I am proud to announce a PADI DIR Distinctive Specialty to my fellow MoCal divers.
Purpose
The DIR Distinctive Specialty course is designed to cultivate the essential techniques required by all sound diving practice, irrespective of level or environment.
Prerequisites
1. Must be a minimum of 16 years of age
2. Must be a certified open water diver from a recognized training agency
3. Must be able to swim a distance of at least 50 feet/15 meters on a breath hold
4. Must be able to swim at least 300 yards/275 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping. This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal protection.
Duration
The DIR Distinctive Specialty class is conducted over a 2-day period. It involves a minimum of twenty (20) hours of instruction, encompassing both classroom and in-water work. Those choosing PADI's eLearning curriculum can immediately proceed to in-water work. Previous dive experience with the Nintendo Wii Endless Ocean (IGN: Endless Ocean Review) program will be credited.
Course Limits
1. Student to instructor ratio is not to exceed 8:1 during any in-water training and should be adjusted downward to account for bad conditions and/or poor visibility
2. Maximum depth 30 feet/10 meters
3. No decompression
4. No overhead environment diving
Course Content
The DIR Distinctive Specialty course focuses on cultivating the foundational skills required by all diving practice. It is focused on increasing diving fun by reducing stress and increasing diver proficiency through proper control of buoyancy, trim, propulsion, teamwork, and other GUE principles.
Course requirements include a minimum of eight (8) hours of academics and four (4) in-water sessions.
Required Training Materials
1. Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.
2. 5thd-X Essentials of Diving Video.
3. PADI DIR Distinctive Specialty Workbook.
Academic Topics
1. GUE, 5thd-x/BreakThru Diving, NAUI, and PADI.
2. Why DIR?
3. Diving proficiency
4. Buoyancy and trim
5. Streamlining and equipment configuration
6. Propulsion techniques
7. Situational awareness
8. Communication
9. Breathing gas overview
10. Dive planning and gas management
11. Diver preparedness
Land Drills & Topics
1. Dive team protocols
2. S-drill and valve-drill
3. Equipment fit and function
4. Propulsion techniques
5. Pre-dive drills
6. Surface marker deployment
Required Dive Skills & Drills
1. Demonstrate proficiency in safe diving techniques; this would include pre-dive preparations, in-water activity, and post-dive assessment.
2. Demonstrate awareness of team member location and a concern for safety, responding quickly to visual cues and dive partner needs.
3. Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver.
4. Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver followed by a slow, direct ascent to the surface.
5. Comfortably demonstrate at least two propulsion techniques that would be appropriate in delicate and/or silty environments.
6. Demonstrate a safe and responsible demeanor throughout all training.
7. Demonstrate proficiency in the ability to deploy a spool and a surface marker.
8. Demonstrate good buoyancy and trim.
9. Demonstrate proficiency in underwater communication.
10. Demonstrate basic equipment proficiency and an understanding of the DIR equipment configuration.
11. Demonstrate aptitude in the following open water skills: mask clearing, mask removal and replacement, regulator removal and exchange, regulator recovery, long hose deployment, snorkel deployment.
12. Demonstrate safe ascent and decent procedures.
13. Demonstrate proficiency in executing a valve drill.
Equipment Requirements
Each student should have, and be familiar with, all of the following required equipment.
1. Tanks/Cylinders: Students may use dual tanks/cylinders connected with a dual outlet isolator manifold, which allows for the use of two first-stages. Students may also use a single tank/cylinder with a K, H, or Y-valve.
2. Regulators: One of the second-stages must be on a 5- to 7-foot/1.5- to 2-meter hose. One of the first-stages must supply a pressure gauge and provide inflation for a dry suit (where applicable).
3. Backplate System: A rigid and flat platform, of metal construction with minimal padding, held to a diver by one continuous piece of nylon webbing. This webbing should be adjustable through the plate and should use a buckle to secure the system at the waist. A crotch strap attached to the lower end of this platform and looped through the waistband would prevent the system from riding up a diver's back. A knife should be secured to the waist on the left webbing tab. This webbing should support five D-rings; the first should be placed at the left hip, the second should be placed in line with a diver's right collarbone, the third should be placed in line with the diver's left collarbone, the fourth and fifth should be affixed to the crotch strap to use while scootering or towing/stowing gear. The harness below the diver's arms should have small restrictive bands to allow for the placement of reserve light powered by three in-line c-cell batteries (where necessary). The system should retain a minimalist approach with no unnecessary components.
4. Buoyancy Compensation Device: A diver's buoyancy compensation device should be back-mounted and minimalist in nature. It should come free of extraneous strings, tabs, or other material. There should be no restrictive bands or "bungee" of any sort affixed to the buoyancy cell. In addition, diver lift should not exceed 50lbs for a single tank and 80lbs for double tanks. Wing size and shape should be appropriate to the cylinder size(s) employed for training.
5. At least one depth-measuring device
6. At least one timekeeping device
7. Mask and fins: Mask should be low volume; fins should be rigid, non-split
8. At least one cutting device
9. Wet Notes
10. One spool with 100 feet/30 meters of line per diver
11. Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure
Purpose
The DIR Distinctive Specialty course is designed to cultivate the essential techniques required by all sound diving practice, irrespective of level or environment.
Prerequisites
1. Must be a minimum of 16 years of age
2. Must be a certified open water diver from a recognized training agency
3. Must be able to swim a distance of at least 50 feet/15 meters on a breath hold
4. Must be able to swim at least 300 yards/275 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping. This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal protection.
Duration
The DIR Distinctive Specialty class is conducted over a 2-day period. It involves a minimum of twenty (20) hours of instruction, encompassing both classroom and in-water work. Those choosing PADI's eLearning curriculum can immediately proceed to in-water work. Previous dive experience with the Nintendo Wii Endless Ocean (IGN: Endless Ocean Review) program will be credited.
Course Limits
1. Student to instructor ratio is not to exceed 8:1 during any in-water training and should be adjusted downward to account for bad conditions and/or poor visibility
2. Maximum depth 30 feet/10 meters
3. No decompression
4. No overhead environment diving
Course Content
The DIR Distinctive Specialty course focuses on cultivating the foundational skills required by all diving practice. It is focused on increasing diving fun by reducing stress and increasing diver proficiency through proper control of buoyancy, trim, propulsion, teamwork, and other GUE principles.
Course requirements include a minimum of eight (8) hours of academics and four (4) in-water sessions.
Required Training Materials
1. Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.
2. 5thd-X Essentials of Diving Video.
3. PADI DIR Distinctive Specialty Workbook.
Academic Topics
1. GUE, 5thd-x/BreakThru Diving, NAUI, and PADI.
2. Why DIR?
3. Diving proficiency
4. Buoyancy and trim
5. Streamlining and equipment configuration
6. Propulsion techniques
7. Situational awareness
8. Communication
9. Breathing gas overview
10. Dive planning and gas management
11. Diver preparedness
Land Drills & Topics
1. Dive team protocols
2. S-drill and valve-drill
3. Equipment fit and function
4. Propulsion techniques
5. Pre-dive drills
6. Surface marker deployment
Required Dive Skills & Drills
1. Demonstrate proficiency in safe diving techniques; this would include pre-dive preparations, in-water activity, and post-dive assessment.
2. Demonstrate awareness of team member location and a concern for safety, responding quickly to visual cues and dive partner needs.
3. Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver.
4. Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver followed by a slow, direct ascent to the surface.
5. Comfortably demonstrate at least two propulsion techniques that would be appropriate in delicate and/or silty environments.
6. Demonstrate a safe and responsible demeanor throughout all training.
7. Demonstrate proficiency in the ability to deploy a spool and a surface marker.
8. Demonstrate good buoyancy and trim.
9. Demonstrate proficiency in underwater communication.
10. Demonstrate basic equipment proficiency and an understanding of the DIR equipment configuration.
11. Demonstrate aptitude in the following open water skills: mask clearing, mask removal and replacement, regulator removal and exchange, regulator recovery, long hose deployment, snorkel deployment.
12. Demonstrate safe ascent and decent procedures.
13. Demonstrate proficiency in executing a valve drill.
Equipment Requirements
Each student should have, and be familiar with, all of the following required equipment.
1. Tanks/Cylinders: Students may use dual tanks/cylinders connected with a dual outlet isolator manifold, which allows for the use of two first-stages. Students may also use a single tank/cylinder with a K, H, or Y-valve.
2. Regulators: One of the second-stages must be on a 5- to 7-foot/1.5- to 2-meter hose. One of the first-stages must supply a pressure gauge and provide inflation for a dry suit (where applicable).
3. Backplate System: A rigid and flat platform, of metal construction with minimal padding, held to a diver by one continuous piece of nylon webbing. This webbing should be adjustable through the plate and should use a buckle to secure the system at the waist. A crotch strap attached to the lower end of this platform and looped through the waistband would prevent the system from riding up a diver's back. A knife should be secured to the waist on the left webbing tab. This webbing should support five D-rings; the first should be placed at the left hip, the second should be placed in line with a diver's right collarbone, the third should be placed in line with the diver's left collarbone, the fourth and fifth should be affixed to the crotch strap to use while scootering or towing/stowing gear. The harness below the diver's arms should have small restrictive bands to allow for the placement of reserve light powered by three in-line c-cell batteries (where necessary). The system should retain a minimalist approach with no unnecessary components.
4. Buoyancy Compensation Device: A diver's buoyancy compensation device should be back-mounted and minimalist in nature. It should come free of extraneous strings, tabs, or other material. There should be no restrictive bands or "bungee" of any sort affixed to the buoyancy cell. In addition, diver lift should not exceed 50lbs for a single tank and 80lbs for double tanks. Wing size and shape should be appropriate to the cylinder size(s) employed for training.
5. At least one depth-measuring device
6. At least one timekeeping device
7. Mask and fins: Mask should be low volume; fins should be rigid, non-split
8. At least one cutting device
9. Wet Notes
10. One spool with 100 feet/30 meters of line per diver
11. Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure
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