Value of the DIR approach

[mdb]

I guess the bottom line would be that practice as a team can narrow the range of responses when the SHTF, and lessen the chance of someone going "primal" and absolutely panicking . . . that to me is a good thing.

dsteding; I agree.

 

[matt_unique]

chickdiver: This sounds all nice however the "expected response" can/will be much different when a real emergency happens. X does not equal Y in the real world. The person who is so cool durning "drills" turns to jello, the person who seemed a bit inept steps up.

Right on....practice gives us a better chance at doing the right thing but only experience with real emergencies will truly render reliable responses. You see this all the time with many things.

I can admit an example of this happening to me while flying airplanes. When your engine quits/runs rough/etc. it is hammered into you to add carb heat, switch tanks, mixture full rich, achieve best glide speed, etc., etc. A few months after I acquired my Private Pilot license I had an engine run really rough during take-off. I was too high to land on the runway I had just taken off from and my only option was to swing around with limited altitude and land on the cross-wind runway. I was at about 150' when my engine started to quit. I was so focused on yoke, rudder, and flaps I did not remember to throw on the carb heat. ***?!?!? I had practiced it over and over again but when the SHTF I had a brain cramp. I was pissed, embarassed, etc. but I tell you what I learned more in that 2 minute flight than I did in several hours of instruction. That same day I went up with an instructor in the same plane and told him to try to make me crash during take-off.

--Matt

 

[gangrel441]

Given the first line of the post:
" First off, if you don't think there is any, please don't post here!"

it would seem to me that any responses disagreeing with the DIR approach are not wanted. That smacks of the DIR forum.

 

[chickdiver]

dsteding; I agree.

That's the point I was trying to get at. Along with the idea that continual "practice" isn't good enough. You have t get out and actually dive, in variable conditions. If you only ever "practice" in carefully controlled conditions then the likelyhood of a real probelm escalating when faced with real, unpredictable conditons, escalates as well.

I was by no means saying that the GUE appraoch is the Holy Grail. The premise is sound, and beneficial to most. It isn't the only way to reach the end result, but it is a good one.

 

[dsteding]

That's the point I was trying to get at. Along with the idea that continual "practice" isn't good enough. You have t get out and actually dive, in variable conditions. If you only ever "practice" in carefully controlled conditions then the likelyhood of a real probelm escalating when faced with real, unpredictable conditons, escalates as well.

I was by no means saying that the GUE appraoch is the Holy Grail. The premise is sound, and beneficial to most. It isn't the only way to reach the end result, but it is a good one.

As a newbie, I'll agree you can get fixated on "practicing." One of the best pieces of advice I've recieved recently was to just get out and dive. I do that a couple times a week, not as much as I'd like, but apparently I have to "work" to be able to buy things like new sets of doubles. And we know how much I love tanks . . .

 

[chickdiver]

As a newbie, I'll agree you can get fixated on "practicing." One of the best pieces of advice I've recieved recently was to just get out and dive. I do that a couple times a week, not as much as I'd like, but apparently I have to "work" to be able to buy things like new sets of doubles. And we know how much I love tanks . . .

LOL, that "work" thing gets in the way for most of us .

Here's another piece of (unsolicited) advice: HAVE FUN. Too many new Fundies grads take everything sooo seriously (OK, some old ones too ). Remember that you started diving cause it was fun, don't let it become this super serious undertaking that sucks all the fun out!

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

First off I apologize if I'm reposting something that has already been here. I didn't read through all 400+ posts. OK, here's a new divers take on DIR.

I keep hearing how dive gear is the smallest part of the DIR philosophy. I keep hearing that standardization of responses and procedures is the real key to DIR. Here's my problem with this. How do you possibly standardize procedures or responses with different types of equipment? Almost everything we do underwater involves equipment and the procedures will change depending upon what kind of equipment we have so I see equipment being standardized as a HUGE part of being DIR. Maybe I'm missing something but all of the aspects of repetitive training, good dive skills, alternative kicks, gas management, good buddy awareness, agreed upon communications for a dive, agreed upon procedures, and knowledge of your buddies gear are not specific to DIR. I was taught to do all of this at least in some form from dive 1 during OW training (OK, frog kick was covered on dive 2). I think any system that teaches the above is a good diving system. As DIR teaches all of the above I consider it to be a good diving system, I just don't think I need to have the exact same gear as my buddies and use the exact same communications and procedures with every buddy I dive with in order to be safe.

 

[dsteding]

Remember that you started diving cause it was fun, don't let it become this super serious undertaking that sucks all the fun out!

That is a terrific piece of advice. One of the great part of Bob's (Grateful Diver's) teachings is precisely that . . . and the DIR types I've connected with never lose sight of having a good time. There really are no goose-stepping borgs in our camp, despite what some of the people on this board may think.

Although, I must admit, shooting a bag is fun. Especially for my friends, because they then get to give me a hard time about my underwater macrame skills . . . even a crisp, clean s-drill is fun . . . there is a certain sense of accomplishment in terms of developing skills that gives me great satisfaction. The good news is, I don't think I'll ever run out of things to learn.

 

[JeffG]

even a crisp, clean s-drill is fun . . .

You need to get out more.

 

[dsteding]

You need to get out more.

Also a good piece of unsolicited advice