I'm astonished with this SAC

[Gilldiver]

who knows what his secret is....it's possible that old, out of shape, beer swilling, DIR reject is a retired USN Master Chief diver who's been diving for 40+ years and thousands of dives....he's probably still living on the edge like he's always done and plans on checking out the same way...biggest thing he's worrying about underwater is trying to remember where he put his car keys

would I suggest anybody dive the same way?...nope
would I have taken the time to ask him for some advice?..you betcha
you may not approve of his technique or his methods or even have to accept his advice, but it's just possible that he may of imparted a nugget of wisdom that would be priceless to you

There are no "Master Chief divers", there are "Master Chief, Master Diver", then a trade such as "Chief Electricians Mate" A large Naval base might have 2 or 3. Think of them as the Command Sarget Majors of the Navy Divers.

If you ever meet one who is on active duty and has just past his diving physical, every 6 months, you have met one of the best in shape 40 to 45 year olds you ever will.

As for streaching the tank - skip breathing, breathing shallow, and a bit of Zen will take you a long way.

 

[seasick]

This is the first I met!

but again, as a DIR oriented diver I learned a lot of techniques, skills, proper trim, propulsion and equipment configuration that leads to a more comfortable dive that points to a much better gas consumption, if someone that has nothing like that reach that consumption maybe means there are other ways (talking only about SAC) than we had been taught, and I wanted to listen about the experts...

Techniques , skills, equipment config etc all serves to make for a better diver.

You don't have to be DIR trained to have good gas consumption.

 

[Murloc]

when I referred to him as a master chief diver I was thinking a diver who had achieved pay grade of Master Chief...so Master Chief, Master Diver would be the correct term...but you get my point

 

[grazie42]

You thought DIR had a monopoly on good SAC?
You thought there is something magical about being horizontal?
That an s-drill is an incantation that lowers your SAC and makes you a better diver?

Some people will defy your every expectation...most people won´t...

 

[Gilldiver]

when I referred to him as a master chief diver I was thinking a diver who had achieved pay grade of Master Chief...so Master Chief, Master Diver would be the correct term...but you get my point

Anyway you cut it they are E-9's and have my respect. Just never refer to a "Master Chief" as only "Chief," it is not taken well by some and can lead to large amounts of unplaned work for you.

 

[sharky60]

Anyway you cut it they are E-9's and have my respect. Just never refer to a "Master Chief" as only "Chief," it is not taken well by some and can lead to large amounts of unplaned work for you.

well, if you earned those stars, you'd be a little sensitive to the verbal downgrade also. Most MC's I encountered were pretty cool guys, it was the young "collage boys" that would get more p!$$y about a "rank slip" than any enlisted guy.

It's obvious this guy dives A LOT! He may be solo certified, we had a guy with us last year that dove on his own, on Nitrox, he didn't those numbers going, but could have come up before using all his are out of consideration to the rest of us also.

The beer was apparently just breakfast, Yikes! Not recommended at all, B.T.W.

What dive op were you with? Doesn't seem like they should allowed alcohol before the first dive, although I have seen folks down one or two during surface intervals and no one has said a thing to them. Just seems like bad policy to me.

 

[danvolker]

It's not hard to make an 80 last 90 minutes by skip breathing, and plenty of old timers used skip breathing from the 60's though to the 90's and to now. However, the particularly non-DIR issue about this was that it was done at 140 feet, which means the CO2 buildup would be much higher than you would want--and your abilitly to respond to anything else, under this increased CO2 buildup would also suffer. While it is not DIR to "skip-breathe" per se, any of us may do this in relatively shallow water when we can "justify" it I just don't think many would consider skip breathing pure air at 140 ( not to mention any arguements for using a helium enriched mix at this depth, and the no buddy and probalbly high on deep air buzz issue--and those desiring the big narc may actually like increasing the narc by high CO2 levels, if they have lost enough brain cells with their past lifestyle

 

[scarefaceDM]

DIR...funny. Why the comparison. There are many many good divers whom are not DIR or GUE trained. If your not DIR trained your not suppose to have good buoyancy or SAC rate??? OR be a good diver or buddy??? Give me a freaking break man. This is why many folks look down upon DIR training. Arrogance and cocky attitudes not all mind you just the newly certified DIR types. ..too funny.

I know of a few experienced divers that will out dive MANY. SAC rates and buoyancy with these guys is amazing. All out of shape, drinkers and what not. Very surprising indeed. DIR has not been around that long. Most of the experienced crowd have been around way longer than the DIR practices and training. Chalk it up to the thousands and thousands of dives these guys have done...the pioneers of diving.

 

[danvolker]

DIR...funny. Why the comparison. There are many many good divers whom are not DIR or GUE trained. If your not DIR trained your not suppose to have good buoyancy or SAC rate??? OR be a good diver or buddy??? Give me a freaking break man. This is why many folks look down upon DIR training. Arrogance and cocky attitudes not all mind you just the newly certified DIR types. ..too funny.

I know of a few experienced divers that will out dive MANY. SAC rates and buoyancy with these guys is amazing. All out of shape, drinkers and what not. Very surprising indeed. DIR has not been around that long. Most of the experienced crowd have been around way longer than the DIR practices and training. Chalk it up to the thousands and thousands of dives these guys have done...the pioneers of diving.

Because of the blatant mass marketing of scuba diving since the late 80's, there became huge numbers of divers with certifications, yet very poor abilities and practices--this was not limited to just recreational divers, it included instructors and dive masters as well. And of course there were many many excellent divers which developed though the same timeline, but they were " diluted" by all the mass marketing. The DIR movement has value because it was anti-mass marketing. it appealed-appeals to a relatively small group, which wants to dive with the higher ability levels which you might well ascribe to many of the old timers--long before DIR.

You can go out on a charter boat in S florida on any given weekend, and see plenty of "Never-evers" ( divers that will never be any good at diving), and they are being trained in what you could call "traditional" scuba classes....I won't blame this on a specific agency. And, then you have DIR trained divers..they may be annoying as hell, but then 9 out of 10 of the "real" DIR divers( not pretenda DIR divers) will be a good and competent diver if you see them on a charter boat--and you just can't say that about the results of mass marketed dive instruction.

I happen to know for a fact that more than one long time spearfisherman, guerilla type diver, was "pulled" into DIR ranks by George Irvine of the WKPP, and almost immediately they became top DIR divers..( good natural divers can pick up DIR in very little time) .....the inate skill or huge learned skills can preceede DIR...DIR still will have some excellent things to add for serious adventure diving--even for a long time spearfisherman.
Dan

 

[David C R]

DIR...funny. Why the comparison. There are many many good divers whom are not DIR or GUE trained.
.

This guy is not the case!,

If your not DIR trained your not suppose to have good buoyancy or SAC rate??? OR be a good diver or buddy??? .

well I don't dive everyday but I do frequently and is hard to me to say no to that
maybe if you red the post again you will see he wasn't a good diver or buddy...his only "skill" was the SAC