Value of the DIR approach

[TxHockeyGuy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TSandM
I've had the very strange and stressful experience of diving with someone who was having serious buoyancy problems, and when I tried to help him, his inflator was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Instead of buttons, it had colored plastic plates you pressed to active the inflate and deflate. I had no IDEA which was which. This was a case where wide variance definitely impeded the safety and pleasure of our dive.


Was it the "HE" who had the problem???

Maybe the moral to that story is experience with a variety of equipment configurations is an advantage not a disadvantage. The more experience one has in handling a wide variety of situations makes one more confident and more capable of dealing with the unexpected. Hard to argue that huh!!?!

This is EXACTLY what I was taught should be covered during a pre-dive briefing. Granted it wouldn't be necessary in a totally DIR world but I don't dive in that world. I was at a dive shop last week that was showing off a new BC that used a lever on the lower left hand side of the BC that acted as a power inflator/deflator. It had no conventional inflator/deflator at all but instead had that lever which acted as both as well as a manual inflate tube that was stashed inside of a cover. I took the time to look over this equipment and understand how it worked because I may have a buddy that is using it one day or I may encounter another diver under water using such a BCD that might need assistance. That is one major flaw I see with DIR, you may very well well be able to help your team out but what happens if you are ever in a position where you need to help rescue another non DIR diver?

Edit: I just wanted to point out that this was in no way a slam on TSandM. I have a lot of respect for her and I've even had one of her previous posts help me out when I was in a jam underwater.

 

[grazie42]

Originally Posted by TSandM
Oh, I'll admit I wasn't helping much. I had never seen an inflator like his. By the time I tried all the surfaces of it to figure out what they did, we were on the surface anyway. We probably should have gone over it before the dive. Frankly, it's easier if everybody has the same stuff

That´s just a lazy, non-thinking diver attitude, not really DIR is it?

 

[ams511]

This is EXACTLY what I was taught should be covered during a pre-dive briefing. Granted it wouldn't be necessary in a totally DIR world but I don't dive in that world. I was at a dive shop last week that was showing off a new BC that used a lever on the lower left hand side of the BC that acted as a power inflator/deflator. It had no conventional inflator/deflator at all but instead had that lever which acted as both as well as a manual inflate tube that was stashed inside of a cover. I took the time to look over this equipment and understand how it worked because I may have a buddy that is using it one day or I may encounter another diver under water using such a BCD that might need assistance. That is one major flaw I see with DIR, you may very well well be able to help your team out but what happens if you are ever in a position where you need to help rescue another non DIR diver?

I seen a Scubapro model at the Florida Dive show that had that type of inflator. You are right that the pre-dive briefing should cover the specifics of a buddy's gear configuration. The question is how many do it? Also if your buddy is having problems and the water has poor viz it would help to know exactly where his equipment is.

 

[Mike Veitch]

man, i sooo want that type of inflator system!!! i hate the hose!!! always gets in the way, i tuck mine under the shoulder strap.... i certainly don't use it to get air out of the BC so it is useless for me, the left pocket design would be much better

Scubapro stopped making that design.... or are they making it again? that would make me happy....

 

[Xizang]

doesn't the mares hub have that type of inflator as well?

 

[Mike Veitch]

a lot of mares bcds do yes, but... i like scuba pro bcs.... i may have to change down the road....

 

[ZzzKing]

a lot of mares bcds do yes, but... i like scuba pro bcs.... i may have to change down the road....

Shouldn't you be using a backplate/wing?

 

[letterboy]

OHH the HUB now thats an awesome piece of gear :shakehead

 

[Mike Veitch]

Shouldn't you be using a backplate/wing?

but how could you integrate the left pocket inflator?!?!

if they come up with a BPW without the hose...i would think about it... now that would be doin it right!

 

[TSandM]

Grazie, that was after I took Fundies (I think) but before I took Rescue, and I'm not sure I even knew that inflators could come in such wildly different shapes. I learned a good lesson from that dive. I try to be DIR, but I never said I was perfect!