I drank the koolaid!

[Codyjp]

But is is sooo much easier to paint with a the big brush dang it!

Phil, figured as much that you didn't mean to offend, it was sorta odd coming from you! One day maybe a group of us can get together and you can show us around OML, one day maybe I'll even find that statue.

 

[Leejnd]

WTH ???? I dive doubles because it's cool ...... or at least because it looks like I'm 10-15years younger -

Wait...are you telling me that diving doubles will make me look 10-15 years younger???

I amend my earlier comments! Quick - somebody give me a set of doubles! :cool2:

Sorry for raining on anyone's parade. That wasn't my plan. For several years I dived with GUE students and practiced drills on every dive. After awhile it became more of a chore than practice. It was the same as when I worked as a DM. After a couple of years I realized how much I missed diving to see the marine life rather than to perfect trim and buoyancy. I have nothing against DIR, I just don't understand the desire to dive if it isn't to view marine life or wrecks.

Phil, no harm no foul. It certainly started a rousing conversation!

And just FTR, I expect to NOT become one of those divers who spend the majority of my dives doing skills & drills. I think there's a place for that in diving - in fact that's one of the reasons I want to take this class, because to be honest I've forgotten much of what I learned in OW, AOW and Nitrox, and I don't really know HOW to do drills to keep up my knowledge! That's one of the things that appeals to me about GUE - the emphasis on not only learning it in class, but doing things to retain that knowledge. As I get older, I find that I forget things easier, and I'm actually a bit worried about how much I've already forgotten about diving. Sometimes I think I'm jumping in the water knowing far LESS than a newly certified diver!

But my love of diving, really, is all about critters. I'm no marine biologist, and while I enjoy learning the names of the creatures I see, I don't put a huge emphasis on that. I just like watching them - I find the entire underwater environment to be magical. It's like being inside that movie "Avatar" - for real. And I LOVE getting a few good photos! Sometimes I think the joy of uploading my photos to my computer and seeing that one spectacular shot (among the mostly crap that I shoot ) is almost as fun as actually being down there and taking them. Not that my shots EVER come close to yours - your UW photography skills are truly epic. But my family thinks my shots are pretty hot! (I've made a point of never letting them see yours...)

I do want to comment on your comment that you don't understand the desire to dive if it's not to see critters or wrecks. There was a thread once in the Basic Discussions forum asking people why they dive - what's the thing that attracts them the most? The answers were pretty interesting. There were some pretty wildly varying reasons that people like diving, ranging from just enjoying the feeling of weightlessness, to having always wanted to breathe underwater, to liking all the cool gear, to being attracted to the rigid structure and routine (I think that person was autistic ). Probably the most common answer was to see the critters, but by a smaller margin than you'd expect! Anyway, my point is, if what appeals to someone is team diving, perfecting skills, and hovering with spot-on trim and staring into the blue, I say, more power to 'em! They're doing what they love. As are we. For the reasons that appeal to us.

Truthfully, the question I get more than any other is, "Why the HELL do you want to strap heavy gear on your back, jump into freezing cold water and put your life in jeopardy in an environment in which humans were not meant to survive?" I guess we all have our own answer for that!

 

[offthewall1]

We're on our way back from Hollywood Divers right now, feeling a little bit of sticker shock (but no buyers remorse). Charlie and I both just bought full Halcyon rigs, and I also purchased everything I need for GUE fundies, which I hope to start in November.

So y'all got yerselves an official convert!

I'd love to go diving this weekend to try out our new rigs, but I'm feeling a little foolish - I'm not exactly sure how all this stuff works! (Stop laughing!). I'd love to get some help from some knowledgable DIR divers...we're considering going to Casino Pt either Sat or Sunday, or seeing if we can jump on a dive boat. Gotta see what the weather is supposed to be like.

In any case, we just took the plunge. And you can chalk this up to the DIR dive day we did in Laguna a couple weeks ago. And Charlie is even talking about maybe doing a GUE primer. (Remember, he wasn't even interested - he just came that day to help me carry my gear! Haha!)

Like many others who drink the koolaid (see Jim Jones,) the disciples don't end up in a very good place... be careful what you drink. Please be safe. Good Luck!

 

[liuk3]

If you have questions about how to set-up your equipment, I found this book "Dress for Success" by Dan MacKay helpful when I was just starting out diving the system. I still go to it as a reference guide at times. I know that Hollywoodivers sells it, and you can order it off the GUE website at Dress for Success | Global Underwater Explorers

I wouldn't worry too much about other people raining on your parade. I've seen people on both sides of the fence pooping on other systems and other divers. IMO, usually just makes them seem petty and insecure. But, like you I do respect everyone's right to have their own opinions and choose how they want to dive even if I disagree with them. I've had an amazing experience with the GUE training and dive community. I hope you and your husband have as much fun as I have exploring it.

 

[kathydee]

Sorry for raining on anyone's parade. That wasn't my plan. For several years I dived with GUE students and practiced drills on every dive. After awhile it became more of a chore than practice. It was the same as when I worked as a DM. After a couple of years I realized how much I missed diving to see the marine life rather than to perfect trim and buoyancy. I have nothing against DIR, I just don't understand the desire to dive if it isn't to view marine life or wrecks.
.

I think there is a misconception about the DIR stereotype. I’m not sure it exists off the boards. Our equipment and training is standardized, but our personalities and interests are not the same.

DIR divers have interests just as diverse as non DIR divers. Some DIR divers like deep diving, some are happy doing slow recreational dives above 60ft in a single tank. Others engage in photography, some are thrilled to do tons of drill practice, some love to play with scooters/while others use them simply for efficient transportation, some like caves, some shore diving, some adventurous expedition diving, and volunteering on various science projects. Many of us mix & match these interests.

The key is to find dive partners which align with your attitude and interest – but that idea is not exclusive to DIR diving.

Enjoy your new equipment, training and dive partners Leanne ;-)! Think you'll be thrilled with your new Halycon rig !

 

[Freezerbrn]

I am happy for you LeeAnn, congrats. As a new diver I appreciate anyone who in the water who has gained confidence in their skills and abilities through training and eventually experience. They may be the one to save my butt one day. Now, it if there was a scuba class that would lower my life insurance rate... I'd be all over that.

 

[Leejnd]

I think there is a misconception about the DIR stereotype. I’m not sure it exists off the boards.

Oh, I think there's lots of misconceptions and stereotyping out there that has nothing to do with the boards (although it does make itself painfully evident here). I personally had some pretty bad experiences with DIR divers on boats early in my diving, which turned me off to it for years -- until all you friendly local DIR divers started reaching out to me, completely skewering the stereotype! And I've talked to lots of other divers who, when someone says "DIR", start raging about the "cult" and "dive nazi's". I don't think all of this perception came from the boards...at least, not if they encountered anyone like those a-holes that I encountered. :mooner:

DIR divers have interests just as diverse as non DIR divers.

I met a woman once on a dive boat who told me that the reason she got into diving was because she used to dream as a little girl that she was breathing underwater. She started diving to be able to live those dreams! She told me she really didn't have a lot of interest in the critters, or really in any other aspect of it - she just loved to float through the underwater world, and breathe. Her favorite thing in the world is the kelp forests. She said she loved to soar through them as if she was flying like a bird through the treetops - but knowing she was underwater. Breathing. I thought that was kinda cool!

 

[ligersandtions]

Sorry for raining on anyone's parade. That wasn't my plan. For several years I dived with GUE students and practiced drills on every dive. After awhile it became more of a chore than practice. It was the same as when I worked as a DM. After a couple of years I realized how much I missed diving to see the marine life rather than to perfect trim and buoyancy. I have nothing against DIR, I just don't understand the desire to dive if it isn't to view marine life or wrecks.

I know of some of the people you are talking about....I don't dive with them...

There are lots of DIR divers who dive to look at the life. Sure, we try to do it in trim so that we can move through the water as efficiently as possible, but that doesn't mean we're nazi about it. In fact, we had 9 of them ditch work last Monday and dive the Yukon, 13 of them out on a boat this past weekend....a bunch are going out on a boat next weekend....and another big group are going out the following weekend. FWIW, it's not the same 9-13 people that I just referenced. As far as I know, each of those people dived for fun....I don't know a single one of whom did a drill on their dive.

There are a handful of people who go out and drill all the time....most of them eventually get bored with diving and don't do it anymore (I'm guessing a number of people you used to dive with fall into this category....amiright??). The rest of us, the ones who truly enjoy diving and don't act like jerk-offs to those who don't dive DIR, are out actively diving and enjoying ourselves....and we occasionally do a skills/drills dive.

 

[Blackwood]

Sorry for raining on anyone's parade. That wasn't my plan. For several years I dived with GUE students and practiced drills on every dive. After awhile it became more of a chore than practice.

Now I'm confused.

In your first second post, you seemed to complain that west coast "DIR" divers just play underwater, but your followup goes 180° to complain that "DIR" divers just practice skills.

Which one is it?

I guess it could be both, since the followup refers to "students," but really complaining that students want to practice seems kinda strange to me, as does stigmatizing a large group based on interaction with a small one.

Either way, hijack over.

 

[DwayneJ]

I will not go into all the other reasons - this isn't a thread about which gear to choose. I just wish to make the point, as clearly as possible, that we strongly believe we made an educated decision based on our preferences, and did not mindlessly fall into the trap of a slick salesman. I find that suggestion to be offensive.

I like Halcyon, OMS, Diverite and a few other speciality brands who make some great tech gear.

I asked a general question what was special about Halcyon and you choose to respond with a specific feature of their bladder which is a poor reason given that most other manufacturers have construction methods which also protect against punctures. Now you state you don't want to talk about the gear your chose while stating I'm offensive... Looks like you will fit right in with DIR.

Dwayne