Who do you dive with?

[d33ps1x]

Will I ever see one of you diving, short of taking the DIR-F course? Something I read gave me the idea that perhaps the GUE people dive only with other GUE people. Is that true?

Just wondering I'd really love to get to know some of you, and see you in action, other than on a video!

For the most part I will only dive with my dive team which consists of two other people. These two people have spent many many hours in the water with me in both training and fun situations.

I will make the friends and family exception on a nice shallow shore toodle around but that's it really. Even then I am a little picky.

I recently implemented this policy but it certainly isn't a George Irvine Rule #1 thing. It's just that I really don't enjoy stressful dives and I prefer and appreciate an attentive buddy who's very movements can tell me something. Getting to know another diver like this doesn't happen in a couple of dives and I don't wish to spend the time getting to that level with anyone else. There just is NO middle ground.

I have been on dives with people who are those be there one minute and gone the next types, or the pretty much hanging off my manifold and violently ok'ing every 15 second types, then there is the plan the dive and forget the plan types, or the I don't care about your ratio curve on the ascent so I'll see you at 15 feet for 3 minutes and I'm off to race to there type, or the swim above and behind you while you are wearing doubles so you REALLY can't find me type, or...

You get the picture. So yah. Nothing personal. I just don't like sketchy diving. I do it to relax in fluid suspension. My buddies are available 3-4 days a week to dive and that's fine with me.

 

[garyfotodiver]

As you should, if you are not familiar with either the diver or the configuration.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

So apparently Bob, I have learned a DIR technique totally independent of the DIR regimen.

Actually, I learned this concept in my OW class, circa 1970. I learned many other things that are not taught in comtemporary general classes. Things like respect for another diver, an understanding that there is more than one way to skin a cat(fish), and so on.

There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.

 

[Snowbear]

For the most part I will only dive with my dive team which consists of two other people.

From what I experienced, there are a few excellent divers in your area who would be the team members you are looking for even if you've never met or dove with them before

I bought a couple of tanks from a guy in the Seattle area. We met at a popular local dive site (Alki) to complete the transaction and planned to do a night dive. I had never even met this person before, but, of course, we exchanged training and experience levels. We did ~ 110' and ~ 60 min run time. Communication was understood by both, we never "lost" each other, we swam side-by-side, descended and ascended together and knew each other's gear configuration without even looking. That's the neat thing about someone who has done the GUE training and followed through with practicing it.

That's not to say I won't dive with non-GUE trained divers. I do and I enjoy it. Usually. I'm just more cautious and have to be more watchful. I don't mind. Hopefully every once in a while someone will ask questions and decide there's something worth pursuing...

 

[Rick Inman]

I'm not DIR.
Every DIR diver I've ever dived with was safe, polite and competent - and better divers than me. And I have learned something from every dive. DIR divers in our area (PNW) WILL dive with you, and you will be a better diver for it. I believe that some divers won't ask to dive with DIRs because of the intimidation they get from the internet.
Too bad.

 

[d33ps1x]

From what I experienced, there are a few excellent divers in your area who would be the team members you are looking for even if you've never met or dove with them before ...

Of course there is a list of divers in the area that I would do a dive with if I had the time. There is also a list of of divers that I wouldn't dive with either ever or ever again depending.

Having a GUE cert card is not the determining factor for me.

I really am quite content with my peer group both skillwise and socially. I enjoy myself and see no reason to fix anything since there is nothing broken and we all greatly enjoy constantly upgrading and perfecting our skillsets while still having fun and diving within or to, but not beyond, the limits imposed on us by our skill and training.

I am not afraid to grow and learn and nor am I afraid to mentor. What I am not willing to do is drive 600K round trip, spend $85 in fuel, a few hundred in food, $120 in motel rooms, $120 in fills, and $120 in charters to potentially have a crappy time with someone I don't know from Adam.

Simple as that. It shouldn't be percieved as cockiness, arrogance or anything else. It is my right to dive with whom I wish. I don't owe the world nor any random charter boat walk on anything.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

So apparently Bob, I have learned a DIR technique totally independent of the DIR regimen.

Nope ... as you noted, this isn't a DIR thing. I believe I already said so ... it's a prudence thing.

Something Brando kept saying in our Fundamentals class that is important to understand ... "we didn't invent this stuff, we just put it together in a way that makes sense and teach it".

And another thing for you to remember ... I'm not here to promote DIR ... rather to understand it. I am not DIR. Probably never will be. But I am interested in learning as much from that system as I possibly can.

YMMV ... and there ain't nothing wrong with that either ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[garyfotodiver]

YMMV ... and there ain't nothing wrong with that either ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

YMMV? You Make Me V????...I work for a company that insists on using its own set of acronyms and they are just as unintelligible.

I also have written that I learn from anyone who has something to teach. My issue is with a perception of an "all or nothing" attitude as expressed by some devotees of the DI concept. Reminds me of Moonies or Jonestown.

Please, no flames about cults.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

YMMV = your mileage may vary ...

The "all or nothing" attitude is for the purists. In real life, I don't know any of those ... they all seem to hang out on the Internet.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Snowbear]

...My issue is with a perception of an "all or nothing" attitude as expressed by some devotees of the DI concept. Reminds me of Moonies or Jonestown.

Please, no flames about cults.

You may want to look in the mirror....

Yes, there are a few GUE devotees who have made a lifestyle out of their training. The rest of us try to keep it real. I'm not one to condemn folks for diving as they were trained and in the equipment they are comfortable with. If they ask about my configuration and diving style, I'm happy to share where I learned it. If they don't ask, I don't say anything. If they do blatently unsafe things, like try to leave their buddy (me), I will ask them, "what's up with that?" when we surface. It usually gets their attention and they try to do better next time, but if they insist on being truly unsafe and jeapordize my safety, I will find reasons not to dive with them any more. Meanwhile, as long as I'm not spending $$ for a boat charter, I'll dive with most anyone who wants a buddy.

L2GD - next time I'm in the Puget Sound area, I'll let you know and if you can make it over there, I'll be glad to dive with you

 

[boomx5]

There is nothing wrong with a GUE trained diver, diving with a non-GUE trained diver just as long as they are safe. I have friends that I'm happy to dive with that have never taken a GUE class and probably never will. So many people get so hung up on this "are you DIR" thing; which is really too bad IMHO.

Now, if I was ever planning to do a dive in the "technical" realm, most certainly I would want someone that adhered to the same style and principals of diving that I adhere to since the stakes are so much higher.