Wikipedia article on "Doing It Right"

[Jaques-Yves Costco]

I'm sure there are more than a few acrobatic pilots that have parachutes in their planes....most are happy to NEVER use one.
I stowed the Halcyon Life raft for dives off of a private boat over 25 miles from shore off of Fort Pierce....I never was left by the boat--all of our proceedures worked....it was a back-up, just in case all else failed....I can swim many miles, but not 25 witht he current going out.....

The Halcyon Diver's Life Raft would deploy in moments, and you would drop your tank if you really felt you'd be in it for a long time all alone....Hopefully your buddy would have a raft too...
It was also functional as a huge lift bag, or very large marker buoy.
If you dove an area where there really was a big chance ( say 5%) that you might need it, you would probably want a larger/more elastic MC Storage Pouch to make putting it back in easier after using it...

LOL at the parachute analogy. Glib.

But all headshaking aside...in what circumstances should the DIR diver carry a Halcyon Diver's Life Raft?

 

[danvolker]

Oh sorry I thought this was a discussion thread...

Maybe you can make a list for the article of which DIR standards are optional

There is no standards violation from this. What are you smoking?

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Myself I am in the IGFDM and although I have been diving with a buddy lately, were in the same area of water anyways, I go deep then finish in the upper 100'. I Dive in very deep waters with huge tidal and current and for the most part land is near. In dan's dive site and when I travel I like to have a spool(reel) so if I am 25 miles out Instead of the boat or search & rescue looking for me, I would Immediately drop my weight belt tied to my spool and tie to BCD and wait in same area I was diving in, and pull anchor if current was going to shore, seems the HDLR would keep me out of the water in the same area I was diving, and my snorkel would be used to watch my back for sharks coming at me.

 

[cascas]

Myself I am in the IGFDM and although I have been diving with a buddy lately, were in the same area of water anyways, I go deep then finish in the upper 100'. I Dive in very deep waters with huge tidal and current and for the most part land is near. In dan's dive site and when I travel I like to have a spool(reel) so if I am 25 miles out Instead of the boat or search & rescue looking for me, I would Immediately drop my weight belt tied to my spool and tie to BCD and wait in same area I was diving in, and pull anchor if current was going to shore, seems the HDLR would keep me out of the water in the same area I was diving, and my snorkel would be used to watch my back for sharks coming at me.

Just curious... when you see a shark coming and assuming it is looking to consume you (which is very unikely) what do you do ? Beat the crap out of it with your snorkel ?

 

[Tortuga68]

There is no standards violation from this

As usual I'm having trouble following you... one minute we're talking about DIR, then it's snorkels, surf mats, life rafts & GUE approved dive sites (whatever they are)

What did you mean when you said "a diver trying to be DIR and finding it necessary to do this dive from the beach may have no alternative"?

 

[danvolker]

As usual I'm having trouble following you... one minute we're talking about DIR, then it's snorkels, surf mats, life rafts & GUE approved dive sites (whatever they are)

What did you mean when you said "a diver trying to be DIR and finding it necessary to do this dive from the beach may have no alternative"?

First, I did not begin this discussion....so ideas or questions about DIR and also GUE are mixed throughout this....
What I was talking about in this case, was that originally, the DIR that was being disseminated across the internet in the 90's, was meant to make gradual changes in how people saw dive safety, and how they dived....it was not anticipated that these changes would be all or none, or that divers would instantly become pure DIR...

So think of some divers that like what they have been hearing about the DIR concept of buddy system, and the long hose...So these two guys have begun trying these DIR concepts out, about how you buddy dive, how you share a long hose, and they are then trying more DIR ideas....So they live near Singer Island, and want to dive the Palm Beach inlet, which has been snorkeled by locals for decades. No boats will drop there, because of the proximity to the navigation channel, and the area divers would be in by the jetty ( which is very cool visually underwater, is not a place a boat can follow closely, due to rocks) .... There were numerous concepts in the original DIR about how you plan your dive...this jetty dive could easily be planned with DIR criteria...so a couple of divers, desiring to dive DIR, could be doing this at the inlet.

GUE has a whole new host of issues they discuss and mandate. So on a fringe area with the unique charicteristics of this dive site, you would almost have to have Errol and Bob review my plan and then decide on whether it could be a GUE allowed dive...without the snorkels, they would be unlikely to allow it, due to the low on air issues possible near the end of the dive....Then again, they may not want to allow it for most non-tech divers, because without boat support, you can not get out of the water until you have gotten back to the pumphouse--there is not really a good direct-to-shore return along the inside of the jetty dive. Of course, with cave diving, there is no immediate return either. This then gets to the point of who they would say the dive is appropriate for....

 

[PfcAJ]

Gue allowed dive? You've got to be kidding.

"hold on guys lets ask Errol and bob if this is a gue approved site.". This is the dumbest thing I've heard on here in a very long time.

Gue approved dive site.... Come on people...

 

[LiteHedded]

Gue allowed dive? You've got to be kidding.

"hold on guys lets ask Errol and bob if this is a gue approved site.". This is the dumbest thing I've heard on here in a very long time.

Gue approved dive site.... Come on people...

and that's really saying something

 

[TSandM]

Can we step back a moment and attempt to be pleasant?

I think what Dan is trying to say is that, when he was traveling with George and giving presentations on DIR diving, it wasn't codified to the extent that GUE has done over the subsequent years. The advantage of putting everything down in writing is that it reduces ambiguity on procedures. The disadvantage is that it can leave someone wondering whether a given dive can be accomplished within the specific structure of the "rules", and this is especially true if the logic behind the rules is not understood. (Which is my eternal objection to protocols.) I think he is trying to describe a dive where there are specific parameters which place it in an unclear border zone between recreational and technical, and he isn't sure how the "powers that be" would view it. I don't think he is in any way advocating that we should all try to find out if our dive sites are "GUE approved"

 

[rlynch]

meanwhile back on topic
I'm adding updates to the equipment sections - then will tackle the "Why" sections preceeding them

here's the latest.

Back Plate
The back plate and harness forms the foundation of the DIR diving system .^[36] . The back plate is used to anchor the harness, buoyancy compensator, and provides storage for other items. The back plate is a rigid plate with minimal padding ^[37] bent from flat stainless steel ^[38] or aluminum ^[39] plate and slotted for straps, or formed from other materials with similar rigidity characteristics ^[40]. The choice of materials is determined by the operational needs of the diver and the environment. The back plate is adaptable for double tanks and singles tanks as required, using either an adapter ^[41] or strap cutouts ^[42].

Harness

The harness is formed with one continuous length of 2” nylon webbing secured through dedicated top and bottom slots in the back plate ^{[43] [44]} . The harness should not contain any quick release mechanisms^[44].^[45]The webbing must be adjustable and is secured with a single stainless steel buckle located on the diver’s right waist ^[46], this position lessens the potential of accidental opening by the crotch strap ^[44]. A crotch strap runs from the bottom of the back plate to a loop in front in which the waist strap is passed through, securing the harness/back plate system to the diver. The crotch strap prevents the harness system from shifting and riding high on the diver. The harness supports 5 “D” rings, one placed on the divers left waist, one on each shoulder strap, and two on the crotch strap^[44]. The left side waist “D” ring is used to attach the back gas SPG, stage bottles, and other gear that may be required for a particular dive.^[47]The shoulder “D” rings are used for securing the backup lights, the primary regulator when not in use, and temporary storage of other pieces of equipment.^[48] The crotch strap “D” rings allow for the front to be used solely for attachment to a DPV (scooter), and the rear “D” ring is used for attaching equipment as needed ^[44]. The primary light battery canister is placed on the waist belt on the right, secured with a secondary stainless steel buckle or the primary stainless steel belt buckle as appropriate .^[45]


.....this is a tedious process since i am citing sources throughout to eliminate personal opinions from polluting the article.