UnderSeaBumbleBee
Contributor
Real DIR verses Internet DIR.
At this point I would consider myself an extremely new DIR curious diver. I have been certified just over a year. I spent a lot of time reading on the boards before I became certified. I was aware of DIR, but turned off by the endless Internet arguing. I just wanted to be a good diver!
I have since learned that there is a tremendous disconnect between progressing toward or being a DIR and Internet DIR forum threads. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to start learning the difference. I have more to learn and look forward to it.
I plugged along happily in my jacket gear so excited that I had finally taken the plunge! My only regret that I hadnt been certified years earlier. I was at the lake every chance I could get and willing to dive with anyone who would let me tag along. I was having the time of my life. Some bumps along the waybut I was diving and all was well so I thought.
One day I was at the lake with some divers. One of them way a shop employee, rescue diver and also on the county dive team. We talked about taking the next step and taking diving to the next leveldeeper! Here is a link to the story of what happened to me. It was all the time I spent reading on Scuba Board along with my limited training that help a very very new diver make it to the surfaceupset but ok. New diver 106 deep and you signal trouble and your buddies wave bye bye and swim deeper and leave you is a bad place to be.
http://www.singledivers.com/surfaceinterval/index.php?showtopic=10755
It was at that time that Perrone Ford and TsandM reached out to me via the Internet and began sharing with me information about real DIR and team diving. I cant tell you how many times I have called on Perrone at all times of the day and night to answer my endless questions. And others like them who have been willing to help me understand why DIR divers do what they do.
Certainly one can dive without being a DIR and have both a great and safe time. The appeal to me of DIR is the concept of thinking and planning ahead and limiting problems before they happen and having the skills to deal with them when they do.
This is much the way I approach my everyday life. I am prepared to take care of myself if the power, water, gas and all other utilities are cut from my house in the event of an emergency. In fact, winter before last when it was cold and we were without power30 minutes after it went I was drinking hot tea. It could have been sooner I just didnt want to go out in the cold shed to bring in the gear.
I had one fellow to be kind enough to film himself doing a kick I had a question about. Others have taken time to point me to resources on the web and in print that have both made me question things as well as broadened my understanding.
My gear is not completely DIR compliant at the moment. If you read past threads you will see up until recently I was diving with Scuba Pro twin jets. And I have a swivel on my reg. This hasnt been a sticking point for the few folks that are DIR that I have been diving with. I dont need them to say my gear meets the standard when it doesnt. I can still learn and progress toward the goal of learning the system. I have recently after doing a bunch of pool work and rehab on my hip sworn off of the twins and am now using plain jets. I am sure one that that swivel will go.
But in the mean time, the DIR folks have been helping me understand how to have great buoyancy, trim, weighting, kicks, gas management, situational awareness, team skills, underwater recovery skills. All thisand I have so much work to do in these areas has resulted in me enjoying my dives more and enjoying those I dive with more.
Some of the sincere questions folks have posted have been helpful to me as well when they have been met with sincere informative answers. I do not see this as often as I would like and think argumentative answers in fact violate the core DIR philosophy. It is supposed to for the thinking diver and a thinking diver can tell you in a non combative way why he does or does not do something.
I cannot hover all the time at will, but I have moments that are close to be great. A dive or two ago I just rested in the water as two large channel catfish spent some time letting me watch them. I hovered as some brim swam close about me and used me for cover as I just hung in the water.
For all those DIR people who steer clear of the endless arguments and take time to help real people like me, with real diving issues, I thank you for taking an interest in me and helping me to become a better diver. One day I hope that will happen. I have improved with your help to some degree and am mindful of areas that I can improve. And with your help I have tools to move in that direction.
Sincerely,
Leah
Considered noob by any agency standard or non standard
Hopefully considered a willing learner moving toward improvement by any standard
At this point I would consider myself an extremely new DIR curious diver. I have been certified just over a year. I spent a lot of time reading on the boards before I became certified. I was aware of DIR, but turned off by the endless Internet arguing. I just wanted to be a good diver!
I have since learned that there is a tremendous disconnect between progressing toward or being a DIR and Internet DIR forum threads. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to start learning the difference. I have more to learn and look forward to it.
I plugged along happily in my jacket gear so excited that I had finally taken the plunge! My only regret that I hadnt been certified years earlier. I was at the lake every chance I could get and willing to dive with anyone who would let me tag along. I was having the time of my life. Some bumps along the waybut I was diving and all was well so I thought.
One day I was at the lake with some divers. One of them way a shop employee, rescue diver and also on the county dive team. We talked about taking the next step and taking diving to the next leveldeeper! Here is a link to the story of what happened to me. It was all the time I spent reading on Scuba Board along with my limited training that help a very very new diver make it to the surfaceupset but ok. New diver 106 deep and you signal trouble and your buddies wave bye bye and swim deeper and leave you is a bad place to be.
http://www.singledivers.com/surfaceinterval/index.php?showtopic=10755
It was at that time that Perrone Ford and TsandM reached out to me via the Internet and began sharing with me information about real DIR and team diving. I cant tell you how many times I have called on Perrone at all times of the day and night to answer my endless questions. And others like them who have been willing to help me understand why DIR divers do what they do.
Certainly one can dive without being a DIR and have both a great and safe time. The appeal to me of DIR is the concept of thinking and planning ahead and limiting problems before they happen and having the skills to deal with them when they do.
This is much the way I approach my everyday life. I am prepared to take care of myself if the power, water, gas and all other utilities are cut from my house in the event of an emergency. In fact, winter before last when it was cold and we were without power30 minutes after it went I was drinking hot tea. It could have been sooner I just didnt want to go out in the cold shed to bring in the gear.
I had one fellow to be kind enough to film himself doing a kick I had a question about. Others have taken time to point me to resources on the web and in print that have both made me question things as well as broadened my understanding.
My gear is not completely DIR compliant at the moment. If you read past threads you will see up until recently I was diving with Scuba Pro twin jets. And I have a swivel on my reg. This hasnt been a sticking point for the few folks that are DIR that I have been diving with. I dont need them to say my gear meets the standard when it doesnt. I can still learn and progress toward the goal of learning the system. I have recently after doing a bunch of pool work and rehab on my hip sworn off of the twins and am now using plain jets. I am sure one that that swivel will go.
But in the mean time, the DIR folks have been helping me understand how to have great buoyancy, trim, weighting, kicks, gas management, situational awareness, team skills, underwater recovery skills. All thisand I have so much work to do in these areas has resulted in me enjoying my dives more and enjoying those I dive with more.
Some of the sincere questions folks have posted have been helpful to me as well when they have been met with sincere informative answers. I do not see this as often as I would like and think argumentative answers in fact violate the core DIR philosophy. It is supposed to for the thinking diver and a thinking diver can tell you in a non combative way why he does or does not do something.
I cannot hover all the time at will, but I have moments that are close to be great. A dive or two ago I just rested in the water as two large channel catfish spent some time letting me watch them. I hovered as some brim swam close about me and used me for cover as I just hung in the water.
For all those DIR people who steer clear of the endless arguments and take time to help real people like me, with real diving issues, I thank you for taking an interest in me and helping me to become a better diver. One day I hope that will happen. I have improved with your help to some degree and am mindful of areas that I can improve. And with your help I have tools to move in that direction.
Sincerely,
Leah
Considered noob by any agency standard or non standard
Hopefully considered a willing learner moving toward improvement by any standard
