What does DIR mean?

[JeffG]

But isn't the customer taught by an instructor who may or may not be affiliated with an LDS or manufacturer? Most people don't work for free.

So???

Are you trying to debate that an Instructor will try to say that a Poodle Jacket is DIR because his shop sells them.

He might be able to pull a fast one on some people, but not on all.

 

[tridacna]

Post 101 in less than one day! Yay.

I'm so glad that DIR still causes so much flatulence.

 

[Underwater Ogre]

Amazingly its not particularly influenced by local politics. Vastly moreso by local conditions. For instance 30/30 is a pretty nice gas in high flow FL caves that don't get much deeper than 100ft. Very low WOB while maintaining a -20% EAD among other things. For diving in the ocean tho 30/30 is kinda pointless since its easy to bump up against its MOD. So for ocean dives in many regions 25/25 has been adopted since its easier to mix by topping He with 32% and gives you a little more buffer if you end up on a deeper than expected site (which is very hard to do in an explored cave). Its just a regional adaptation based on conditions and what works slightly better. I don't think any GUE Tech1 divers would scoff at the thought of using 25/25 at Lobos in California and most UTD Tech1 divers would happily adopt 30/30 if they went cave diving at Ginnie.



Its all about the instructor, not the shop, not even the agency.

I am sure you are right with regards to gases. I talking more about equipment and it configuration.

 

[Underwater Ogre]

So???

Are you trying to debate that an Instructor will try to say that a Poodle Jacket is DIR because his shop sells them.

He might be able to pull a fast one on some people, but not on all.

Possibly...maybe not as extreme as that...but a light maybe or a wing?

 

[Gombessa]

If what your saying is true then possibly it could be influenced by LDS, instructors and manufactures to meet there needs?

I don't really see that happening. I think Halcyon is the only manufacturer that even uses "DIR" or "Doing it Right" in their branding, and they've even moved away from it. This is just my opinion but DIR as it stands is almost a collective; one guy coming around and saying "I just invented a great BCD and I'm going to say it's DIR" isn't going to change anyone's minds.

More likely, if DIR remains a cohesive and evolving philosophy, it will be guided by the movements of influential agents, such as WKPP, GUE, UTD, etc. There just won't be any kind of official proclamation.

 

[JeffG]

Possibly...maybe not as extreme as that...but a light maybe or a wing?

The requirements for either of those are very well known, plus there are lots of different brands that fulfill those requirements.

Plus..gear is actually a very minor part of DIR anyways.

 

[Blackwood]

And so if I accomplish those two things, (enjoyment and living to dive again) then I see myself as "Doing it Right".

That's great. The promulgation of the term "Doing It Right" was a both blessing and a curse.

You may be doing it right, but you aren't DIR (any more than I'm speaking japanese when I say "como estas?"). Not that it matters.

 

[Gombessa]

I think looking at lights is actually a very good way to see how DIR may handle equipment change due to new technology (since the HID/LED industries are moving forward at a pretty steady pace).

For backup lights, I think the tried and true DIR standard is for a simple tube-style light with a twist-on head that doesn't activate with pressure, 3 C-cells in series, and a bolt snap attachment at the end. There are various reasons for these requirements, not least of which is reliability (not overdriving the halogen bulbs which were common at the time). Now, you've got LED backup lights which have nearly bulletproof emitters with thousands of hours of useful life, can run for over a day on fewer/smaller batteries, with no overdriving issues. Are these DIR? Eh, hard to say. Even Halcyon makes a 2-cell mini Scout LED, after all.

Some hardcore adherents will still use no less than their dependable 3-cell halogen scouts, photon torpedos and rats. A lot of people now use smaller LED backups, even in caves. I think most of the focus nowadays is on having sturdy construction with a twist-on mechanism and bolt-snap attachment point. The details may slowly change based on what "everone" is doing, but the concept of reliability, standardized deploy/stow procedures, etc. will remain.

That's part of the reason why it doesn't really matter what some shop may say to bamboozle a customer. If you don't know what DIR is, you're not going to seek out a DIR bible to verify the claims, and if you do know DIR, you're not going to rely on a starburst sticker emblazoned with "NOW DIR-COMPLIANT!!" stuck to a blister pack.

 

[PfcAJ]

There seems to be a little blindness going on from both sides of this camp.

There have been a ton of diver deaths that could (maybe) have been prevented if the diver had adopted different diving practices/ skills/ equipment. Take a look here and tell me what you think:

The Deco Stop

Its frustrating to read that account. Clearly, something went wrong. If he had a buddy (just a buddy. Forget the rest of it for a second), could the outcome have been different?

As a GUE diver, I'll dive with anyone. What? Huh? Yeah. Anyone. However, my level of relative DIRness in a buddy goes up as dive complexity increases.

Would I prefer to dive with another GUE guy on a reef? Yeah. Do I really care a whole lot? No. Add some depth, some cave, soem deco, and we better be on the right page, which means same equipment, same procedures, same mindset. I just don't want to risk it. Thats me. We're using equipment and procedures that have been proven to work on some real hauss dives, as well as shallow reefs. Being able to use the same stuff in both environments is pretty handy.

This nonsense of calling people strokes and invoking characters from the '90s (ten years ago...come on) is just ridiculous. If you would like to learn more about DIR/GUE, the WHY'S behind things, then we're all (mostly) happy to help. Hell, I'll personally field questions behind the why's all day long, I don't mind.

 

[rjack321]

I think looking at lights is actually a very good way to see how DIR may handle equipment change due to new technology (since the HID/LED industries are moving forward at a pretty steady pace).

For backup lights, I think the tried and true DIR standard is for a simple tube-style light with a twist-on head that doesn't activate with pressure, 3 C-cells in series, and a bolt snap attachment at the end. There are various reasons for these requirements, not least of which is reliability (not overdriving the halogen bulbs which were common at the time). Now, you've got LED backup lights which have nearly bulletproof emitters with thousands of hours of useful life, can run for over a day on fewer/smaller batteries, with no overdriving issues. Are these DIR? Eh, hard to say. Even Halcyon makes a 2-cell mini Scout LED, after all.

Some hardcore adherents will still use no less than their dependable 3-cell halogen scouts, photon torpedos and rats. A lot of people now use smaller LED backups, even in caves. I think most of the focus nowadays is on having sturdy construction with a twist-on mechanism and bolt-snap attachment point. The details may slowly change based on what "everone" is doing, but the concept of reliability, standardized deploy/stow procedures, etc. will remain.

That's part of the reason why it doesn't really matter what some shop may say to bamboozle a customer. If you don't know what DIR is, you're not going to seek out a DIR bible to verify the claims, and if you do know DIR, you're not going to rely on a starburst sticker emblazoned with "NOW DIR-COMPLIANT!!" stuck to a blister pack.

LED backups is a great example of evolution at work. Even before the big H was selling an LED module I had converted my scouts (I already had a LED photon torpedo). They were quite well received in Cave1. Being driven by 3 C-cells, the Torpedo is nearly as bright as a 10W HID. With only 2 C-cells the miniscout has less of a spot, but its vastly improved over a halogen mini-scout which was widely recognized as a joke.

As far as wings go, pretty much any wing can be converted into something suitable. Nowadays its easy to find something that works great right out of the box tho and from no less than 3 different manufacturers.