What makes a DIR buddy?

[Snowbear]

Nope. Just means you've been taught which steps you need to practice more

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

You'd all have to learn the Pugdango first!

BYO magnifying glass ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Derek S]

About two months ago my wife and I were diving in the Caymans. There was a newer DIR-F guy diving on the boat who we invited to do a second dive with us. A second dive in the Caymans for us involves swimming out from the shallow moring ball to the wall, diving the wall, and then swimming the shallow reef on the way back. I was leading the dive with my wife in the third position. First team concept, weaker diver is in the middle to "protect" them. About 25 minutes into the dive, I led us up a channel in the reef so we could start working our way back in the shallows. It turns out it started pinching down. My wife got in touch contact with the newer diver and had him hold. I rushed ahead to see if we could get out. The minute she could see my light start coming back towards them without an okay signal, she turned around the other diver and we headed back out onto the wall. As we ascended on the wall, my wife, swam ahead of me on a diagonal straight to the boat. This was so she could take the lead navigating and I could get next to the newer dive who, due to us getting held up on the deep portion could potentially run low on air before we got back to the boat. Since I have the lowest gas consumption, it was best for me to deal with that. The dive finished without a hitch and all of this happened without a single piece of active communication between the experienced teammates (other than me catching crap for picking the wrong swimthrough).

And that was on a recreational dive....To those that have nothing but bad things to say about GUE or DIR, this exemplifies what we should be striving for. Thanks for helping to yet again, set my internal bar to reach for.

 

[mnj1233]

It's not because there is no attempts being made, it's because it's not really a concept that can be listed out in a checklist. The trouble is that there is a basic concept that is hard to explain and even more difficult to get.



See, this is the trouble. It's not a group of individuals, it is a team. As Pug said, it's not about doing, it's about being. It's about being aware of where each member of the team is at any given time of the dive. It's about communicating anything and everything to the other members of the team. It's about being aware, on a subconcious level, of everything you do and how it effects the team. It's about making sure everything you do in the dive is communicated in some way or another to the other members of the team, as well as not doing anything that jepardizes the group as a whole. It's about functioning as one cohesive unit, as opposed to a group of individuals doing something together.

Maybe a few examples are in order, but it still doesn't really get the picture as it's all fairly obvious when you actually grasp the concept. Say your buddy is behind you and stops to look at something. How do you know that they stopped? What do you do when they have stopped? Most likely they would have signalled you to let you know they were stopping. You will know they stopped either actively, because they told you, or passively, because they stopped passive communication [they moved their light beam from your field of view]. Since they are no longer in passive communication with you, it is now your responsibility to establish passive communication with them [since they are looking at something else].

Once you understand the concept of maintaining constant team integrity, things will just start to flow together. Until that concept is understood, the discussion really is fruitless.

Is that like "It takes a villiage"..............????????

 

[Dan Gibson]

No, because too often the village is full of idiots

Is that like "It takes a villiage"..............????????

 

[jeckyll]

I'll have failed to pass Fundies by then . . . does that mean I get left out of the line dance?

Maybe you and I can observe then

Quite seriously though, if a group of people do come to Vancouver, perhaps we could meet for dinner. If there is interested I'll even co-ordinate it, create maps etc.

Bjorn

P.S.: Sorry for the hijack.

 

[Lightning Fish]

I really have to get to Canada to see people. I'll probably be in Vancouver in the not too distant future.
R..

When? Critical information still required here.

Bill.

 

[cbfin]

I am a recent Fundies grad so I think I'm in a pretty good position to respond as I had similar questions not too long ago.

I used to really dislike the whole "kool-aid" analogy. You know what...it truly all about the Kool-aid. What I mean is that your perspective changes. In my evolvement of diving, I began doing more complicated diving, to deeper depths requiring larger volumes of gas, more equipment, and planned decompression. My thought process in the evolution of technical diving is that I need to become self-sufficient because I cannot always count on my buddy. What GUE teaches you is that you can't do everything yourself so you MUST be able to rely on your buddy. Once you understand this, your thought process changes. You begin thinking "what can I do to make sure my buddy is always there for me and what can I do to ensure I'm always there for my buddy." By being "there," I mean way more than just physically. I mean in skill, experience, equipment, and mentality.

The reason many people have so emphatically stressed that it is a team rather than a dive buddy is that they thought that was helping to answer your question. A "team" has a common defined goal which all members are working to accomplish. They discuss the objective, the requirements, the responsibilities and contingencies if things do not go as expected.

Bob Sherwood said something to his Rec Triox class in a parking lot discussion that really stuck in my head. He said that GUE trained divers are constantly mentoring. Fundies grads help upcoming students, Tech1/Cave1 help Fundies grads, Tech2/Cave2 help Tech 1 grads. And although some will quickly say that's to sell more class space, that not the case. It's because you want to ensure that everyone in your team is completely up to the task. You want to ensure they will be "there" when you need them. On the flip side, you are driven to ensure that you are not the weakest link and that you have the skills, mentality, and preparation to be "there" for the rest of the team.

The videos you hear about in the classes are a love/hate relationship. You always hear about the how humiliating they are but I bet nearly every student is glad they watched them because it helped them become a better diver. It shows you what you need to work on to get to the level that you wish to be (whatever level that is.) The really cool thing is that this continues on regular dives. You are encouraged to point out the little things your teammates need to improve on that they may not be aware of. There is no malice because you want to ensure you are up to snuff just as much as they do.

I could ramble on with the many examples running through my head but I hope that helps.

 

[Rick Inman]

I am a recent Fundies grad so I think I'm in a pretty good position to respond as I had similar questions not too long ago.

I used to really dislike the whole "kool-aid" analogy. You know what...it truly all about the Kool-aid. What I mean is that your perspective changes. In my evolvement of diving, I began doing more complicated diving, to deeper depths requiring larger volumes of gas, more equipment, and planned decompression. My thought process in the evolution of technical diving is that I need to become self-sufficient because I cannot always count on my buddy. What GUE teaches you is that you can't do everything yourself so you MUST be able to rely on your buddy. Once you understand this, your thought process changes. You begin thinking "what can I do to make sure my buddy is always there for me and what can I do to ensure I'm always there for my buddy." By being "there," I mean way more than just physically. I mean in skill, experience, equipment, and mentality.

The reason many people have so emphatically stressed that it is a team rather than a dive buddy is that they thought that was helping to answer your question. A "team" has a common defined goal which all members are working to accomplish. They discuss the objective, the requirements, the responsibilities and contingencies if things do not go as expected.

Bob Sherwood said something to his Rec Triox class in a parking lot discussion that really stuck in my head. He said that GUE trained divers are constantly mentoring. Fundies grads help upcoming students, Tech1/Cave1 help Fundies grads, Tech2/Cave2 help Tech 1 grads. And although some will quickly say that's to sell more class space, that not the case. It's because you want to ensure that everyone in your team is completely up to the task. You want to ensure they will be "there" when you need them. On the flip side, you are driven to ensure that you are not the weakest link and that you have the skills, mentality, and preparation to be "there" for the rest of the team.

The videos you hear about in the classes are a love/hate relationship. You always hear about the how humiliating they are but I bet nearly every student is glad they watched them because it helped them become a better diver. It shows you what you need to work on to get to the level that you wish to be (whatever level that is.) The really cool thing is that this continues on regular dives. You are encouraged to point out the little things your teammates need to improve on that they may not be aware of. There is no malice because you want to ensure you are up to snuff just as much as they do.

I could ramble on with the many examples running through my head but I hope that helps.

I think you broke NWGratefulDiver's Rule.

 

[VTernovski]

You begin thinking "what can I do to make sure my buddy is always there for me and what can I do to ensure I'm always there for my buddy." By being "there," I mean way more than just physically. I mean in skill, experience, equipment, and mentality.

exactly.. couldn't have said it better... I often ask about my buddy's gear... and go through his checks as close as I do with mine simply because his gear is not just his, it's also mine when I need it underwater - regulator, backup mask, etc...

ohhhhhhh the fun we had with the backup masks in my triox... lol :11: