Why not DIR ?

[matt_unique]

You will soon discover the number 1 reason to avoid DIR as your only resource for improving diving skills; it's the attitude of many (not all) DIR divers. This attitude is indeed "there is only one way to dive, there is only one acceptable configuration, and you just don't understand DIR if you do not agreed with our methods". Ask any diver who is not DIR and they will likely share this impression.

As divers we should take a good idea from any source. I think it's important to reach your own conclusions about diving at every level. There are advantages and disadvantages to almost every type of gear configuration for example. Religious DIR divers limit their potential skill development in my opinion because they are close minded to ideas that are not DIR.

The most experienced technical divers I know are not DIR. They happen to utilize some techniques that are DIR, and others that are not. They learned these techniques through practical experience from thousands of dives in deep, dark, cold, scary places. The techniques of DIR were not invented by "DIR divers". These techniques are more of a compilation now packaged with a label of DIR and most closely associated with GUE. Incidently, the most common misconception I have come across is DIR=technical. It does not - the majority of DIR divers in my experience are Fundamentals graduates with zero technical experience.

There is so much more to be said about this topic. I think it boils down to practical applications learned from experience and having an open mind. You asked about a BC compared to a BP for example. BC's are just fine for recreational diving. BC's are inadequate for technical diving because of the limited options for carrying the necessary gear. You can't easily, or safely, rig two alum 80 deco bottles, two reels, two lift bags, lights, etc., etc., etc. to a BC. BP/Wings are the same or less money than many BC's. I paid $450 for my Seaquest Balance BC. I paid just about the same for my DR BP/W/SS bands, etc.

--Matt

 

[*Floater*]

The best thing to do, if money is not an issue, would be to take DIR-F from GUE and decide whether it's for you. Personally I took the course and I like the system, but it's not right for everyone.

Reasons to not go DIR/GUE route:

1) You cannot swim or are unfit - GUE requires swim tests beyond just the standard PADi reqs.

2) You prefer to do it cheap - they advocate, for example, using nitrox for rec diving and trimix below 100' so it can get expensive. In other aspects you may save money though. For example, they do not advocate using computers.

3) Flexibility - DIR philosophy advocates not doing it at all if you can't do it right, so it can be less flexible at times than other systems. However, most people who have taken GUE courses are not 100% DIR compliant.

4) Huge emphasis on team - most DIR divers think this is a good thing, but if you prefer to dive solo or do your own thing while paired off then DIR is not for you.

5) Big emphasis on safety - again you may enjoy taking bigger risks.

6) Some controversial recommendations - people fight about a bunch of details...

7) Restrictions imposed to make the system applicable to higher level diving. DIR was originally designed to meet the demands of cave exploration. It's designed to be a holistic system that evolves with you as you get into more advanced diving without you have to replace equipemnt or replace procedures you've been taught. There are reasons why things are done a certain way, even at the rec level, that only really pay off once you introduce more equipment and more advanced techniques. The idea is to keep the system as similar as possible across all forms of diving so you'll always be familiar with it, the correct procedures and ready to deal with problems, but this may not be right for everyone.

8) Very demanding - DIR is demanding because you often deal with certain problems with bettering your skills rather than using an easier solution such as a new piece of equipment. For example, DIR divers don't currently advocate the use of dive computers, so you need to do a little more work in head while diving. It's easier just to follow your VR3. Also, passing DIR courses is not automatic and you may fail or receive a provisional pass.

Okay, these are just my opinion and observations as a DIR newb. I'm sure others macan add to the list. Some of the more advanced DIRsters are welcome to take issue if you think I got something wrong.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Floater... that is a very good post.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Ditto.

 

[onfloat]

Well Said!!

 

[Hank49]

It looks like SB has a moderator in the making. Good post.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

After many hours of researching the topic online I have really bought into this "DIR" philosophy... that is as a technical rope rescue tech following NFPA standards I can truly appreciate having the most simple, strong, fail proof and effective systems possible.

-<snipped out a bunch of stuff.-

I guess the point I am trying to get at is, There seems to be a plethora of sites and articles regarding why to DIR can some one else with tech diving experience provide more reasons why not to DIR to help us newbies get set up with both sides of the story to base our opinions on?

P.S.

How does it make any sense that these "simple & effective" setups stripped of any bells and whistles go for more money than fully equipped models? It doesn't make any sense to me. In fact I even heard it's a marketing ploy to sell more equipment and get people to change their gear.

No disrespect meant and thanks for the time.

No disrespect taken &#8230; there was a time when I thought about things just about the way you have expressed them here. I even had a mentor who feels pretty much the same way about DIR as your experienced friend does. Over time, I came to disagree with him &#8230; although I still very much respect both his views and his willingness to share things as he sees them.

I'm going to give you something else to consider ... why not educate yourself about DIR and take away from it what you consider useful? It is possible to take DIR classes, and not "become" DIR ( I can say there here ... can't I?) ...

DIR, like any other aspect of diving, has its positives and negatives. Just like choosing which piece of gear to purchase, or what training agency works best for your goals, you need to look at all that it has to offer and decide whether or not this approach will work for you. Some will say it works well for everybody &#8230; I don&#8217;t agree. Individual goals, personalities, and learning styles all factor into what approach will work best for you. DIR has a very structured approach to learning, and a very narrow definition of what&#8217;s &#8220;right&#8221; &#8230; that&#8217;s one of the major things that so many find objectionable. To my concern, it&#8217;s not a bad thing if you approach it pragmatically, looking at what you can take away from the program that will benefit your own personal needs.

Initially, the disciplined, structured approach to DIR didn&#8217;t appeal to me &#8230; I&#8217;m something of a &#8220;rebel without a clue&#8221; type &#8230; wanting to do things &#8220;my way&#8221;. And to some extent, even with DIR training, I still do that &#8230; which is why I say I do not consider myself a DIR diver.

But there are some things that I feel DIR training does exceed at &#8230;

- Team diving &#8230; I think diving&#8217;s a social activity, and much prefer diving with a team than going it alone. But if you&#8217;re going to dive with one or more dive buddies, or coordinate activities with other dive teams, it&#8217;s far preferable to be working with people of similar training and mindset (like any team sport). It just makes communication and coordination that much easier, and underwater this proves to be a big stress saver. DIR doesn&#8217;t just teach you how to be a good dive buddy &#8230; it teaches you how to participate and communicate with your dive buddies as part of an integrated unit. Once you learn to dive this way, and get used to diving with similarly-trained dive buddies, &#8220;normal&#8221; buddy diving just feels like walking in a pair of shoes that don&#8217;t quite fit right. You can do it, but it&#8217;s not as comfortable as what you&#8217;ve experienced with the other guys.
- Dive planning &#8230; at a conceptual level, DIR isn&#8217;t that much different in this aspect to some other agencies. The difference is in the details, and in the fact that while the other agencies will tell you in general terms about dive planning, DIR offers a specific methodology. That makes a lot of sense to me &#8230; especially in terms of gas management, which most agencies only really pay lip service to. It wasn&#8217;t until I got involved in DIR that I truly understood how to plan a dive around the gas I was breathing.
- Basic skills &#8230; I&#8217;ll only speak to my personal experiences here, and not try (or intend) to extend them to what others think or experience. I had logged about 900 dives before I took my first DIR class, and thought I had some pretty solid skills &#8230; and in some respects I did, as long as nothing went wrong. When I became an instructor, I started giving some thought to how I would handle things when (not if) one of my students did something unexpected &#8230; and asked myself in all sincerity if I was prepared to handle it. I signed up for the DIR Fundamentals course more as a way to test myself in that respect than for any other reason. And, to my utter surprise, found myself lacking. My buoyancy control, which I felt was pretty solid, absolutely sucked when task loaded. What DIR did was offer me a structured approach to improving those skills &#8230; and in a manner that accelerated the learning curve. Although I do not attempt to &#8220;push&#8221; DIR skills on my students, I do feel that because of what I learned in this program I am a much better scuba instructor and example to my students.

I would urge you to put aside pre-conceived notions about gear configurations and attitudes &#8230; the latter, in particular, is a huge turnoff for most DIR divers, and exists more on Internet forums than out in the real world.

If you have the opportunity, dive with a few DIR-trained divers. Judge for yourself whether that approach will work for you. And rather than asking yourself &#8220;why not&#8221;, ask yourself &#8220;what can it do for me&#8221; &#8230; you&#8217;ll be in a better position to answer your own question than anyone else will be.

&#8230; Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[devolution365]

The advice is always "try it you might like it" and I, personally, can see myself learning a great deal from DIR-f. Some of the DIR principals appeal to me. But others do not. And just like the original person mentioned, the bp/w and possibly other gear setups may be a point where DIR and I differ.

So, if I wanted to "try it" and take DIR-F, would they let me with a jacket or back-infalte BC? From what I gather, they would not. Can I rent one? -I doubt it. (?)

This post is not meant to be inflamitory. It's just that as much as DIR intregued me when I first got on SB, the more I read the more I feel it's too restrictive for me. Too bad since parts of it I think would be of great value. I have a feeling I'll probably do a lot of reading and watching of videos on the internet this winter/spring, then practicing at the quarry this summer. Self-taught semi DIR-F. I'm sure it won't be nearly as good as actually taking the class, but the water time + practice can only help.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

The advice is always "try it you might like it" and I, personally, can see myself learning a great deal from DIR-f. Some of the DIR principals appeal to me. But others do not. And just like the original person mentioned, the bp/w and possibly other gear setups may be a point where DIR and I differ.

So, if I wanted to "try it" and take DIR-F, would they let me with a jacket or back-infalte BC? From what I gather, they would not. Can I rent one? -I doubt it. (?)

This post is not meant to be inflamitory. It's just that as much as DIR intregued me when I first got on SB, the more I read the more I feel it's too restrictive for me. Too bad since parts of it I think would be of great value. I have a feeling I'll probably do a lot of reading and watching of videos on the internet this winter/spring, then practicing at the quarry this summer. Self-taught semi DIR-F. I'm sure it won't be nearly as good as actually taking the class, but the water time + practice can only help.

Our shop rents DIR-compatible equipment to those wanting to take the class if they do not own it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[gratefuljames]

Take what you need and leave the rest is my motto. My way has always been to learn the basic principles and then mold and mesh them with information from as many other sources I care to find to make it right for me. I would do this as long as I always stay within the limits of reasonableness and safety. This way has never let me down in scuba, or any other endeavor to which I applied it. "DIR" reminds me of fundamentalist Christians (Only we are going to heaven) for some reason...lol...whatever works, but I am always suspicious of those claiming to have the "one true way" or "right way" of anything - which I expect is usually followed by a request for payment for you to find out exactly what that is...anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it...