I think the bottom line is that almost all of us dive for fun. And all of us know that diving has risks, and as you up the ante for diving complexity, the risks increase and a rational risk assessment becomes more and more important.
I can compare diving sidemount to diving the way I've already been trained to do, and see the differences, and think about the advantages of one or the other. I can also ask questions of people with more experience than I have, and perhaps have my eyes opened to things I would not otherwise have thought of (see my "Now the other side" thread ). I may decide to accept something I think is slightly higher risk, for the payoff in increased fun or greater ease. The decision is mine and my buddies'. I've said a lot of times on this board that I think everybody has a right to make his own risk assessment, and my only criticisms are when those evaluations are done with inadequate information, or when the diver involved is sharing those risks with someone who either doesn't know enough to make a good decision, or perhaps is unaware of the risks that his buddy has decided to assume (for example, diving with a Type I diabetic who doesn't tell you he has the illness).
Anyway, DIR or not -- and it's not -- I'm excited about exploring this new way of diving. For one thing, it puts me back on the steep part of the learning curve, which is someplace I'm always happy to be!
I can compare diving sidemount to diving the way I've already been trained to do, and see the differences, and think about the advantages of one or the other. I can also ask questions of people with more experience than I have, and perhaps have my eyes opened to things I would not otherwise have thought of (see my "Now the other side" thread ). I may decide to accept something I think is slightly higher risk, for the payoff in increased fun or greater ease. The decision is mine and my buddies'. I've said a lot of times on this board that I think everybody has a right to make his own risk assessment, and my only criticisms are when those evaluations are done with inadequate information, or when the diver involved is sharing those risks with someone who either doesn't know enough to make a good decision, or perhaps is unaware of the risks that his buddy has decided to assume (for example, diving with a Type I diabetic who doesn't tell you he has the illness).
Anyway, DIR or not -- and it's not -- I'm excited about exploring this new way of diving. For one thing, it puts me back on the steep part of the learning curve, which is someplace I'm always happy to be!