Near-DIR diving: Are there DIR things you would probably never do?

[TSandM]

Nereas, I know you don't like the DIR system. You have chosen another way to approach safety and efficiency in diving. I don't like your way, but I don't wade into threads about pony bottles or redundant computers to say that.

It is YOUR opinion that our system is unsafe, and in your environment, maybe it would be, because it IS very dependent on having well-trained, experienced, and skilled buddies. When the statement is made that DIR is a holistic system, this is one of the pieces of it -- The buddy has to be physically, mentally and training-wise as high quality as any of the gear you use. We spend a lot of money to acquire the high quality equipment (eg. can lights) that make the system work. We spend a lot of money and a lot of time and effort making ourselves and our teams into equally good pieces of the system. Without doing what's required to make yourself physically fit and strong, and getting the experience that makes you mentally tough and flexible, and practicing the skills to make yourself competent, the system fails, or at least fails to work as well as it was designed.

Finally, on best mix . . . I have all the information and practice that I need to calculate best mix for any dive. I choose not to. Why? Because the benefit is minimal, and the benefit of using standard gases seems greater TO ME. There are lots of technical divers out there agonizing about whether 27% or 28% O2 is best for a given dive, and doing all the calculations and mixing gas or arranging to have it mixed (where the accuracy of my shop, at least, is never within 1% anyway). Me, I'm going to grab the 32% or the 25/25 and go diving. It's easy!

 

[JeffG]

Wow HUE you must be the last person on SB to not have Nereas on ignore.

I don't ignore anyone.

 

[JeffG]

Nereas, I know you don't like the DIR system.

He has no clue of what he likes or dislikes.

He dislikes his personal perception of DIR, which is to say, he might as well dislike the tooth fairy and Santa. They are all fairy tales.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

In actuality, like any canned system designed as one size to fit all, GUE-DIR is notoriously unsound.

It has tainted the universal standard of "two of everything critical" by deletions that make their divers buddy dependent.

It has elevated its own notion of "minimalization" for the cause of "failure point reduction" as a rationalization for incompleteness.

It has loaded their divers with standardized gasses while at the same time stifling their ability to make best-mix calculations and decisions by themselves.

What an interesting set of misconceptions ...

OMG and then there was the albatross that was GI3. At least that has slithered away.

Well, I'll agree with you on that one ... his mommy should've taken his keyboard away from him years ago.

If you learn best mix determination, and stick to two of everything, and reject buddy dependence, then you will be much better off, a safer and more reliant technical diver.

Best mix has its upsides and downsides. Among the downsides is that it limits your ability to make changes to the dive plan if it becomes necessary, and makes contingency planning much more difficult.

Personally, I teach my students both methods (best mix & standard mix), and let them choose which method works best for them. Most do like I did, and decide that the benefits of standard mixes outweigh the drawbacks. But I'd say it's really a matter of personal preference.

And, by the way ... I notice you're advocating tech divers becoming more reliant ... on what?

But GUE-DIR requires deprogramming. And professional help, thereafter.

Thanks ... I'm a big a fan of irony ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ScubaAndDreams]

Well first he critizes DIR for the deletion of "two of everything critical" (which is...NOT TRUE)...and then he goes on and sounds like he would like to delete the buddy from the tech team and advocates solo diving? I guess a buddy is...not...critical?

 

[nereas]

...
And, by the way ... I notice you're advocating tech divers becoming more reliant ... on what? ...Thanks

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

SELF-reliant.

Reliant on themselves and on nothing else, on no one else, not on a bifurcated 3-person team, and not buddy dependent.

SELF.

 

[nereas]

Nereas, I know you don't like the DIR system. You have chosen another way to approach safety and efficiency in diving. I don't like your way, but I don't wade into threads about pony bottles or redundant computers to say that.

It is YOUR opinion that our system is unsafe, and in your environment, maybe it would be, because it IS very dependent on having well-trained, experienced, and skilled buddies. When the statement is made that DIR is a holistic system, this is one of the pieces of it -- The buddy has to be physically, mentally and training-wise as high quality as any of the gear you use. We spend a lot of money to acquire the high quality equipment (eg. can lights) that make the system work. We spend a lot of money and a lot of time and effort making ourselves and our teams into equally good pieces of the system. Without doing what's required to make yourself physically fit and strong, and getting the experience that makes you mentally tough and flexible, and practicing the skills to make yourself competent, the system fails, or at least fails to work as well as it was designed.

Finally, on best mix . . . I have all the information and practice that I need to calculate best mix for any dive. I choose not to. Why? Because the benefit is minimal, and the benefit of using standard gases seems greater TO ME. There are lots of technical divers out there agonizing about whether 27% or 28% O2 is best for a given dive, and doing all the calculations and mixing gas or arranging to have it mixed (where the accuracy of my shop, at least, is never within 1% anyway). Me, I'm going to grab the 32% or the 25/25 and go diving. It's easy!

TMX 10/70
TMX 15/50
TMX 20/40
TMX 30/30
EAN 50
100% O2.

Those are much easier to remember and the most perfect for decompression efficiency. If only GI3 and JJ had had their thinking caps on when they canned all of their own ideas, and forced them onto the GUE community, then it would not have been so bad, as it were. As it is, however, they teach flawed doctrines and are intolerant of better protocols when self-developed by techdivers. Old age has already claimed GI3 thank goodness. Time will only tell for the rest of the school.

 

[ScubaAndDreams]

SELF-reliant.

Reliant on themselves and on nothing else, on no one else, not on a bifurcated 3-person team, and not buddy dependent.

SELF.

1 ATA google diving at its best....again a patch I would pay for...jeff.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

TMX 10/70
TMX 15/50
TMX 20/40
TMX 30/30
EAN 50
100% O2.

Those are much easier to remember and the most perfect for decompression efficiency. If only GI3 and JJ had had their thinking caps on when they canned all of their own ideas, and forced them onto the GUE community, then it would not have been so bad, as it were. As it is, however, they teach flawed doctrines and are intolerant of better protocols when self-developed by techdivers. Old age has already claimed GI3 thank goodness. Time will only tell for the rest of the school.

So ... after all ... you're not advocating best mix. You're advocating standard mixes ... just different standard mixes than what others would recommend.

Except for 30/30 ... which only you and GUE seem to like ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[nereas]

So ... after all ... you're not advocating best mix. You're advocating standard mixes ... just different standard mixes than what others would recommend.

Except for 30/30 ... which only you and GUE seem to like ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

These are MY best mixes. You are free to use them sil vous plait.

Freedom ... that is the difference between me and GUE-DIR.

The freedom to think, and then act.