the DIR moniker

[ScubaSam]

I believe in the diving system and philosophy, so I trying (non-emotionally and logically) to show my friends the way.

Don't show them, let them come to you with questions when they see you in the water.

Let your diving do the talking. If people want to approach you about it, kindly answer their questions. Really no reason to proselytize.

Absolutely agree. During and after my recent dive vacations to Coz and NC wrecks, my buddies and I were approached and we simply answered their questions.

 

[lamont]

As stated, I related this story anecdotally, not because I'm hung up on it. But like the instructor's silence, it spoke volumes about the attitude he fostered among his flock.

And you're painting every DIR diver as being just like those two, so your attitude also speaks volumes.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Sorry if my urine spray got on you :shocked2:

Thats a pretty good attitude to have towards fundamentals graduates. What was that you were saying about being divisive?

... unless you're one of those folks going around telling people with way more experience than you why they're "doing it wrong" ... I wasn't talking about you.

But, in fact, been there and done that ... and observed that it's usually the new and enthusiastic who are most vocal.

I once watched a fellow with very little experience ... someone who had just the previous week finished a Fundies class (this was before they were pass/fail) walk up to my dive buddy ... a fellow with about 8,000 dives ... and start telling him why his gear wasn't set up properly. Those old farts are kinda used to doing things a certain way ... it works for them ... and they don't take kindly to someone "correcting" them.

It's mostly the vocal few like that fellow who create issues with the general diving community. And they are almost always the folks who think they have something to prove.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DiverLaura]

the thing is, we've got dive shop owners out here that are still very ANTI DIR because 7 or 8 years ago some jackasses went in to their store with the simple purpose of baiting the shop's employees and telling them 'they were gonna die' cause they dove 'breathers and poodle jacket BCD's. That store does not welcome DIR divers.

it's not just one person who's still hung up on it, and we are still paying for those indiscretions.

4 or 5 years ago, I took a 'new diver' to a midweek tweek to see what DIR diving was all about. Somehow he got the feeling that a couple of the more experienced divers were mocking his split fins, and voila, another heart and mind not won. (this was not an isolated incident)

Not only are we "the community" or whatever y'all want to call it still mocking other people with their split fins and their solo diving practices (in public), we now mock each other and what flavor of kool aid the long hose diver might happen to be drinking, and whether you wear your light cord over or under...

seriously, this splintering is a problem, and it starts at the top. new divers are like small children, they will do what they see their instructor doing.

one bad experience is repeated to as many people as will listen, but how many good experiences are we reading about with regards to interactions with "DIR" divers?? None, because just like in sales, people don't talk about the good experiences.

The only people who can stop this sillyness are the people involved. You can only control yourself, but you can set an example that might influence many.

So next time you feel the urge to mock a set of split fins, or call a jacket BCD a poodle jacket, or call something someone does "farm animal stupid", just don't do it.

The next time someone asks you what kind of diver you are, just say 'one who loves diving' as opposed to a DIR, GUE, UTD, koolaid drinking, whatever...

I know its cooler to be a part of a club and stuff, but i'm getting sick of feeling like we need to start sporting gang colors and flashin' signs at the dive site.

it used to be 'us vs. them' with regards to DIR vs. everyone else. now its us vs ourselves vs. more of ourselves vs. another version of ourselves...

This happened 7-8 years ago and you're still hung up on it? I'd have just told them to go **** themselves and moved on.

FWIW, I've never experienced anything of the like from the GUE instructors I know.

 

[ScubaFeenD]

Let your diving do the talking. If people want to approach you about it, kindly answer their questions. Really no reason to proselytize.

Don't show them, let them come to you with questions when they see you in the water.

FWIW I didnt bring it up, he mentions it to me. I am not going to bother going in to it anymore though, because it really isnt worth the frustration and I am not a good enough diver to change his mind...his loss.

... unless you're one of those folks going around telling people with way more experience than you why they're "doing it wrong" ... I wasn't talking about you.

But, in fact, been there and done that ... and observed that it's usually the new and enthusiastic who are most vocal.

I once watched a fellow with very little experience ... someone who had just the previous week finished a Fundies class (this was before they were pass/fail) walk up to my dive buddy ... a fellow with about 8,000 dives ... and start telling him why his gear wasn't set up properly. Those old farts are kinda used to doing things a certain way ... it works for them ... and they don't take kindly to someone "correcting" them.

It's mostly the vocal few like that fellow who create issues with the general diving community. And they are almost always the folks who think they have something to prove.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I certainly hear you on that. It would just be better to go up to the person and ask why they do it a specific way than to tell them they are doing it wrong. At least if you start with a question you stand to learn something, even if, in your head, you THINK they are doing is wrong anyway. Im sure someone with 8000 dives would have some really interesting stories anyway.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

As stated, I related this story anecdotally, not because I'm hung up on it. But like the instructor's silence, it spoke volumes about the attitude he fostered among his flock.

Probably not, actually ... I've met quite a high percentage of the GUE instructors out there (there aren't that many, really) ... and without exception they've all been very friendly, professional people. I've yet to meet one that has anything remotely resembling "the attitude".

To be fair, if a student of mine did something I felt was out of line, I would opt to discuss it with him privately. You really have no way of knowing whether or not this instructor did likewise.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Let your diving do the talking. If people want to approach you about it, kindly answer their questions. Really no reason to proselytize.

Excellent advice ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Hank49]

t.

The next time someone asks you what kind of diver you are, just say 'one who loves diving' as opposed to a DIR, GUE, UTD, koolaid drinking, whatever...

.

It's amazing. I've been on Scubaboard for 6 years now and this controversy continues...although much more mellow nowadays. If I was DIR, I would probably be fed up with it, like some of the old timers here.
But in my experience, it only occurs on SB. I've never seen any conflict in real life. I've only met one DIR diver, and that was before I knew what it was. He explained why he used a long hose, which was what I asked him about. Nice guy.
Yep, we're all just divers. (I had to respond to the "smokin' hot" poster)

 

[TSandM]

Laura, that's a beautiful post.

k11dorf, is it possible that the "smirk" you saw was a smile of "What can you do?", and that the instructor took the student aside privately at a later time and chewed his butt? I know, as a teacher, that I have tried very hard not to reprimand students in a public setting, because the lesson is rarely well received that way.

Mindset IS important. Recently, someone started a thread quoting a club bulletin from somewhere near Ontario as saying that no one would be permitted to dive during club events while using a long hose. The thread ran quite a ways with people making fun of the author of the piece, and mocking his safety concerns. (It was kind of funny.) But that attitude doesn't win friends. One wins friends by being pleasant and open, and offering information -- and some people can't be won, especially if their attitudes have hardened because of bad experiences.

All the boards have posters who don't win "DIR" (whatever it is) any friends. Folks like Laura and I work pretty hard to try to counter that, because we've found great benefit in diving the way we dive, and we're motivated to share that with others. If the "DIR" name impedes that, then better to find some other name, or no name at all. I dive in a group of "like-minded" divers -- we all know what that means

 

[Superlyte27]

I don't really know where to start with this.

The first problem is that one jackass on a boat tells you that clear masks are for strokes and you want every DIR diver out there to have to answer for it on scubaboard? The second problem is that I suspect that you are either making this up or else someone was yanking your chain -- there's no specified mask color in GUE/DIR/UTD/etc (and I can point to GI3 on the gavinscooters list claiming that clear masks are better in his opinion).

And if you're changing your gear around to "piss off DIR divers" you are giving the divers you hate an awful lot of control over you.



Next time why don't you just tell the diver to their face that they're just being a jackass, instead of trying to hold a whole pile of random people on the internet accountable for one ill mannered divers behavior?






Careful, that's my dive buddy you're talking about there.... =)

Ok, lets start at the top... And maybe this is where so many of us lay people are misguided... but, back in the early days of WKPP and an old boy named George... I can show you written word saying black masks/fins/gear was the only way. (Yes, I recently learned that George isn't the founding father of GUE, but that's not what diving society thought 15 years ago.) No, I wasn't making it up. And the guy who said it to me is welcome to chime in, as he reads this page daily.

Secondly... I'm not "changing" the gear to piss off divers, but when it's time to upgrade or replace, I will pick bright blue,orange, pink or clear (whatever) just out of spite. Yes, I care too much. I'll work on that.

I didn't call him a Jackass to his face because he was a patron at the time.

And lastly.... I gave her a compliment, albeit not the most Christian in it's intent. If you like, I can change it to an insult. Just let me know. I got bunches to choose from.

*edit*
Scootergirl: In the event that you were insulted by me saying you were "smoking hot", please let me try again.
Scootergirl is amazingly beautiful. It's understandible how someone could so easily be lost in her outward beauty, but the inward beauty cannot be ignored. She cannot be daunted by silly things like Depth, Time or Deco Obligations. She can't be bothered by the sillyness of Open Circuit. She's sexy not only because or her stunning seductive looks but also because she has no fear of life in or out of the water. And have you seen her in an Operating Room. WOW! Breath taking.