Should I continue down the DIR path?

[ScubaInChicago]

Skills learned in the fundamentals course will help alleviate some of those concerns. You learn proper gas management for doing dives to 100'. Over time the comfort level will help bring your SAC rate down too. As for diving with only DIR divers, there's nothing written on the back of my cards that says I can't enjoy a fun dive with whomever I choose. Although I do get pickier as the dive complexity increases. In the end, we go diving for fun, tweak some skills and increase your capacity to take in the scenery!

 

[Peter Guy]

As for the dive planning, yes it doesn't mesh very easily with computer divers.

Just have to respond to this for, to me, it shows a mind set that is, well, just wrong.

For starters, what is a "computer diver?". I am a "computer diver" -- that is, I dive with a dive computer (actually more than one) and use it to give me relevant information -- including an estimate of my no stop time remaining. But just because I dive, and look at my computer, doesn't mean I don't have a general dive plan which includes:

a. What I and my buddies want to do on the dive;
b. The roles we all have on the dive;
c. The gear we are carrying;
d. The time and depths we think we are going to do -- at least setting the maximum depths and time limits;
e. The amount and type of gas we each have;
f. Our ascent strategy;
g. What we believe the water conditions are for that dive.

There is no reason the OP can't discuss those items with his buddies (note, I'm not saying "teammates") before entering the water so that they are all close to being on the same page for the dive.

To repeat, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH DIVING WITH A DIVE COMPUTER -- there may well be something wrong with doing a dive without ANY IDEA of what you think you and your buddies are going to do.