Why not Fundies?

[MXGratefulDiver]

I took the class to see what I would learn from it as well as how the material was being taught. I now use a lot of it my OW course. Seeing the students achieve a high level of bouyancy control as well as being able to make sound dive plans is very satisfying.

It improved my diving and improved my teaching.

Same here ... in fact, I waited until I became an instructor (at about 900 dives) to take the class. I'd been diving with DIR-trained divers for about three years by then, and thought I had the routine down pretty well. I didn't. Lamont was one of my team mates ... and with about 25 dives under his weightbelt, he had an easier time with a lot of the skills than I did.

It was pretty humbling ... but in the end, it helped me improve my diving tremendously.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

There. Explained. I blame being young for some of the rants I've heard.

Actually, some of the best rants I've read start out by saying "I've been diving since the '60's" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[PerroneFord]

Also, IF, as some others have written, GUE (and by implication, BD) don't "want" the "great unwashed" to take their classes and that is why they do such an abysmal job of marketing, then they are as arrogant as many suspect and don't deserve to be successful!

I totally disagree.

Just because an agency of ANY kind doesn't want to teach their stuff to the world, doesn't mean they are arrogant. The mom and pop grocery store may not want to be Publix or Krogers, and the local hardware store may not want to grow into Home Depot.

It is my feeling that GUE was designed to fill a niche and it is doing that wonderfully. I think JJ is bright enough to realize that if he wanted GUE to grow, he could advertise and market. What I think is remarkable, is the penetration GUE has had into the technical diving arena with so little marketing.

The DIR-F class and subsequent courses are not "general public" diving courses. They are aimed squarely at people who seek a team ethos, and can exist in that environment. This does not describe most people in general, and certainly not most divers. A cursory look around dive sites will show that the great percentage of divers are merely interested in themselves, and have little care or concern about their buddy. Then when things fall apart, it's always the same story, "he was right there.. then he was gone... or he was floating lifeless.. or he blew up to the surface". When the buddy gets the chance to tell the tale, if they live, it's always much different. "I tried desperately to get my buddy's attention but he was too far away, or he was engrossed in his viewfinder, or he was swimming away and not looking, etc.

If it doesn't fit you, don't go GUE. Lots of other agencies out there would love your money.

 

[PerroneFord]

Actually, some of the best rants I've read start out by saying "I've been diving since the '60's" ...

If I had a dollar for every diver I've seen who's said, "I've been diving for 20 years or I have 1000 dives", but can't hold a 15ft stop without a rope....

 

[TheRedHead]

If I had a dollar for every diver I've seen who's said, "I've been diving for 20 years or I have 1000 dives", but can't hold a 15ft stop without a rope....

I think the body position used in DIR diving makes it easy to hold any stop because your have your arms extended and can eyeball the computer on your right arm without moving. Most of my stops are blue water drifting stops without any reference.

 

[jonnythan]

I think the body position used in DIR diving makes it easy to hold any stop because your have your arms extended and can eyeball the computer on your right arm without moving. Most of my stops are blue water drifting stops without any reference.

I don't watch the computer while holding a stop. If you see a depth change register on your depth gauge, it's already too late and you've lost your buoyancy control.

It's nothing magical, and it's not some incredible skill that I have. You just watch the "stuff" in the water and stay sensitive to pressure changes.

 

[Walter]

One of the things that people who have not taken the fundies class fixate on is the equipment. We spent all of 20 minutes going over equipment in my fundies class. 15 of those minutes were spent just making sure the BP/W were sized correctly. The rest of the class was spent on dive planning, situtational awareness, and diving skills.

People must get over the "DIR equipment" in order to get what DIR is truley about.

How does one get over the equipment issue when one must have specific (and expensive equipment - we're not talking a particular type of mask, but a particular type of BC) equipment to even take the class?

 

[TheRedHead]

I don't watch the computer while holding a stop. If you see a depth change register on your depth gauge, it's already too late and you've lost your buoyancy control.

It's nothing magical, and it's not some incredible skill that I have. You just watch the "stuff" in the water and stay sensitive to pressure changes.

What "stuff" in the water? I'm diving in clear water with 200 feet of viz. If you are making a 10 minute stop at 10 feet and drift to 9 feet, it's a simple matter of a little breathing to nail the 10 foot stop again. Nothing is really lost.

 

[HowardE]

What "stuff" in the water? I'm diving in clear water with 200 feet of viz. If you are making a 10 minute stop at 10 feet and drift to 9 feet, it's a simple matter of a little breathing to nail the 10 foot stop again. Nothing is really lost.

My ears tell me.

 

[jonnythan]

Well, I've never dived in 200ft vis. Most I've seen is ~50 and there were plenty of tiny floaties and so forth in the water right in front of my mask to make it easy to tell if I were moving relative to the water column. I also use my ears when I'm looking at something else, like a lift bag.. I should try it out with my eyes closed to see if they're sensitive enough to rely on..