I drank the GUE Fundies Kool-Aid and survived!!

[TSandM]

After listening to George's rants for 5 or 6 years, I took up DIR around 1999 so I could try the system and tell George that he was wrong. Because I was sure he was.

That was pretty much Michael Kane's story, too.

There's a concept in merchandising that any notoriety is advertising . . . to some degree, I think that worked here. Certainly a lot more people have heard of DIR than would ever have, if George had been quiet.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

What's the term for male camel toe?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

That was pretty much Michael Kane's story, too.

That reminded me of one of my favorite GI posts;


When I saw Kane with the scooter the first time, he did not know how to put
the batteries in it. He had both bulkheads at the bottom and thought the
batteries sat on top of them. When it comes to diving or anything
mechanical, Kane reminds me of the guy I saw on Wheel of Fortune one time
that got all the letters turned and then could not read the answer. I think
Johnny Walker had to keep him going out there until he pissed Johnny off.

Then I tried to dive with Kane. We jumped in, dropped down on the wreck, and
then all I saw was his transom scootering off into oblivion without ever
looking back - great buddy skills. Pina and I chalked it up to another
violation of Rule Number One and continued the dive without him , not about
to waste it chasing him around. Then he shows up for a WKPP dive - no idea
who let him in - with 104's and a wetsuit. I guess that is another instance
where he "disagrees with George". Werner apparently got in his face about
it. I was not there. I also trust that Casey is not letting any of these
guys who "know better" than us anywhere near the Project anymore.

 

[ScubaSam]

There's a concept in merchandising that any notoriety is advertising . . . to some degree, I think that worked here. Certainly a lot more people have heard of DIR than would ever have, if George had been quiet.

Yep, unfavorable publicity is better than no publicity at all.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Yep, unfavorable publicity is better than no publicity at all.

I'm not so sure ... I think I'd have been interested in DIR training long before I did had it not been for some local "unfavorable publicity" that I had to overcome before I brought myself to want to look further into it.

I just don't seen an upside to being a horse's arse ... there's always better ways to get your message out there ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ScubaSam]

I just don't seen an upside to being a horse's arse ... there's always better ways to get your message out there ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Yes, I prefer NOT to be a horse's ass when I have a message to convey but as we've witnessed on this board, not everyone subscribes to our method.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Yes, I prefer NOT to be a horse's ass when I have a message to convey but as we've witnessed on this board, not everyone subscribes to our method.

Unfortunately that is the primary source of all the angst we've seen aimed at the GUE community over the years. And all too often it's directed at people who are just interested in diving well, and have found GUE classes to be an excellent way of getting the skills they want. These aren't the people who splatter their strong opinions all over the Internet ... but they ARE the people who get to take grief because of the way they chose to dive.

If all the anti-DIR anger were directed only at the handfull of egotists who seem to delight in the inflammatory rhetoric, it wouldn't bother me a bit. But the backdraft seems to burn everybody who chooses to dive that way.

That ain't what I'd call good publicity ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[nadwidny]

That was pretty much Michael Kane's story, too.

Kane's conversion and his posts about it on rec.scuba were also a key factor in my decision to try DIR out. Kane was as rabid anti-DIR as anyone until he went to Florida and dove with the WKPP on an invite so he could see and try the system in person. I figured if he tried it and switched (pretty much overnight) maybe I should give it a try.

Afterwards Kane spent a lot of his own money travelling the country setting up DIR demos and did as much as anyone else in promoting the system in the pre/early GUE days

Incidentally, like most that switch I was left with equipment legacies in my garage. I finally sold my Transpac BC this summer after it sat collecting dust for 10 years. Now if I could just flog off the bungeed double wing, my garage will be pretty much stroke free. Well, except for the Kiss RB but that's another story.

 

[TSandM]

I was fortunate enough to spend an interesting evening at Michael's house, and got to listen to the story of his "conversion" first-hand. For someone who had actually safely accomplished what he had before he went to talk to George, to switch immediately, is a big red flag that the system is at least worth looking at.

For people like me, it makes life easier and more fun. For people doing much higher risk diving, it offers a lot more, it appears.

 

[nadwidny]

Did he tell you about when he and AG went to NC/Virginia Beach, did a DIR demo and had a fairly experienced and well known trimix diver give up on the deep stuff?