How soon for Dir-F

[Spoon]

I took it with about 25 dives under my belt. I did manage to sneek in on a few skills dives with the local DIR group before that and I can't say that I regret it even for a minute. Now I have no desire to even go near an AOW class. It just feels like a waste of money.

i have like 30 dives under my belt. just got certified aow. now its dir, hope i dint end up taking a redundant aow

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

i have like 30 dives under my belt. just got certified aow. now its dir, hope i dint end up taking a redundant aow

The two classes serve different purposes. DIR-F dives are conducted at shallow depths ... typically around 20-25 feet, and the conditions you dive in are somewhat limited, whereas the purpose of the AOW is to expose you to a wider range of diving conditions.

I personally tailor my AOW class as a means to prepare students for DIR-F ... meaning that every dive focuses on buoyancy control ... progressively working on buoyancy control while performing other tasks. A good AOW class will introduce you to skills such as dive planning, air management, and diving as a buddy team ... and DIR-F will show you how to integrate those skills into the very way you think about planning and executing a dive. DIR-F will also show you how to integrate every aspect of your diving into a system ... something that the AOW class simply isn't designed to do.

Properly done, the two classes can complement each other nicely ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Spoon]

The two classes serve different purposes. DIR-F dives are conducted at shallow depths ... typically around 20-25 feet, and the conditions you dive in are somewhat limited, whereas the purpose of the AOW is to expose you to a wider range of diving conditions.

I personally tailor my AOW class as a means to prepare students for DIR-F ... meaning that every dive focuses on buoyancy control ... progressively working on buoyancy control while performing other tasks. A good AOW class will introduce you to skills such as dive planning, air management, and diving as a buddy team ... and DIR-F will show you how to integrate those skills into the very way you think about planning and executing a dive. DIR-F will also show you how to integrate every aspect of your diving into a system ... something that the AOW class simply isn't designed to do.

Properly done, the two classes can complement each other nicely ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

thanks i have to admit the peak performance buoyancy course has helped me a lot. although im still learning after everydive, trying to fine tune my buoyancy

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

thanks i have to admit the peak performance buoyancy course has helped me a lot. although im still learning after everydive, trying to fine tune my buoyancy

That process never ends ... I've logged over 1,250 dives over the past 4-1/2 years, and I'm still learning after every dive ... and still trying to fine-tune my buoyancy.

Every time you approach your personal bar, try to raise it a bit. There is no ceiling ... when you start to think you're pretty good, find a dive buddy who knows more than you do ... the most important lessons you will learn won't come from taking a class.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Spoon]

That process never ends ... I've logged over 1,250 dives over the past 4-1/2 years, and I'm still learning after every dive ... and still trying to fine-tune my buoyancy.

Every time you approach your personal bar, try to raise it a bit. There is no ceiling ... when you start to think you're pretty good, find a dive buddy who knows more than you do ... the most important lessons you will learn won't come from taking a class.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

i agree! experience is tye best teacher. i try to dive as much as i can and try to apply and refine the stuff i learned in the classrooms. cant wait to take my class! thanks bob!

 

[mer]

Take the fundamentals early. I took it with over a 100 dives and my father took it with 15, he had a much easier job adapting. It really gives you a good foundation of what you need to work on and how to practice after the class.

Ask your instructor how they will support you after the class.

As for AOW, with few exceptions in my area, the class doesn't teach you much (esp when compared with fundamentals. Unfortunately some of the more popular dive boats in this area don't recognize the effort put into passing fundamentals, and therefore still require AOW for boat dives deeper than 60 feet. If I could do it all over I would do fundamentals, go do some diving, and when I was ready to move deeper, take AOW since (again unfortunately) you can bang that one out in a weekend.

And ignore o-ring, he's just bitter he doesn't have enough tech buddies.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Unfortunately some of the more popular dive boats in this area don't recognize the effort put into passing fundamentals, and therefore still require AOW for boat dives deeper than 60 feet.

Perhaps that's because DIR-F ... for all the value it offers ... is taught at shallow depths. Neither of my classes took us deeper than 25 fsw.

If I could do it all over I would do fundamentals, go do some diving, and when I was ready to move deeper, take AOW since (again unfortunately) you can bang that one out in a weekend.

There would be a lot of advantages to that approach ... perhaps the biggest would be to readjust the mindset that seems to make deep diving so alluring to so many folks who don't realize that they're not even close to being ready for it yet ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[mer]

Esp around here, we have so much shore diving, it would take a new diver a while to get tired of the sites and shallow wildlife or even tired of the shallow sites available by boat.

I wasted a lot of money on boat charters after I got AOW and thought I was ready. High air consumption, short bottom times, not able to really enjoy my bottom time since I was worried about buddies or finding the line.

I just returned to a little 90' wreck I hadn't done in about a year. Except I've done alot of training and built up alot of experience over the last year. Made the charter fee really worth it to have a nice, relaxed, long dive, where I could actually zen out and enjoy the wildlife with some really chill buddies.

 

[boomx5]

why?

He's just messing with you.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Esp around here, we have so much shore diving, it would take a new diver a while to get tired of the sites and shallow wildlife or even tired of the shallow sites available by boat.

I wasted a lot of money on boat charters after I got AOW and thought I was ready. High air consumption, short bottom times, not able to really enjoy my bottom time since I was worried about buddies or finding the line.

I just returned to a little 90' wreck I hadn't done in about a year. Except I've done alot of training and built up alot of experience over the last year. Made the charter fee really worth it to have a nice, relaxed, long dive, where I could actually zen out and enjoy the wildlife with some really chill buddies.

Some day I'd like to go check out some of those sites ... I lived in Cape Ann (Rockport/Gloucester) for a few years back in the late 70's/early 80's ... sadly, I didn't dive back then ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)