Please explain DIR to me...

[jonnythan]

Trying to understand why I should follow a DIR path. There is nothing wrong with the solutions being non-DIR, but the statement was that this philosophy provided solutions to fundamental problems. If these fundamental problems are also solved by non-DIR methodologies, then what is it specifically that makes DIR anything more than another c-card with required equipment?

Joe

DIR takes solutions for many problems and puts them together into a cohesive package. The long hose is a good solution for air sharing problems, the bp/wing is a good solution for jacket bc problems, spring straps are a good solution for strap problems, frog kicks are a good solution for silting problems. There is no comparable diving method that assembles as many true, good solutions as possible into a cohesive system. That's the idea behind DIR. Solving as many issues as possible. Many of the solutions require other solutions in order to work, which is why it comes out as a strict system.. alter parts of it, or change the gear a little bit and suddenly you invalidate some of those solutions.

It's a goofy way to say it, but I think it's fairly accurate.

 

[Seabear70]

Ok, what exactly is a frog kick? I learned my technique from watching old Cousteau episodes.

Nevermind, I found it.

 

[JustJoe]

After going back to the GUE site and reading the course curriculum, I started thinking about what several people have said and I brushed off as whitewash. It is the "whole" application that makes it DIR. That sounds simple, and maybe I am dense, but I think I missed that earlier.

I went back and re-read the "What is DIR" thread again. This time it made more sense. Jonnythan reiterated a good point several times that I missed until this little revelation. Bouyancy control, kicks, basic skills, the same gear configuration every dive, being aware of your surroundings and your buddy, "all" of these things make up DIR, and the exclusion of any aspect is anathema to this philosophy. Am I on to something?

These things make sense. I may not be wholly convinced on all of the aspects of this, but I guess I have alot to learn about it as well. I think I will order the book and the DVD.

Joe

 

[RichLockyer]

If these fundamental problems are also solved by non-DIR methodologies, then what is it specifically that makes DIR anything more than another c-card with required equipment?

Because it IS the whole package.
When one thing is changed, it can cause a cascade that requires changes down the line, and before you know it, you are back to having fundamental problems.

For instance... you may ask, "Why the BT on the right wrist, compass on the left, with a clipped-off brass SPG on a short hose, and no console?".
There are more than a couple of reasons, but one that comes up doesn't become apparent until you begin to scooter:
The BT can be read, WHILE IN MOTION, by reaching forward with the left hand and tilting the face toward you.
The compass can be read, again, while in motion, by simply looking down and crossing your left arm under your FOV.

To move the gauges to a console would require a longer (less streamlined) HP hose... and if you are carrying stage or deco tanks, you are STILL not going to be able to get that compass into a position where it can be used, especially not while in motion.
Add to that the problems of the console trapping water and salt promoting corrosion. My buddy gets less battery life out of his Vyper than I do... his lives in a console, and remains in "AC" and turned on for many hours post-dive. Mine is a wrist-mount and shuts off quickly.

Why do we mount all of our stage/deco bottles on the left?
Some complain that a tank on the right will interfere with deployment of the long hose... that can be worked around, but the problem comes in while you are USING the tank on the right. How is it's hose routed? With a tank on the left, you use a 40" hose and it goes behind your neck and around from the right... same as your primary or backup reg. With a tank on the right, you need either a longer, or a VERY short hose. A 40"er will hang below you and is prone to snagging rocks or coral. You can't go shorter, because if a buddy needs gas, you ALWAYS donate the reg you are using.
Mounting a tank on the right also requires you to clip off to the right chest D-ring. This is normally your "clip-off" d-ring used for temporary storage of items not currently in use... your primary reg gets parked there when you are on a stage/deco cylinder. Your lighthead goes there when you are not using it. You have a backup light mounted there. Adding a tank makes it very crowded.
The right-side tank also requires a D-ring to be placed on the right side of the waist harness. This makes it impossible to remove your light canister... and here's where we start a slippery slope...
What alternatives to we have to mount the light canister if it cannot go on the harness? We can mount it to the backplate itself a/la OMS, or we can butt-mount it under the tanks.
Either mounting method produces a situation where you cannot reach and disengage the canister should it become entangled. Butt-mounting is even worse, as the canister is prone to damage caused by the tanks when on the surface.

Gas switching... how do we know that we are not going to use 100% O2 at 70ft?
We don't use color codes. We don't put colored jackets on our regs. We mark each tank with it's MOD, except for the O2 tank, which is marked "Oxygen 20" so it cannot be confused with a 120ft bottle.
All regs are parked, all bottles are turned off.
To switch gasses, you find the bottle you want, by depth. You remove the reg from that bottle and run it's hose behind your neck and into your mouth. You return to the bottle, ONCE AGAIN, identify the bottle by depth. Maintaining touch-contact with the tank, slide your hand up and open the valve.
If you can breathe, you are using the right tank. If you can't, then you have grabbed the wrong reg... shut the valve down, put your primary back in your mouth, re-stow the one you just tried to use, and get it sorted out.


This is just three examples of how the entire system must be taken together. Nearly everything that makes up DIR has been thought through with this level of attention to detail.

Bouyancy control, kicks, basic skills, the same gear configuration every dive, being aware of your surroundings and your buddy, "all" of these things make up DIR, and the exclusion of any aspect is anathema to this philosophy. Am I on to something?

BINGO!

 

[jonnythan]

After going back to the GUE site and reading the course curriculum, I started thinking about what several people have said and I brushed off as whitewash. It is the "whole" application that makes it DIR. That sounds simple, and maybe I am dense, but I think I missed that earlier.

I went back and re-read the "What is DIR" thread again. This time it made more sense. Jonnythan reiterated a good point several times that I missed until this little revelation. Bouyancy control, kicks, basic skills, the same gear configuration every dive, being aware of your surroundings and your buddy, "all" of these things make up DIR, and the exclusion of any aspect is anathema to this philosophy. Am I on to something?

These things make sense. I may not be wholly convinced on all of the aspects of this, but I guess I have alot to learn about it as well. I think I will order the book and the DVD.

Joe

A ha.....

 

[headhunter]

If you get a chance watch a few of these videos if you have time. http://www.cjmanning.com/DiveFrames.htm I am not DIR but am working that way some day By the way, all of DIR divers i have met in person were very courteous and helpful, at least the ones i experienced

EDIT: Be sure to click "resources" in the left column. There you will see the DIR videos and "skill" videos

I tried to view the video via the above mentioned link, but it takes too long to load. The same video is running on a server with apparently MUCH MORE bandwidth at the link below.

http://www.deepsouthdivers.org/

Click on Look > Videos > Training Videos > DIRIII

"View the Entire Video" let's you see the whole thing, whereas, if you watch it in pieces you'll miss a few things.

I think that this video will help BEGIN to answer many of the initial questions about DIR for someone who is contemplating adopting the system. Speaking for myself, I found it very helpful. As a result of reading the fundamentals book and watching this video, I have decided to begin taking GUE classes in the near future.

Keep in mind that this video's purpose appears to be "to inform you" and not necessarily "to entertain you". It is not a well polished "Hollywood Film Production", so don't expect the high production values used in a silver screen box office hit movie. (Although, there is some really cool cave diving video included.)

Hope this helps the curious among you.

Christian

 

[Dryglove]

Sorry about that. I had forgotten that seajay has it on his site also.

I tried to view the video via the above mentioned link, but it takes too long to load. The same video is running on a server with apparently MUCH MORE bandwidth at the link below.

http://www.deepsouthdivers.org/

Click on Look > Videos > Training Videos > DIRIII

"View the Entire Video" let's you see the whole thing, whereas, if you watch it in pieces you'll miss a few things.

I think that this video will help BEGIN to answer many of the initial questions about DIR for someone who is contemplating adopting the system. Speaking for myself, I found it very helpful. As a result of reading the fundamentals book and watching this video, I have decided to begin taking GUE classes in the near future.

Keep in mind that this video's purpose appears to be "to inform you" and not necessarily "to entertain you". It is not a well polished "Hollywood Film Production", so don't expect the high production values used in a silver screen box office hit movie. (Although, there is some really cool cave diving video included.)

Hope this helps the curious among you.

Christian

 

[headhunter]

Sorry about that. I had forgotten that seajay has it on his site also.

Nothing to apologize about. I just thought I'd offer a link to SeaJay's site which seems to stream out faster.

Christian

 

[boomx5]

What is it all about for you? If I was your good friend and beginning to dive, what would you tell me about the DIR way so that I could fully understand why I need to go that way?

What would you tell your friends to make them want to pick up the DIR flag? Why should I chose to embrace "the whole package"?

Joe

If you were my good friend, I would tell you why I have adopted GUE training and why it makes sense to me. I would also tell you that GUE training is not for everyone nor is diving DIR the only way to dive but that it's a personal decision that a person makes after weighing all the options.

I also do my best to get anyone who is interested in GUE training to the first day of a Fundamentals class since it has been very helpful in answering the questions people may have. Joe Talavera who is one of our local GUE instructors (and great one at that) allows people to sit the first night of class for free just to see if it's something they may be interested in.

Also, if you were my good personal friend and you decided that GUE training was not for you, we would continue to be good friends because there are some things in life that a much bigger than scuba diving.

Regards,

 

[JustJoe]

I downloaded the video and watched it early this morning before heading out to a long day of poker (charity tournament). It was interesting to say the least. I can immediately see that this was very thought out. It encouraged my research into DIR.

George said several times that the first three pages of the PADI OW book are very much the essence of DIR. So I will re-read that, if I can find it after so many years. I do want to get the book (Fundamentals). So there is a place to go. But it has also created more questions.

1. Where is the breaking point with DIR? What I mean is if you don't want a seven foot hose on my second stage, does this make me out of compliance? A shorter hose for OW makes more sense to me, and I don't want to wrap anything around my neck.

2. What if you dive without a buddy? Or your buddy is not close to you or is out of DIR compliance? Does this mean that you shouldn't dive because you are not under DIR standards? I have always relied more upon myself than my buddy. I would hate to have an OOA incident but have always dove with air a short emergency ascent away. I am sure this flies in the face of DIR (although I could be wrong). What are the thoughts about that? I have no desire to dive in caves or any enclosed environment (although the cave scenes in the movie were awesome, thank goodness there are video cameras so that I can watch those scenes). So I am having a hard time considering this aspect of it.

3. What about dive computers? I CAN dive without them because I know tables and can do equations when I have to, but why should I? Square profiles are cool and all, but I would rather have more time on the bottom gained through my computer. And if I lose the computer I can always abort the dive and stop diving. Is this a drastic departure from DIR?

Just some things I was thinking about today. I will probably have more questions as I read more about the subject.

Take care,
Joe