The story begins: DIR-F

[SeaJay]

Friday, January 25th... I'm still a week away from my DIR-F course. I can't stand it. I can't even sleep.

When I walk my dog at night I think about backplates and wings, and whether or not I would like the "backplate cover" (with included pouch for lift bag, which I plan to always have with me in case I find something really cool down there). I consider how in the world someone could really dive a long hose using a jacket-style BC, and whether or not Scubapro Jet Fins are going to be as loved as my Quattros.

But more importantly, I consider the changes that I'd have to make to really be DIR. I consider the agony of quitting smoking, and how many friends I'm going to lose while I break the habit. I consider what it would be like to lose 20 or 30 pounds, and what it would be like to really be fit again. I consider the possibility one day of having the chance to dive with the world's most accomplished divers, and whether or not I could one day be selected to be on TV's History Channel, Discovery Channel, or A&E like a few of GUE's divers have.

Then, as my thought processes turn backflips and wander through the dark recesses of simultaneous self-doubt and excitement, my mind comes to a screeching halt somewhere in the shallow waters of offshore Carolina... Where, through many hours of recent research, I've concluded that there's undiscovered and unexplored wrecks. I know of at least three unmapped and undiscovered wooden sailing ships from the Civil War, complete with cannon, muskets, and ammunition, simply waiting to be touched once again by human hands. I know of a sunken German U-boat, surely still unopened, which deserves the name of War Memorial, since all hands are still on board. It's as if they call to me... All 43 souls... Asking me to please come find them. They'll give me anything they have on board... If I will just bring their bodies home (or at least their stories), and let their loved ones know what really happened. I swear, I can hear their voices sometimes, call to me in a ghastly and spiritual way, through the blackwaters of the Carolinas.

...And still my mind races. It's 3am and all I can think about is "going pro." All I can think about is mastery of the basics. All I can think about is becoming the explorer that I somehow cannot avoid.

I think that it's the "mastery of the basics" that will enable my body to do what others cannot do. And for that, I wait. And learn. And keep my mind open. And desire and hunger to be the best I've ever been.

My body yearns to slice the water with precision and ease. My mind lusts to cruise the depths and understand the terror these men experienced. My heart yearns to hold in my hands proof of brother fighting brother, so that these men's stories can be told.

Show me, experts. Only seven days until I hold in my hands the keys to yesterday.

It's not just recreational any more.

 

[Tanstaafl]

Man that was great. Sitting here on a Saturday morning, it's cloudy, cold and I have a sore throat. Reading your post was really inspiring. To be 20 something again and ready to explore the depths of time is beyond my reach. But, as I look up into the loft, I can hear my 11 year old son moving around and I know I still have a chance. He'll be ready to start diving soon and I can't wait to teach him.

 

[WreckWriter]

Yea, thanks Jay, for bringing the reasons that I got into this too. Good luck to you and if I can ever help you reach your goals, just holler.

WW

 

[kalvyn]

SeaJay once bubbled...

[snip]

But more importantly, I consider the changes that I'd have to make to really be DIR. I consider the agony of quitting smoking, and how many friends I'm going to lose while I break the habit.

[snip]

Thanks for the excellent post, Jay. It's cool that you're willing to put your soul-searching on public display, that is a rare thing IMHO.

I just wanted to comment on the one thing in your post I have some personal experience with. If the fact of you quitting smoking will cause others to cease being your friend, then one has to ask the question 'were they really a friend in the first place?'.

I know that when I quit drinking, I lost a few "friends" in the process. What I noticed, for me personally, was that the process of giving up drinking showed me who my real friends were... they were the ones that supported me, and were there in my times of need. The "friends" that I lost were no great loss at all, in the grand scheme of things.

I hope this doesn't come off as "preachy", as that is not my intent at all. I just wated to share a bit of my personal experience, in the hope it might help a little bit.

Sincerely,
Jimmie

 

[SeaJay]

kalvyn once bubbled...

Thanks for the excellent post, Jay. It's cool that you're willing to put your soul-searching on public display, that is a rare thing IMHO.

Hey, thanks, man.

I promised many people that I would tell the whole story... I promised a DIR class writeup... And yet, this whole experience is so much more than just what the class is.

...So that's post number one. I'll keep y'all posted through the whole class.

I just wanted to comment on the one thing in your post I have some personal experience with. If the fact of you quitting smoking will cause others to cease being your friend, then one has to ask the question 'were they really a friend in the first place?'.

Oh, yes... You're absolutely right.

That's not exactly what I meant, though. I'm not too worried about those who won't be my friend any longer because I don't smoke. Like you said, those people aren't real friends.

What I meant by that was the people I would alienate with my attitude.

See, I've got a history of quitting smoking. Obviously, none of my efforts have been very successful, but once or twice I've managed to be smoke-free for a year or two before giving back into the craves. So I know how irritable I can be while quitting, and I know I can be a real jerk during those times, saying things that I shouldn't say, and doing things that I apologize for later.

...So I was really talking about how many friends I would lose due to the way I historically act while quitting. All I can do is apologize in advance to people and do my best to keep my mouth shut and "turn the other cheek" for a couple of months. It can be really hard on relationships, in my experience.

...That's what I was worried about. Still am.

I'm going out for a smoke.

 

[Arnaud]

Seejay, I know the main focus of your thread was DirF but since smoking seems to be a big deal, I wanted to offer a few pointers.

I used to be a huge smoker. Make that 3 pack a day. I would chain-smoke in my office, my home and pretty much anywhere else where it's still lawful (but living in California, these places are getting rare).

After a lot of thinking, I decided to quit. I did a lot of research and settled for a combination of Zyban and Nicorette. I figured with the amount of nicotine my body was used to, I had to control the overall need, as well as the cravings. I started at 10 nicorettes a day (the high dosage ones). 4 months later, I was down to 1 nicorette a day and sometimes none. I had basically overcome the physical withdrawal. Well, sort of.

I love tobaco, the taste and the smell. I enjoyed people smoking around me. It never bothered me. And four months after having quit, I thought I had beaten the addiction. Because I loved tobaco so much, I thought I was going to be able to smoke 4 or 5 cigs a day and be OK. Have the taste that I like so much, and nothing else.

Big mistake. A month later, I was a smoker again. The only good thing that came out of it is that I was able to divide the number of daily cigs by more than 2.

So, it's 3 years later. I've become addicted to diving. I've been going to the gym 3 time a week for 2 years. And I'm still smoking. One thing PADI and GUE agree on is that smoking and diving don't mix well, the DIR approach being as always more... radical about it.

So, there I am, almost ready in my mind. I know I can balance my physical needs with medicine, so that I won't have to make it more difficult for my friends than it is for me. The hardest part is to accept that I can't ever ever ever again have a cigarette.

Final point, you shouldn't quit because you want to join now an organization you may later decide to leave. You need to be fully convinced that smoking will sooner or later affect your diving, no matter who you dive with. Again, overcoming the physical addiction is hard but anyone can do it. Speaking of experience, the hardest part is the mind.:banging:

 

[jbm]

Arnaud once bubbled...
The hardest part is to accept that I can't ever ever ever again have a cigarette.
:

Say after me:


" One is too many, a thousand is not enough"




Just a devise that helped me quit.......and stay quit.
Regards; jbm

 

[leadweight]

Relax.

Quitting smoking and physical fitness are goals that are good in themselves without reference to other activities. Just do it as they say.

It is not worth getting obsessed about any piece of personal property, especially something that only costs $500 or so. I may not be a BP kind of guy, but you might as well buy the thing and see what happens.

 

[GearHead]

Good for you SeaJay; way to maintain (and express) that passion you're feeling about Tech diving. I'm sure a lot of ScubaBoarders will be vicariously living their Wreck exploration dreams through you. Good luck with DIR-F.

Rick

 

[Tanstaafl]

Dates were posted today for Stress and Rescue class. Class starts Feb 11th for me. See ya' in school.

ENJOY!