Moving your wife to DIR?

[Mayor]

I'm not going to push the issue but have decided to bribe her. Yes this is what it's going to take then so be it. It might cost me a month of cleaning the house but that's a small price to pay for a lifetime of safe diving. If it goes well I wonder how much a class will cost me.....

 

[Sas]

Even in Cozumel, I had her in a BP / W and so she knew nothing else. From day one, she now has the traditional DIR* configuration with a small steel back plate.

She loves her set up and can't imagine using anything else. So making the change may be a difficult transition, but as another member posted, I would rather dive with my wife than not. I am just happy to say, she is a DIR* diver.

How does having a particular set of gear make her DIR though? If a BP/W and the rest of the DIR made one DIR, then I would be DIR too, which is clearly not the case.

 

[TSandM]

How does having a particular set of gear make her DIR though?

It doesn't, but given the current structure of diving education, it's a prerequisite for classes that will or can.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'm not going to push the issue but have decided to bribe her. Yes this is what it's going to take then so be it. It might cost me a month of cleaning the house but that's a small price to pay for a lifetime of safe diving. If it goes well I wonder how much a class will cost me.....

This may not be the right place to say it, but taking a DIR class is neither a guarantee of a lifetime of safe diving nor the only path toward that goal.

Why not start out by just setting a good example. Safe diving is about taking the time to think about your dive, making sure you have adequate and appropriate gas supplies, and practicing good buddy techniques. DIR is just a framework for developing those skills ... it's not the only way to achieve them.

People don't get led to DIR ... they decide to go there. Be a good dive buddy ... if she sees something in the way you dive that appeals to her, she'll be far more likely to decide that it's for her too ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Scott L]

How does having a particular set of gear make her DIR though? If a BP/W and the rest of the DIR made one DIR, then I would be DIR too, which is clearly not the case.

Proper gear is merely the the step involved with transforming to DIR. Congratulations with achieving step number one.

 

[Sas]

Proper gear is merely the the step involved with transforming to DIR. Congratulations with achieving step number one.

Thank you

*bow*

 

[Mayor]

This may not be the right place to say it, but taking a DIR class is neither a guarantee of a lifetime of safe diving nor the only path toward that goal.

Why not start out by just setting a good example. Safe diving is about taking the time to think about your dive, making sure you have adequate and appropriate gas supplies, and practicing good buddy techniques. DIR is just a framework for developing those skills ... it's not the only way to achieve them.

People don't get led to DIR ... they decide to go there. Be a good dive buddy ... if she sees something in the way you dive that appeals to her, she'll be far more likely to decide that it's for her too ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)[/QUOTE

I fully understand that many paths exist to become a safe diver. Dive planing, gas management, and skills are just a small part of it. I have never pushed DIR on anyone over the short time I have been involved in this type of diving but I have helped many fine tune their skill set. To see a average diver start a class and in one week come out a highly skilled, cofentent, and aware diver is very cool. Some take longer but many after a few months are, I like to joke, rock stars...lol..

It's a little different with your family. There is no question in my mind that my son will start off with this type of diving. I have built my team on land now I must in the water...lol... She will come around and when she does I'm ready with the gear and information needed to get started. She is also a good AOW / Nitrox / EFR diver but could be so much better then that. Understanding that some might not agree with my out look on diving but if we are going to dive as a family why not as a team....

So again never said if you not DIR then you are unsafe. I just want my family to have the highest level of training I can get. It could be PSAI, TDI, UTD, or even GUE but I feel the instructor really makes the class and I'm luckily to have some of the best so close.

 

[Mayor]

Took this a few days ago but wanted to post it.

 

[Mayor]

Update...... I got the words I so very much wanted to hear " I will try it". This brings me to another question. Should the system stay like it is or change over the regulators (5 ft hose) to meet requirements. Baby sets or just go for it???

 

[danvolker]

Update...... I got the words I so very much wanted to hear " I will try it". This brings me to another question. Should the system stay like it is or change over the regulators (5 ft hose) to meet requirements. Baby sets or just go for it???

So she is using the traditional short hose on primary now ? The deal is, with A 5 OR 7 foot long hose, a DIR diver suddenly has the ability to be MASSIVELY MORE HELPFUL if an OOA or low on air emergency occurs. Not only would it be much easier for the person needing the emergency or preventive assistance, BUT is would also be far less stressful to your wife if she found herself needing to help someone.....being able to offer up a reg and then not be bumping and slamming into the other person, with swimming compromised etc, causes plenty of stress in many divers ---this DIR long hose alternative removes so much of the stress, it may change things for your wife IF she considers that one of her "jobs" underwater is to be there to potentially help a buddy.....this is really the key issue. If a diver does not feel that helping a buddy is part of their important functions--if this is something she wants "others" to be in charge of, then this will not be appealing.
Since this is a family issue, and you could have her kids in the water with her, the probability is that she will be well "wired" to desire to be able to render assistance if it is ever needed---and she should love "how easy" it would be for her to render help, using the DIR long hose system.

One thing you should stress is that if one of the kids ( or you) suddenly found that air supply was far lower than safe levels for the depth you are at ( say 90 feet down and tank is at 300 psi) and she is at 1200 or 1500 psi, then she immediately passes the long hose, and you begin a safe ascent to the surface. If you have sufficient air for a stop together, you take it. The idea then is that when the boat comes for the pick up, the low on air diver still would have 300 psi left to be on "their own air supply" for the getting to the ladder or platform part of getting on the boat...a place you really don't want to have to be sharing a tank. Proactive handling of issues like this will help the way she will think about the "common sense" primary issues we have adopted in DIR.

It's really in how you explain the why of this whole thing. It has little to do with just dressing like the DIR club :=)

Good luck with your team!