My fear of going DIR

[leadweight]

1. Quit smoking. If there is one thing in this life that is really bad for you that is it, diving or not.

2. Stop worrying about the small stuff.

3. Don't take anything you hear on the internet that seriously.

 

[wrongkey]

Scuba and leadweight have both posted something on this thread that sounds reasonable.

What is the world gonna come to????

Agh.... the angst.... the angst.... I can't figger out whether I should have a beer or just give it up and go to sleep.....

Harummphff......:doctor:

 

[sillygrendel]

I don't know that I would label myself as DIR but... I think I've felt as you have to some extent.

My advice would be not to worry about it. Adopt what gear and configurations make sense to you. If you feel eating cheeseburgers and smoking is interfering with you diving, then maybe you want to do something about it. Otherwise...

Dive with those you enjoy diving with! I think you'll find that most "DIR" divers are not quite as militant as you might think. (Maybe some wouldn't call them DIR then but...) I think, for me, the dedication to skills is central. Also, to me, the equipment configuration just makes sense.

Do what makes sense to you. Don't worry about the label. You'll find you end up diving with people with similar ideas. Get out there and dive, do what you enjoy and see where your skills/future take you!!

Matt

 

[mddolson]

I can only second what Cave Diver, Scuba, and Leadweight, have said.

None of us should blindly follow any path.
You have the the right to exercise your brain and make a choice at any time.

If you feel you'd like take a DIR Fundamentals course go ahead, you'll probably learn something. But whether you adopt all, some or none of the techniques is entirley up to you.

If the proponents of DIR label you/us as not DIR because we choose not to accept part of their regimine so be it. That's their hang up not mine and it shouldn't be yours either.

Keep learning!
The day we stop learning, I believe is the day we start dying.!

best regards

Mike.

p.s. stop smoking, we burried my dive buddy (my father) 5 years ago due to lung cancer. I sure miss him!

 

[roakey]

mddolson once bubbled...
If you feel you'd like take a DIR Fundamentals course go ahead, you'll probably learn something.

Make that you WILL learn somthing.

I took GUE Cave I in '99 and when I took the DIRF in '02 I learned a LOT more.

Roak

 

[Diving Dave]

Give up cigars, cheeseburgers, and beer? Don't worry about it. The first DIR diver I ever met was standing around a campfire drinking Buds and smoking Winstons. He had great bouyancy control though, and could swim 6" off the bottom of the lake without kicking up any silt.

 

[Zagnut]

..as long as your head doesn't get into that big ego mode, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

...Just one point, though, about the healthy lifestyle thing..

Being thin or having muscles doesn't necessarily mean you're in shape. Nice features to have, but that's not what's going to help your diving. Cardiovascular!... Who's less likely to die of a heart attack underwater, the guy who can bench press 400 pounds or the guy who can run 7 miles in 45 minutes? I always got a kick out of how some of those weightlifter types are all ripped and they think their in excellent shape, but then have them go for a run and 1/4 mile into it their bent over puking.
I'm no real fan of running and I have to force myself to do it,(sometimes I really dread it) but that's what's going to keep my air consumption down not lifting weights. Don't get me wrong, it's necessary to have good muscular fitness, but cardio fitness is what will really increase your bottom time.


If you get in a reasonable CV exercize routine (running, swimming, biking, etc.), then you can enjoy some of those burgers and beers and still get good bottom time out of a tank . I don't know about the cigars though, they might make running a bit more difficult, but still, running will help to counter the affects of your bad habits. Thats why I try to run regularly and do a little weight training...so I can keep my bad habits!

 

[SeaJay]

Thanks, you guys, for the awesome support. Sincerely, I appreciate it.

I read the DIR Fundimentals book in a record six hours. I then reviewed it. Page 113, the page which references health, nutrition, and the absence of chemical dependency (such as nicotine) really hit home. I think I'm going to copy the page and stick it to my wall.

Bottom line is that DIR or not, having been an athelete, I know the effects of improper nutrition and tobacco use. Flat out, even a little of this stuff can reduce one's physical capabilities. JJ's right when he says to quit this stuff and start treating your body right. If I plan to go further with my diving, I need to really question my actions relative to my health and the choices I make every day.

I also don't want to blindly follow, as people here have pointed out. I want to learn more... And the upcoming class is going to really do some amazing things for my style, for sure. I'll continue to question and make decisions... All the while keeping the DIR basic ideas in mind. Something tells me that my next 100 dives will probably quickly see me adapting to DIR styles.

Again, thanks for the support, you guys.

I'll keep y'all posted on the class this weekend. I have a bazillion questions to ask of those divers who are going to be teaching the class. Without trying to sound arrogant, it's going to be really nice to *not* be the most-skilled diver in the pond. It's going to be nice to dive with people who can teach me instead of the other way around.

I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[scuba-punk]

Nice to see that you are really making a concerted effort to see how you/dir do/don't fit together. Like most things in life, it's not always black and white. I think that too many people get way too hung up on the equipment aspect of dir and pretty much ignore the rest of it. To me, attitude is a larger part of dir than equipment. If you enjoy diving and you realise that (just an example) your buoyancy is terrible, you make every effort to correct that. If you are in poor physical health, sure you can do a nice shallow dive that's not difficult, but what happens when you're 110 feet down and you have an 'issue?' Being in good physical condition keeps you from having a heart attack. There's a really good reason for the tennets of dir. Until i saw George Irvine give a demo last spring, i knew what alot of the ideas were, but i wasn't sold on some of them (nobody i spoke with seemed to be able to give me any reason, let alone a good one). Until you get somebody like that in a room and you can pick their brain to get to the reason behind it, it's easy to remain skeptical about swallowing that pill. Keep using your brain to find your way. That's one of the most important items of 'gear' that you enter the water with.

-Frank

 

[Lead_carrier]

ElectricZombie once bubbled...
It's good to see that someone actually tried DIR instead of just writing it off as useless. If everyone gave DIR a try, they would probably find that they like it.


Remeber, you can always just buy a piece at a time. I had to replace basically every piece of equiptment I own. DIR means never settling for second best when it comes to gear.


I tried it Zombie, I wasn't against it, has some fantastic educational opportunities in advanced and technical diving. I was really enjoying it until it got time for the water work and I was informed that my bc just wouldn't cut it. I needed to buy an new Halcyon bp and wings, new dive light, all new regs,lift bag, etc.(now for the big surprise, his dive shop just happened to be the exclusive dealer in the area). Kinda shot me out of the water. I thought I had a few choices as to what gear I could use. Oh well, I got the education anyway.
They couldn't get that back out of my head.

:bonk: