I currently dive with a conventional back-inflate system and want to explore the possibility of adopting a DIR or at least Hogarthian configuration for at least some of my diving. What I have read of the benefits makes a lot of sense to me, such as the donate-the-primary approach to the OOA diver situation. I primarily do tropical vacation diving but on occasion have ventured to North Carolina wrecks and hope to do more of the latter (and maybe tropical wrecks--say, Truk??), perhaps even learning doubles and deco in the next few years. A popular route seems to be start with the GUE Fundies course, but I have some questions.
Does Fundies assume the diver already has at least a little experience with the gear? How about Primer? I suspect Primer would be exactly what I'm looking for at this initial stage, but judging from the scheduling on the GUE web site it appears that Primer is not frequently offered--I suspect most people start with Fundies.
I am reluctant to buy the gear before I have ever even tried on a BP/W. I'm sure it's possible to rent them, but is it easy to do so, and will a dive shop offer some sort of introductory dive where they show me the ropes? Or would I do better renting the gear for a couple of days and taking Primer (a 2-day course from what I understand)?
I would definitely like to take Fundies at some point, as my thinking is that even if I don't dive often (or at all) in the DIR configuration, the skills will be helpful to me diving in my conventional back-inflate rig. But Fundies sounds like a lot all at once--a real commitment in gear, time (5 days?), and open mindedness.
What's the best way to put my toe in the water?
Does Fundies assume the diver already has at least a little experience with the gear? How about Primer? I suspect Primer would be exactly what I'm looking for at this initial stage, but judging from the scheduling on the GUE web site it appears that Primer is not frequently offered--I suspect most people start with Fundies.
I am reluctant to buy the gear before I have ever even tried on a BP/W. I'm sure it's possible to rent them, but is it easy to do so, and will a dive shop offer some sort of introductory dive where they show me the ropes? Or would I do better renting the gear for a couple of days and taking Primer (a 2-day course from what I understand)?
I would definitely like to take Fundies at some point, as my thinking is that even if I don't dive often (or at all) in the DIR configuration, the skills will be helpful to me diving in my conventional back-inflate rig. But Fundies sounds like a lot all at once--a real commitment in gear, time (5 days?), and open mindedness.
What's the best way to put my toe in the water?