Units

[OneBrightGator]

Alright, so, DIR prescribes a gear configuration right down to the last detail, specific gases, even some lifestyle choices, why not one set of units, either English or Metric?

 

[Peo]

Because there is no depth gauge on the market that measure depth in ATAs.

 

[dbulmer]

Ben,
As a non-DIR UK diver you'd expect me to say use metric so I will! However, the reality for US divers is that you use imperial measurements and provided the diver is able to use imperial properly then it's not a concern. I personally might struggle a bit with imperial but heh if it's a DIR diver I'd be letting him know about it and it would be a non issue - (As a non DIR diver I might have other issues )

Let me just say that if I came over to Florida I'd be willing to use imperial measurements if the majority of divers were doing so or I was buddied up with someone who habitually used imperial measurements - in the UK I'd expect the US chap to attempt to use metric. At the end of the day it's about team communication and provided all was clear about the depth and gas calcs then all should be fine.

That said .. Metric is a lot easier

 

[Kevrumbo]

Just have consistency in the choice of units that the Unified Team uses.
Good Discussion over here:
http://www.direxplorers.com/general...c-imperial.html?highlight=Metric+vs.+Imperial

 

[Vie]

That said .. Metric is a lot easier

Amen!

 

[Packhorse]

Why would anyone choose to use imperial when there is metric?

 

[karstdvr]

Why would anyone choose to use imperial when there is metric?

Why would anybody drive on the left side of the road

 

[dbulmer]

Because they can

 

[grazie42]

Originally Posted by Kevrumbo:
Just have consistency in the choice of units that the Unified Team uses.
Good Discussion over here:
http://www.direxplorers.com/general-...c+vs.+Imperial

I read thru the thread and was a bit surprised by the responses, particularly from instructors...coming up with and teaching a system that is about "diving exellence" and then looking at one part of diveplanning and just going: "aww, that´s a bit difficult, our students might not like that, let´s do it the easy way" seems pretty strange.

Having actually tried diving imperial (I´m metric) I´d say it´s far from ideal.
When diving in a system you aren´t familiar with, you lose that "common sense check"...I think that check is really important, specially in diving, more so in technical diving...

When I dove "imperial" I either had to just trust the numbers, or spend time doing the math in my head, neither is ideal. "60ft" for example means nothing to me...until I convert it to metric...The calculations you have to do by hand during tec courses (ie tmx), I just couldn´t do in imperial because I had no intuitive feel for what the answer meant and never got that "there´s something wrong here" feeling (when there was)...

 

[Walter]

When diving in a system you aren´t familiar with, you lose that "common sense check"...I think that check is really important, specially in diving,

Which is exactly why there are people in both systems who shouldn't change. I have to convert to Imperial to get that "feel."