What does DIR mean?

[rjack321]

That's a skill issue, not a gear issue.

Not any more or less simply than learning to take your fins off in the surf zone, or ladder or where ever.

 

[Dtaine]

I've found this discussion rather interesting.

I'm a relatively inexperienced diver, but I've found myself in a bunch of different environments from quarry diving in Pennsylvania, to reef diving off the Florida Keys, to diving at an archeological site as part of scientific diving training. I've also spent a lot of time talking to DIR divers, both on the internet and in person.

I would not, at this point, call myself a DIR diver, even though my scientific diving instructor is Rick Gomez, who is also a GUE instructor. Sure I've been trained in non-silting fin techniques, and I've been taught the Basic 5 & proper s-drills, but I wouldn't consider myself DIR for a number of reasons.

Firstly, I dive with instabuddies, a lot, and while I've been diving more and more with competent and reliable buddies it's still not the norm. Secondly, when I'm doing these dives I like to take along my 40cf tank; sure it's mainly just for practice handling the tank but on the instabuddy dives it also serves as a pony, which is definitely not-DIR. I can definitely say I've previously lobbed a grenade into the DIR forum on that issue.

I'll say that the GUE instructors I've talked to have all been great people, and that I've only encountered one person who really bashed the training organizations and equipment manufacturers that weren't GUE or Halcyon. Everyone I've talked to who has gone the DIR route has an interesting story to tell about why and how their diving went in that direction.

The stigmas that seem to reflect upon the DIR crowd are easily perpetuated on the internet where emotionless text easily offends and angers. The best way to learn about DIR is to talk to the divers who embody that philosophy. Diving with them and engaging in discussion is the greatest way to really figure out if DIR is a philosophy that fits with your diving or not. I certainly hope the OP has gotten more from this thread than the arguments over who is a stroke or not.

The DIR approach to diving is holistic, you can't pick or choose the procedures you'll follow if you want to call yourself a DIR diver. The details such as certain matters of hose routing, types of backup lights used, etc, will evolve over time but the system itself, and the approach to diving remains very much the same. GUE and UTD may be moving away from the term "DIR" because of the fire it evokes in people, but what matters isn't what the system is called, but the substance and the meaning behind the procedures and policies. For those who want to learn about DIR, go to the source, talk to the DIR divers, talk to the instructors, visit Global Underwater Explorers | Global Underwater Explorers or Unified Team Diving and spend some time researching the organizations. DIR might not be a philosophy you agree with, but at least do the research so you can make an informed decision to either go the DIR route or choose another path.

Dive Safe & Dive Fun,

Dave

 

[Teamcasa]

OH...and I suppose my Force Fins dont quite work in the DIR world??

Probably not, unless you've figured out a way to avoid the downward finwash at silty sites.

That's a skill issue, not a gear issue.

Not any more or less simply than learning to take your fins off in the surf zone, or ladder or where ever.

I have also learned to type but that does not mean that the only way to create a document is by using an old typewriter.


So, to clarify my point, diving safely is not gear dependant. Sure, better, more reliable gear makes diving safer but it still comes down to the choices a diver makes and their ability to handle any issue that may arise with skill and confidence. My choice in gear is based on my needs and desires, just as yours is.

I respect and hold in high regard those highly skilled, well trained divers that chose to push the envelope by exploring and photographing those deep and dangerous places I won't dive. Their efforts continue to push our sport's manufacturer's to produce better gear for the rest of us to enjoy.

What I don't care much for are comments that ridicule other divers choices in gear. Do you think recreational divers coined the term poodle jacket, suicide clip, stroke, christmas tree or other phrases to describe something non-DIR approved?

 

[JeffG]

What I don't care much for are comments that ridicule other divers choices in gear. Do you think recreational divers coined the term poodle jacket, suicide clip, stroke, christmas tree or other phrases to describe something non-DIR approved?

I would hazard a guess that most of those terms predate DIR. (except stroke)

I believe the suicide clip was an East Coast expression...not a DIR one.

 

[BDSC]

I believe the suicide clip was an East Coast expression...not a DIR one.

I think the term "suicide clip" was first used in mountain climbing and not scuba diving. At least that's what I've been told by mountain climbers.

 

[Teamcasa]

I would hazard a guess that most of those terms predate DIR. (except stroke)

I believe the suicide clip was an East Coast expression...not a DIR one.

Somehow, I think you can come up with a few on your own.

 

[Diver0001]

What I don't care much for are comments that ridicule other divers choices in gear. Do you think recreational divers coined the term poodle jacket, suicide clip, stroke, christmas tree or other phrases to describe something non-DIR approved?

I'm 100% certain the term "christmas tree" pre-dates DIR. "Stroke" is the DIR term for anyone who disagrees with the paradigm and dates back to about 1992 IIRC. "Suicide clip" is probably not DIR but was used extensively in the DIR-vs.-the-world war in the mid '90s, as was poodle jacket. The origins of that term are also lost but were at least recycled in teh DIR-vs.-the-world war.

Having said that. The debate has evolved. People seem to be acting a lot more rational about it now than they were 10-15 years ago so it would do us all good to bury the hatchet if we can bring ourselves to that. Continuing to act viciously toward one another based on dry blood isn't going to help anything.

R..

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

So, to clarify my point, diving safely is not gear dependant. Sure, better, more reliable gear makes diving safer but it still comes down to the choices a diver makes and their ability to handle any issue that may arise with skill and confidence. My choice in gear is based on my needs and desires, just as yours is.

I respect and hold in high regard those highly skilled, well trained divers that chose to push the envelope by exploring and photographing those deep and dangerous places I won't dive. Their efforts continue to push our sport's manufacturer's to produce better gear for the rest of us to enjoy.

What I don't care much for are comments that ridicule other divers choices in gear. Do you think recreational divers coined the term poodle jacket, suicide clip, stroke, christmas tree or other phrases to describe something non-DIR approved?

I don't buy it.

First off, as has been pointed out ... all those terms except "stroke" existed long before DIR ever did. And you and I have both been around dive shops enough to know that the knack for colorful terminology toward people who "aren't like us" isn't restricted to DIR divers.

You are pretty free with generalizations ... and making less than complimentary statements about people you don't agree with (DIR divers, for instance) ... and hiding it behind statements like "I have great respect for" ... when it's obvious that you don't.

So why get upset when someone else tells you that those fancy expensive fins of yours are ... in their opinion ... silly? They're just as entitled to state their opinion as you are ... and that's all it amounts to is opinion.

Chill ... it's your money and freedom to buy and use any gear that pleases you. Why should it matter what anyone else thinks of it? Put down the axe. It ain't worth grinding.

I think the term "suicide clip" was first used in mountain climbing and not scuba diving. At least that's what I've been told by mountain climbers.

Yes ... and for pretty much the same reason. Put a load on that thing and try to release it ... ain't gonna happen.

"Stroke" is the DIR term for anyone who disagrees with the paradigm and dates back to about 1992 IIRC.

Actually not ... it's a term for an unsafe diver, as described by GI3 in this infamous monologue from 2002 ...

What is a Stroke? by George Irvine

Very simply put, a "stroke" is somebody you don't want to dive with. It is somebody who will cause you problems, or not be any use to you if you have problems. Usually, this is a reflection of the attitude of a stroke, but that can be inherent in the personality of the individual, or others can teach it.

For instance, if somebody is taught that diving is an "every man for himself" sport, that you "can't help somebody deep," that "my gas is my gas," or "know when to leave your buddy," then that is somebody you do not want to be in the water with. Some people are natural strokes, but all too many are created. Unfortunately, people believe best what they hear first, and given the low-level food chain structure of dive instruction, most strokes are man-made, and are then hard to fix.

Obvious strokes are not so bad - you can see them and you know to avoid them. Frequently they will give it away with their choice of gear and gear configuration. If you see something that is a complete mess, makes no sense, is less than optimal, or is designed to accommodate some phobia while ignoring all else, you are dealing with a stroke. If the stroke is pontificating about how he can "handle" deep air diving, or obsessing about depth, or appears to be trying to compensate for internal fears, this is an obvious stroke and you merely avoid them.

The really insidious strokes are those who pretend to be squared away, but are in this game for all the wrong reasons. Usually they wish to prove something to themselves or others, or to overcome some internal fears. These tend to try to do things that they are not ready to do, and when something goes wrong, they flee for their lives.

Diving is not an intuitive thing. It is not a natural thing. Natural reactions of human beings on dry land do not work underwater. To be a good diver, you have to control your natural responses, and know that they can only hurt you, not help you. A stroke cannot do that. A stroke is driven by fear, ego, bull**** and self-concern.

Nowhere in any of that does he say anything about needing to be DIR.

In point of fact, I've taken on as students several people who were "strokes in training" .. people who hadn't a clue what it meant to be a dive buddy or even a safe diver ... and helped them develop skills that would steer them away from the very mindset George is describing. And I do it without ever once mentioning DIR ... or without ever once telling them they need some different gear than what they're already using.

Strokery has nothing to do with not being DIR ... it has everything to do with an attitude that induces unnecessary risk either to the diver, or to others as a result of that diver's attitude and actions. This could be anything from cluelessness to an excess of testosterone. It's not the method of diving that makes someone a stroke ... it usually boils down to either ignorance or attitude.

Having said that. The debate has evolved. People seem to be acting a lot more rational about it now than they were 10-15 years ago so it would do us all good to bury the hatchet if we can bring ourselves to that. Continuing to act viciously toward one another based on dry blood isn't going to help anything.

I have found that no matter which side of this "debate" you're coming from, those who choose to slam others for being different are doing so more as an expression of their own inadequacies than those of the people they disagree with. It's a complete waste of effort, however entertaining it may be for Internet discussion.

In real life, there is no debate.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Thalassamania]

I would hazard a guess that most of those terms predate DIR. (except stroke)

I believe the suicide clip was an East Coast expression...not a DIR one.

Quite correct on all counts.

 

[JeffG]

Bob...quit making sense.