Monkey Diving - DIR ?

[CompuDude]

I don't see how the photo shown could be regarded as DIR.

It does look like a blast, however, should you desire to throw caution to the winds and go for it.

 

[*Floater*]

i just don't see what is has to offer over a single tank rig...

If you don't need it, why bring it?

Anyway, if the scooter were to flood I assume he could just drop it and swim to the surface or get a tow from his buddy. In case of OOG situation they could buddy breathe or do a CESA...

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Been a long day! I saw this and thought I was gonna see cheetah, king kong, and mighty joe young doing the WKPP. With rebreathers and scooters. Time to veg and watch some tube. NCIS is on soon. I'm hungry for a banana too...........HMMMM. I got it! This is subliminal advertising isn't it for chiquita.

 

[FishTaco]

:mfight: :mfight: :mfight: Warning!:mfight: :mfight: :mfight:​

Monkey divers may look cute, cuddly and adorable, but be warned, they are dangerous animals. If you see a monkey diver, don’t pet it, don’t feed it and don’t try to pick it up.
They have been known to bite other divers in the genitals, for looking them in the eye.
Monkey divers have also been observed spreading feces on themselves during surface intervals. This pack of primates has an instinctual habit for flinging crap at divers who are critical of their practices.

Monkey divers may indeed be DIR, (if DIR were an acronym for Dangerous Irresponsible and Reckless).

Dive safe,
Chris

(Disclaimer: This post is intended for comedic value and should not be interpreted otherwise)

 

[lamont]

Monkey divers have also been observed spreading feces on themselves during surface intervals. This pack of primates has an instinctual habit for flinging crap at divers who are critical of their practices.

:flingfeces:

 

[Kevrumbo]

Female Monkey Diving in the Buff is DIR . . .

 

[JessH]

Looks like a blast. I wouldn't call it DIR but that doesn't make it unsafe. IMHO you should use the right tools for the job. This basically falls in the same category as sidemount. In this case the job is having fun on a shallow reef in clear water and they definitely chose the right tools for that.

The main dangers when doing this are going to be bubble formation from moving up in the water column too quickly and lung overexpansion from the same. The second shouldn't be a problem as long as you keep your airway open, but I wouldn't recommend it for inexperienced divers. Because of the first I wouldn't do it if I had much nitrogen in my body.

You could take it one step further and ditch the tank. Freediving with scooters is supposed to be a blast. Of course I wouldn't do it with a leash since you don't want to be pulled down if the scooter floods, and of course you need a buddy. The main concern here would be making sure you don't go deep enough that you can't swim up if the scooter fails.

~Jess

 

[ben.mcgeever]

i just don't see what is has to offer over a single tank rig...

I am 200lbs, Monkey diving with an AL80 I can scooter past a 150lbs guy in a DIR single tank rig like he is standing still.

Cheers

Ben

 

[riguerin]

Some interesting responses so far.

It seems like those who have posted a response seem to all agree that "Monkey Diving" is not considered DIR.

As far as being a safe form of diving, the responses vary some. At one end of the spectrum, some suggest that it is certainly not ... at the other end, some suggest that the apparent risks can be mitigated be experienced people.

It's curious that the poll results show that several people believe that "Monkey Diving" is considered DIR. However, none have actively posted the reasons why they believe it is.

At least one person, Tobin, has suggested that "Monkey Diving" can be incorporated into the DIR system. He points out that many of the issues surrounding DPV diving are orthogonal to "Monkey Diving" and already have well known solutions in the DIR diving. He also presents a competing configuration that starts to look very similar to a standard singles rig.

So perhaps Tobin can elaborate more on this. Why would a DIR diver choose to scooter in such a configuration versus a standard singles rig ? Please quantify the benefits of being "streamlined/slick" that would justify the gear change.

 

[riguerin]

I am 200lbs, Monkey diving with an AL80 I can scooter past a 150lbs guy in a DIR single tank rig like he is standing still.

Cheers

Ben

Yeah, but some warn that speed kills

I see that according to your profile that you are an engineer @ Dive Xtras. Can you please quantify the performance differences between a "Monkey" rig and a standard DIR single tank rig ? How much less drag ... how much faster ... how much more battery time ... etc ?