Video of Sunday GUE/Adventure Dive

[ucfdiver]

Lots of folks in that crew I'd love to hook up with ...

Most were guys...or married...anything you want to share with us, Bob? :shocked2:

 

[LiteHedded]

Henrik,

I agree with you. Participants in all sports experience the same. You really wish you hadn't dropped the pass in the end zone. You wish you didn't contact the ceiling in the cave. But, while we know that athletes, including top athletes, in all sports can be critical of themselves, DIR divers seem to have carved themselves a reputation as "Nancy Kerrigans" rather than "Wayne Gretzkys."

Within the organization "looking good" and being praised for it has become a major aspect of the activity. Like hockey players we need skills to perform our sport, but like hockey players, divers use their skills to achieve a goal. Is a hockey player more concerned with how he looked scoring the goal, or the fact that he scored the goal? A figure skater is more concerned with looking good because the goal of figure skating is to make the skills look good in competition.

When you are lucky enough to get in the water with divers like Dan Volker and Bill Mee, it's an excellent opportunity to observe and you'll find they aren't always perfect and they won't beat themselves up for it. Because they know what is important and when it's time to really fix something.

Underwater, when you "drop the ball" shake it off like a pro quarterback and continue on and don't beat yourself up for it. You look back in a cave, see some silt, adjust and let it go.

or just don't kick the **** out of the cave ;P

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Most were guys...or married...anything you want to share with us, Bob? :shocked2:

Just diving ... I'd like to dive with you someday too ... :cool2:

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Jax]

Thanks, Dan! That was fun to watch and relive. I loved the thick school of baitfish at the bow of the wreck, with the grouper -- even though we were in the next group, we saw them, too.

I did have to laugh at some of the video, though. My conclusion, at the end of three days, was that normal people go down and video fish; DIR divers video one another

Great video, Dan!!!

 

[Fionab]

Nice video, what was the structure where the sharks were being filmed. Is that a local dive site or one you have to travel to ?

 

[gitterdun]

Looks like you guys had a fun day of diving! Great stuff!

 

[ucfdiver]

Nice video, what was the structure where the sharks were being filmed. Is that a local dive site or one you have to travel to ?

Area 51 off Jupiter.

 

[HenrikBP]

Henrik,

I agree with you. Participants in all sports experience the same. <snip>

Within the organization "looking good" and being praised for it has become a major aspect of the activity. Like hockey players we need skills to perform our sport, but like hockey players, divers use their skills to achieve a goal. <snip>

Underwater, when you "drop the ball" shake it off like a pro quarterback and continue on and don't beat yourself up for it. You look back in a cave, see some silt, adjust and let it go.

Trace; It seems like we're on the same page, but I get the feeling that you and others think that the focus and object of pride and self-worth within GUE/DIR has become "demonstration level" trim and propulsion, rather than have those skills be the tools to execute a dive well.

While that to an extent may be true for us new Fundies grads (we'll get over it once those skills are cemented - I promise ), I certainly don't think that it is something the organization promotes - on the contrary. Bob has always emphasized that those skills are just tools. Tools that we need to be proficient at, but just tools none the less. The main focus of what I've been taught is the Team.

For instance, our debrief that first day of the trip was about Team positioning and communication on descent and ascent - not about trim during the dive.

My "quip" with my own performance Sunday was crappy buoyancy control during ascents, which was fortunately mitigated by my solid Team mates, which is where I think the core of the GUE/DIR style of diving lies: Teamwork.

My buoyancy performance on ascent however, did in no way detract from the absolutely ecstatic feeling from 3 outstanding dives.

Henrik

 

[Peter Guy]

I really have to laugh at the commentary because, as a wannabe photographer, I'm looking at the video and critiquing it! We all have our issues.

I'm very glad I had the opportunity to be part of this. The diving was very nice (honestly, the reefs are so much better than Hawaii or Mexico!), people were great, weather was wonderful -- couldn't have gotten much better (oh wait, I did miss the "best dive" when I loaned my drysuit to a diver who was having issues with hers!).

 

[Rubis]

(oh wait, I did miss the "best dive" when I loaned my drysuit to a diver who was having issues with hers!).

Now you have to come back