Hi, Mass Diver, maybe I'm envious that I didn't think of the thing first. Given the chance, I think that I could make big profits by being as big of a pompous arse as the DIR gurus. I'm sure that Unk agrees.
I wouldn't say that there is a wide disagreement on gear and outfitting. The DIR leaders, however, use disingenuous, albeit slick arguments to support some of their claims. They have the upper hand inasmuch as the high priests have written some "little red books" (or videos) which are recited by the faithful, somewhat like Scientologists, or Muslim "activists".
The convergences between them and me are coincidental. The DIR people have rediscovered some old fashioned arrangements and techniques which I never abandoned. These would be things like low drag gear and physical fitness. However, I am constantly learning new things, some of which have been adopted, even recently. I can change. They can't, it would be heresy.
The dive industry, including instruction groups, have to keep thinking up new things to sell the sport of Scuba diving. They come up with new gimmicks of all kinds, including BC pockets, multi colored computers,"advanced" courses and the biggie, NITROX. The genius of DIR is to recognize this, peel off the parts they consider frivolous, claim the rest and promote what is essentially a cave divers' kit to the world. What they then have for sale is a jazzed up 30 year old kit applied in new and unusual ways, all the while advanced by relentless proselytising.
Come to think of it, do they have tax free status yet? (GGGG)
Oh, there are worse things; as long as they aren't killing anybody, only somebody's wallet, I wouldn't presume to tell you or them, or anybody else, what gear to wear or how to dive. In fact, if you are a cave diver, or are kitting up to make decompression dives inside shipwrecks, the DIR rig is probably the way to go. Otherwise, regarding the type of diving that most of us do, I will make my views known from time to time.
