Suggest you pick up their book "Doing It Right, The Fundamentals of Better Diving". It will answer many if not most questions on the subject.
The real issue is that "DIR" has been developed as a standardized system which is consistent and relies on true buddy teams. The problem in trying to compare is that there is no other standardized system. GUE's approach is "We have evaluated every approach to diving out there and in our opinion, backed by extensive (and quite impressive) experience and safety record, this is the best way to dive. As a result, in any given emergent situation, one DIR trained diver can rely on a given response from his/her buddy.
Everyone else teaches, you can do this, you can do that, you can do the other, we've given you the alternatives, you chose what you prefer. The end result being the indiviudal in the worst possible postion to decide on how to dive (the student who is coming for advice) is forced to decide. Based on how the student decides, the response to a situation will vary.
Example - OOA
DIR divers donates the reg in the mouth which is on the long hose (7' for overhead, 7 or 5' for OW). The donating diver frees the extra hose length from under the canister or out of the waist band, checks gas level shows to the OOA diver and decides on escape route, grasps OOA diver by elbow and proceeds along route, each diver maintaining his/her own bouyancy. I know that any DIR trained diver will respond in this fashion.
Non-Dir - May donate from mouth, may donate stuffed hose may donate from a reg retainer, may donate from a BC pocket, may donate a "real" 2nd stage, may donate one of those flat regs, may donate something hooked to a Y adaptor on a BC hose, may donate that $39.95 thing that looks like a BC oral inflator, may expect you to get it yourself, then may face you and hold on with one hand, both hands, expect you to maintain your own bouyancy, expect to control it himself and drag you to surface.
As others have pointed out double 104's with stage bottles, scooters and such is not the DIR rig for 40 fsw reef dives in the Keays. I have both double and singles set ups, both are DIR rigged for the dives for which they are used.
Dave D
The real issue is that "DIR" has been developed as a standardized system which is consistent and relies on true buddy teams. The problem in trying to compare is that there is no other standardized system. GUE's approach is "We have evaluated every approach to diving out there and in our opinion, backed by extensive (and quite impressive) experience and safety record, this is the best way to dive. As a result, in any given emergent situation, one DIR trained diver can rely on a given response from his/her buddy.
Everyone else teaches, you can do this, you can do that, you can do the other, we've given you the alternatives, you chose what you prefer. The end result being the indiviudal in the worst possible postion to decide on how to dive (the student who is coming for advice) is forced to decide. Based on how the student decides, the response to a situation will vary.
Example - OOA
DIR divers donates the reg in the mouth which is on the long hose (7' for overhead, 7 or 5' for OW). The donating diver frees the extra hose length from under the canister or out of the waist band, checks gas level shows to the OOA diver and decides on escape route, grasps OOA diver by elbow and proceeds along route, each diver maintaining his/her own bouyancy. I know that any DIR trained diver will respond in this fashion.
Non-Dir - May donate from mouth, may donate stuffed hose may donate from a reg retainer, may donate from a BC pocket, may donate a "real" 2nd stage, may donate one of those flat regs, may donate something hooked to a Y adaptor on a BC hose, may donate that $39.95 thing that looks like a BC oral inflator, may expect you to get it yourself, then may face you and hold on with one hand, both hands, expect you to maintain your own bouyancy, expect to control it himself and drag you to surface.
As others have pointed out double 104's with stage bottles, scooters and such is not the DIR rig for 40 fsw reef dives in the Keays. I have both double and singles set ups, both are DIR rigged for the dives for which they are used.
Dave D
