Ignorant DIR Question

[KMD]

Just looking at their website it looks like the 5thdx Essentials Course is pretty much DIR Lite. It is on air, not EAN32, and the only required gear is either a 5' or 7' hose and non-split fins.

Its air or nitrox because you arn't going below 30' for the class. Which is not to say they dont promote nitrox for general diving. I suspect the either/or statement is there so as to not restrict the class from new divers.

 

[*Floater*]

Just looking at their website it looks like the 5thdx Essentials Course is pretty much DIR Lite. It is on air, not EAN32, and the only required gear is either a 5' or 7' hose and non-split fins.

One guy in my DIRF class didn't have a nitrox cert. I'm not sure if they gave him EAN32 anyway, but since nitrox is not a prereq for DIRF I wouldn't be surprised if some other students take it without the nitrox card too and subsequently aren't allowed to use nitrox by the shop where the course takes place. Besides, the whole course (mine at least) is pretty much spent at 10' depth so I doubt the air would hurt too bad.

 

[Charlie99]

Its air or nitrox because you arn't going below 30' for the class.

That's reasonable, and safe ENOUGH, but not the safest. I thought the hardcore DIR line was "air is for tires" since air at any depth is an unecessary compromise of safety, however slight.

The reason I mentioned the use of air is that it is another indication of a reasonable approach, with a bit of flexibility as opposed to an all or none approach, just as is their willingness to let divers participate in the class using a BCD instead of backplate and wings.

 

[joe rock]

Yup, and realistically recreational divers aren't going to die just because they're diving a Zeagle Ranger. Plastic snaps on their webbing won't kill them either. Neither will bungee wings of death. I've also yet to see a recreational fatality where the preference for an AI computer over an SPG was directly implicated. What most divers need is better gas management and dive planning, practicing mask clearing and s-drills, better buoyancy control and trim and anti-silting kicks would really help. That is what the original poster was looking for in a "DIR lite" kind of class. Pulling out the "holistic approach" and "all or nothing" arguments are entirely correct dogma but contribute nothing useful to the discussion that the OP was starting and only serve to make DIR look bad to the rest of the world. If you want to talk about *my* diving and pull out the "holistic approach" stuff it would make sense, but not the OPs diving. The whole world does not have to be DIR compliant down to the location of the wetnotes in the correct pocket to dive safely. But the idea that a lot of what DIR has borrowed over the years would be useful if more widely borrowed by recreational divers I think is obvious.

Wow, a lot has transpired in the day I was away. Great stuff. I wanted to make it all the way through the new posts before responding but couldn't a few quick comments.

1. Lamont, you are right on the money with my question!
2. Bob, over the year plus I've been on the board I've always felt your comments were thoughtful, respectful and just plain practical - your replies here continue to foster that opinion.
3. Pete, let's start our own diving revolution TDIAR, the techreactional doing it almost right school of diving

 

[joe rock]

Obviously a "DIR with exceptions" attitude is not DIR at all. Call it something else.

Vayu, I understand and appreciate your perspective. Please know that I only phrased it DIR lite because I didn't know how else to ask the question and am not familiar enough with the DIR approach/methodology to know if something existed with a "proper" name for what I was asking. Now I know

JR

 

[Darnold9999]

Just did DIRF - already had a BP/W, bought a long hose and another short one for my backup. Did the course in Volo's which worked but were the butt of many jokes . Frog is all but ineffective and back kick virtually impossible in volo's. Borrowed a set of Jets for one dive and all of a sudden frog kick worked way better - still couldn't back kick though. Volo's are easier for flutter and modified flutter and way easier for long surface swims so...we will see. Jets are probably in my future as I really would like a back kick for photography.

Showed up with EAN32 in my tanks and after I used those we dove on air the rest of the course - at less than 30' it really doesn't matter and was glad to hear the flexability - as in why bother for such a shallow dive.

Had a great time on the course, learned a lot, reccommend it highly. Did question some of the dogma eg we don't use brass clips only stainless. Must have a specific type of dry suit and boots etc. etc. Didn't get a real great answer, something about perhaps stainless is stronger - true (I think) but not particularly relevant when clipping dive gear IMHO.

Probably not going to ever be a hard core DIR diver as I dive solo and have no real inclination for tec diving at this point, but the skills and thought processes that are behind the skills are good for anyone to learn. Even if you borrow/rent the gear and try it out on a DIRF course the skills are still worth learning.

 

[albane]

Nylon belt, black, with military buckle kk

Hey man that belt is it a 1 and 3/4 inch wide belt or 1 and 1/2 inch..and will brown do if I don't have a black one ?

 

[*Floater*]

JBorrowed a set of Jets for one dive and all of a sudden frog kick worked way better - still couldn't back kick though.

Don't worry, the bac kkick is the most difficult slill of DIRF imo... along with staying in one place regardless of what they throw at you... but yeah, I got "lucky" in that my instructor took half a day off to attend his dad's birthday in middle of the course so I spent two rec dives working on my back kick while he was "partying"... just what I needed to get it in semi-working order for the last DIRF dive...

Love the jets now (sold my tusa xpert zooms split fins immediately after I got DIRF'ed... and left the computer in gauge mode too... but I still kept my wrist slate... and I've been known to dive independent doubles on occasion...)

 

[CompuDude]

One guy in my DIRF class didn't have a nitrox cert. I'm not sure if they gave him EAN32 anyway, but since nitrox is not a prereq for DIRF I wouldn't be surprised if some other students take it without the nitrox card too and subsequently aren't allowed to use nitrox by the shop where the course takes place. Besides, the whole course (mine at least) is pretty much spent at 10' depth so I doubt the air would hurt too bad.

As a point of interest, perhaps, the newly-reformatted DIR-F classes now include Nitrox certification.

I was going to take MHK's class on the 14th, and I sat in the first night's lecture and learned this tidbit. I was not able to finish due to wife needing surgery that weekend, so I've rescheduled for the next class, in February.

But I did learn that tidbit. Due to the "air is for tires" philosophy, Nitrox training now comes with DIR-F, so this situation won't be happening in the future.

Should be interesting to see how MHK teaches me Nitrox differently from TDI.

 

[goodeatsfan]

yeah, I heard the same thing, but its my understanding that for the DIR-F class, there's not gonna be any dives using NITROX, just the theory.