New Diver Considering DIR

[matt88]

Hello

I have a few questions about DIR diving and Is DIR right for me? As well as where I should go in my diving career and how I get there. Do I continue doing my padi courses and gain more experience and start taking DIR courses later or start
First off about me: I’m 23 years old and very fit. I’m a very new diver I have only done 12 dives (padi AOW). The reason in looking at DIR diving is because I rock climb in a DIR style. I will explain: when I climb I do so by two basic philosophies, Keep It Simple Stupid and prior planning prevents piss pour performance. When racking up my gear or climbing, I do it the same way every time so that if the SHTF I know what to do. I do the same thing every time I don’t care if I’m climbing a 100 foot fun climb or pushing my limits on a 500 foot epic. I also believe that it is all about the basics, people can’t expect to climb large objectives without a very good grasp on basic skills. I feel the same way about diving. After taking my PADI AOW I realized I really know nothing about how to dive. I feel it was not instructors but how the course is designed. By no means am I bashing the instructors or dive masters they were great but after the course I wanted more.

As for gear I don’t have much. Fins mask wetsuit weight belt and that is kind of it. The gear aspect of DIR also has me thinking about how I climb and the gear I use. I like simple gear that works well. I was looking at a dive rite single wing package Backplates & Harnesses by Dive Rite - Dive Gear Express and the hog single tank set up Hogarthian Configuration Regulator Packages - Dive Gear Express. As for bottom timer if have no idea.

The course I was looking at was taking first is the GUE fundamental but then after that I not sure where to go. I kind of want to do the double’s course but should I take the rec 1 first? Any advice or info I’m all ears.
Thanks everyone and sorry for the long post

 

[kathydee]

Welcome to the DIR forum.

If you're climbing 500 ft walls, my guess is that you will find DIR training a good fit & love our equipment (as I have).

My experience is that systems needed to climb a 3,000 ft week long push (or just a 50 ft sport route) are not that much different in principle from those we use in DIR diving.

I think the best bet is to connect with your local community and do a few dives with them to see the equipment & skills in action.

Equipment purchase, then Fundies, (or GUE Primer then Fundies) is the start, and your instructor can guide you from there.

There are a few communities in Canada. Hopefully one is near you.

I'm happy to supply contacts, if you'd like.

 

[KeesBL]

Just a quick clarification: Recreational Diver 1 (Rec 1) is an entry level openwater course designed for non-divers. Your first course (as Kathy mentioned) is probably going to be either Primer then Fundies or just Fundies.

 

[lv2dive]

Concur with previous suggestions. If I were in your position with 12 dives, I would start with Primer vs. Fundies. Also, although it's tempting to look past Fundies to what's next, I'd resist that temptation and just think about Primer and Fundies for now. Realize that next steps (for you) will be a lot more clear after you've taken Fundies. There's nothing I or anyone else can put on paper, to fully explain what you will get out of a good Fundies class. At a minimum, you will have a much better idea of where your skills are strong and where you need to focus your improvement efforts...

Kathydee's suggestion to connect with local community (if there is one) is a great one, I'd definitely take her up on her offer to provide you contacts.

Last but not least, welcome to the sport, and the forum.

 

[gsk3]

Echoing what's been said before:
-Take Primer or dive with local mentors, then take Fundies
-Don't get too caught up in the pressure to pass--it's a class; you're there to learn.
-Equipment can be a barrier, but it's easier since you don't already own things. BP/W are often cheaper than traditional BCs, etc. Mentorship or asking your future instructor is key with equipment purchases as well to avoid wasting money.
-To answer your original question, I would definitely start training how you want to dive in the future. Primer will do you a lot more good than another night diving specialty course or whatnot. I took Fundies with ~30 dives and it wasn't too soon. As soon as you can stay still enough in the water to watch the skills being demonstrated, so practically speaking that's like a 10 foot buoyancy window.
-If you're nearby, come down and dive with us, or there are some great folks on the Northern side of the border who can get you started as well.

 

[Peter Guy]

Since this is the DIR, not GUE, Forum, I believe the OP should also be informed of the "other DIR" agency, UTD. The UTD classes are very similar to the GUE system but with different names: the "foundational" class is "Essentials" and then you can go a recreational route or a technical one. My experience is that you will get a solid education from either source.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Perhaps if we knew where in Canada you're located we could recommend an instructor to direct your questions to. This might help you make better decisions ... particularly about equipment choices. I notice that you're looking at Dive Rite equipment, and while much of it is suitable for DIR-style diving, some of it is not. When I signed up for Fundies in 2004, I was diving a Dive Rite TransPlate system ... and thinking it was BP/W, I figured I was all set. Turned out not ... both the harness and wing were not suitable for DIR. I ended up getting a different rig and selling the TransPlate. Best to know in advance what to buy, and only buy once. Your local GUE or UTD instructor could better point you in that direction, since they'll know what they want to see you show up with for class ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[kathydee]

I agree - it's a good idea to contact your local instructor for guidance with equipment purchases.

 

[TSandM]

First off, don't be in a hurry.

To get the most out of Primer or Fundies, you have to be stable enough in the water to be able to watch a skills demonstration. This generally takes a little time in the water, so go diving. Go diving with members of the local DIR community if you possibly can; you'll get to know them and watch the system in action, and that will give you a lot of information about whether this is a path you want to follow. (And from your original post, I think you will.)

If you can, make contact with your local DIR instructor, whoever that is. See if you can get in the water with him at some point, and have him tell you where he thinks you should start. Canada has a few -- Guy Shockey on Vancouver Island, Alan Johnson in Vancouver, Dan MacKay who travels, and Steve Blanchard in Ontario, all teach for GUE. Mark Gottfried on Vancouver Island and Todd Powell in Vancouver teach for UTD. Around each of those people is a DIR community, with folks who will dive with you and possibly lend you gear and help you make purchase decisions.

I am a staunch proponent of the system, which I think creates skilled and thoughtful divers, and makes them part of a worldwide community which is a powerful thing.

IF you find the right instructor, you can learn things through the PADI system, too, and Rescue is a good class to take. But if the classes are taught to minimum standard they are unsatisfying, and I really do think the gear configuration we use is just frankly BETTER, especially for cold water.

Please feel free to contact me by PM, if you have other questions, or if I can help facilitate your contact with an instructor or mentor.

 

[walrus2]

Ray LeFrense is also a Canadian GUE instructor, based in Edmonton. He teaches in Calgary as well and claims he can be convinced without much effort to go to BC.