who just couldn't make it back to the boat against the current or got too tired during a long surface swim to get back to shore unaided.

So I believe the DIR crowd are doing a tremendous service by emphasizing this aspect of the "diving package" to recreational divers! As has already been said here, PADI totally leaves fitness out of the picture on the recreational side once a diver has huffed through their original 8-lap swim for OW instruction.

theskull

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Everything that I've learned about DIR has been from the internet, so my perspective may be wacked, but it SEEMS that "you people" agonize over the smallest details and appear to spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about things like: perfect trim and balance in the water. I never pay much attention to being perfectly trimmed because I am always doing something underwater, not stopping every 30 seconds to determine if I will tend to roll a little to one side if I stop finning for 15 seconds. So what if I roll to one side on my deco stop, it is not a problem.

What I do have a problem with, is that the general Scuba diving public is very fat and very out of shape. The difference between the appearance of the people on the charter scuba boat and my freediving buddy's boat, is pretty dramatic (and for the record my personal BMI is in the obese range). I'm down to only 5-8 hours/week of strength/aerobic fitness training and my current long-term goal is to get WEAKER SLOWER. I also view this as essentially "survival training" for the type of scuba and freedive spearfishing that I participate in. I feel that I must maintain a level of fitness that provides some buffer that might allow me to "muscle" my way out of a bad situation; at least it has worked so far on a few occasions.

It seems to me that, if someone is going to make the "fanatical" commitment to diving that is required of "DIR", that 3-4 hours of intense aerobic and strength training per week would be an absolute minimum. Are there no strict DIR guidelines on fitness?

And while I'm complaining, In my opinion the best fitness training for scuba diving is NOT scuba diving; to effectively train your body, you need to push very hard. Exerting yourself that hard while scuba diving (or for example on a surface swim while loaded with nitrogen) is probably not safe or practical, especially when diving as a team.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

3) It is absolutely within my power to improve my strength and fitness. I just don't do it.

We dive for fun (except for people who get paid to do it, and I'm not one of them, nor is any of my friends). But the better I've gotten at it, the more fun it's become. The stronger I get, the less the annoying parts of diving are going to irritate me -- schlepping gear and getting in and out of the water in it.

None of my dive buddies -- DIR or not -- has ever, ever said one word to me about resenting helping me with my gear, or helping me get out of the water. This is MY issue, not theirs.

Give yourself a bit more credit than that, Lynne ... a year ago you could barely make it out of the water with a singles rig and small tank. Last night you didn't have any trouble hoisting those double 85's up the beach. You HAVE improved your strength and fitness.

I don't know a single DIR diver who doesn't dive for fun ... although I do know a couple who could stand to smile a little more often than they do ...

... and I know several who's idea of fun is to shoot a bag, take off their mask, and practice ascent drills. More power to 'em ... if they're enjoying themselves, who am I to tell 'em they'd really be better off just looking at the wildlife ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Charlie99]

I don't know a single DIR diver who doesn't dive for fun ... although I do know a couple who could stand to smile a little more often than they do ...

... and I know several who's idea of fun is to shoot a bag, take off their mask, and practice ascent drills. More power to 'em ... if they're enjoying themselves, who am I to tell 'em they'd really be better off just looking at the wildlife ...

I've noticed that there are a lot of divers that dive just to see what's down there. They are often content to be skilled enough to get there and back safely.

Other divers are focused on the mechanics of diving; the sport of diving in and of itself. Honing their dive skills is an end in itself.

It's pretty natural for someone whose focus is the sport of diving itself to enjoy shooting a bag, no mask drills, etc. I'll bet that, as a group, they are more DIR than the ones for whom diving is just the means of getting underwater and back.

Charlie Allen

 

[Rick Inman]

OK, after reading this thread, I think I'm getting it. I shouldn't be offended when, after the dive, as the debrief, my buddy looks over at me and says, "Nice dive, Fatty."