My moment of Zen and a sip of Kool-Aid...

[Belmont]

Very good post Goindrinkn.

On a return trip to the place where I got my AOW, I heard a DM tell the other instructors: "Michael has been doing serious training since he was here last time."
I explained what I had done and I am sure they were left with a positive impression of DIR training.

The sad part is that I did not enjoy the dives there as before, because I felt out of place and could no longer relate to the other divers way of doing it.

My dream would be to go on a road trip and meet the members of this board and dive with them, from Washington state down to Key West.

 

[Ben_ca]

Thanks for taking the time to discover what a lot of us already know. As far as the "You're gonna die!" guys I've heard of them... I've never seen anyone be anything but friendly and open about the way we dive. If nothing else it's people online who just regurgitate what they read and perpetuate the myth without seeking out the truth like you did.

Thanks,

Ben

 

[divad]

The only person I've ever read on this board saying "YOU'RE GONNA DIE" was Uncle Pug and I had presumed he was being facetious. There may have been a face involved.

 

[TSandM]

My dream would be to go on a road trip and meet the members of this board and dive with them, from Washington state down to Key West.

One of the great joys of this kind of diving for me has been traveling and joining up with wonderful people and great divers, from Maui to Los Angeles to the Red Sea. Head out our way, and we'll definitely hook you up. The last out of town divers I met with were from Montreal!

 

[Matt S.]

Nice post. But I have to say--you don't have to be DIR to enjoy the benefits of these things.

- Non-silting kicks
- Good trim and buoyancy
- Ability to maneuver without flapping your hands
- Backplate rig
- Long hose
- Standardized signals with dive lights
- Teamwork and communication
- Gas planning

I have all these things in my toolbox and anyone else can too, without taking a GUE class. I read about DIR like you did, and saw how much of it just made sense, like you did. I then taught myself some things, and got mentored in others. (Many instructors where I live teach these things under other agencies and never mention "DIR." My NAUI AOW class would have taken me in this direction if I hadn't been there already.)

I am not saying that you shouldn't have taken fundies or that there is no need for training! Far from it. I have a lot of respect for GUE and I am definitely a DIR sympathizer, though I would never call myself a DIR diver. I haven't had the formal training and I am also considering adding a death ball to my rear dump valve.

I guess what I am really trying to say is that the most important thing that you can do to become a better diver is not choosing an agency, but choosing to become a better diver, which you have done. And I wish that attitude was more common! So congrats, and thanks for not silting up the place.

 

[TSandM]

Matt, you are absolutely right . . . but not everybody is in a place like Seattle, where this kind of information has had a lot of time to percolate out into the general community. And a class like Fundies or Essentials is a great way to get all the information at one time, in one place. In addition, people who have had this training also have the advantage of being on the same page for such simple things as hand signals, as well as emergency protocols, which may be different when taught by other instructors.

There are lots of good divers out there, using similar skills. But the standardization and emphasis on team is what makes this kind of diving a little different.

 

[Uncle Pug]

The only person I've ever read on this board saying "YOU'RE GONNA DIE" was Uncle Pug and I had presumed he was being facetious. There may have been a face involved.

Matt, you are absolutely right . . . but not everybody is in a place like Seattle, where this kind of information has had a lot of time to percolate out into the general community.

Before Andrew G. started teaching what ended up becoming the GUE fundamentals class (and eventually his own Essentials class) the things that Matt lists were uncommon ~ at least here in the Pacific Northwest.

It wasn't that long ago we were all jacket BC, deepair AL80, single ocean buddy rototillers here in the PNW. :shocked2:

The guys on the cutting edge were the ones carrying spare air and pony bottles.

 

[divad]

The guys on the cutting edge were the ones carrying spare air and pony bottles.

That's right.

 

[Blackwood]

I am also considering adding a death ball to my rear dump valve.

you're going to die

 

[JeffG]

you're going to die

and look like a goober just before he kicks off