question/help on DIR 7ft primary setup

[Adobo]

Yoyoguy,

I don't mean to take away from the information provided generously by the many posters in this thread but..

It might be good to request to have this thread moved to the DIR forum. A lot of the usual DIR suspects don't seem be participating in this thread now. And while you are getting a lot of good information, not all of it is necessarily aligned with what the DIR folks do.

 

[scubadada]

I'd try to sell the Zoop now and get what you can out of it, can usually sell them for about $200. I'd swap that with this
Amazon.com: New AERIS A300 Personal Scuba Diving Wrist Computer - Powered by Dual Algorithm with Deep Stop & FREE Online Training: Sports & Outdoors
3 gas, gauge mode, 2 algorithms. Not bad

Rays point is very important to think about as your are buying gear.
BP/W's are perfect for this
Trianta=$400
DSS=$500
Halcyon Eclipse=$750

There is no way to rationalize the price of the Halcyon over the other two, but you can justify DSS over Trianta with Made in USA, STA-less design, higher quality backplate, etc. Computers are the same that you've seen in the other threads.

SPG's however are somewhat unique since all of the good ones are made by the same company in Italy, so at that point it is just figuring out which ones are made by that manufacturer and how cheap you can get it. Same with the ODS regs sold by Hog, Dive Rite, and Hollis. They're all basically the same, so if you want reversible seconds you go Dive Rite, otherwise you pretty much get whatever is cheapest, usually Hog. In the SPG run, the current cheap option is Dive Rite, so unless you want a black face, you grab those

Nice computer, essentially the Oceanic Veo 3 for less than half the price. Benefit of AUP rolling Aeris into Oceanic. I would imagine Oceanic will support it

 

[Yoyoguy]

Yoyoguy,

I don't mean to take away from the information provided generously by the many posters in this thread but..

It might be good to request to have this thread moved to the DIR forum. A lot of the usual DIR suspects don't seem be participating in this thread now. And while you are getting a lot of good information, not all of it is necessarily aligned with what the DIR folks do.

Well seeing as I'm the first guy I know in my area who even uses a backplate wing...maybe I'm jumping the gun going completely DIR. This is all actually becoming pretty overwhelming lol. I think I'm going to take a break from buying all this stuff and just go diving! I've been diving the lake near me every weekend for the past 5 weeks. 3 dives a day. At this rate I'll be over the 100 dive mark in 2 months.
I'll just keep going with what I have and save for the "right" gear for my diving when I even know what that will be. I definitely want a dry suit.

 

[tbone1004]

remember that practice makes permanent, only perfect practice makes perfect.... When you mention wanting to go DIR you basically corner yourself into GUE training, not a bad thing, just not for everyone. DIR was coined by them, and while no longer used by them, is still tied to them. Nothing wrong with DWW, doing what works, but the term DIR is very touchy....

 

[TSandM]

There are a lot of the "DIR" ideas which you can adopt to make your diving simpler and smoother. Streamlined gear, primary donation with a necklaced secondary, blade fins, precise buoyancy control, positioning kicks, strong situational awareness, and gas planning will work for EVERYBODY.

Where committing to GUE-type diving really pays off is the team concept. Diving as a unified team is almost an indescribable pleasure. Everyone is competent. Everyone understands the plan, and what's more, intends to follow it. Team is central; your buddies won't drift off on you, or suddenly turn around and swim a different direction. Everybody will maintain gas reserves and be prepared to bail you out if you have a gas problem. Very little communication needs to take place underwater -- in fact, not much needs to take place on land, because SO much is already settled.

If efficient equipment and good skills are what appeals to you, keep reading and working on it. If being part of a seamless and stress-free team is the lure, go GUE. Become a part of a global community of like-minded divers, where you can go anywhere and slip into the water with a new buddy and feel completely at home.

 

[RJP]

At this rate I'll be over the 100 dive mark in 2 months.

Keep in mind that the reality is you'll be much closer to the 1 dive mark... having done "one dive" 100 times.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Well seeing as I'm the first guy I know in my area who even uses a backplate wing...maybe I'm jumping the gun going completely DIR. This is all actually becoming pretty overwhelming lol. . . .

I'll jump in here again to add that I think YOU are making it "overwhelming" by trying to do it without any in-person assistance. By all means, "take a break" for the moment, but then get yourself out to that dive shop someone mentioned (Albany?) and get some help.

When I was headed down this path, I too felt overwhelmed with the gear acquisitions and then (and you still have this ahead) learning "the system" as a whole, including how to handle yourself in the water as part of a team. DIR, at least how GUE teaches it, is a complete system, and the gear is just one component--no doubt the major component, but still just a component--of the system. If you're on a budget, I would actually advise to stop buying gear and use your budget to fly yourself down to a 2-day GUE Primer course and do the course with borrowed/rented gear. You'll return home feeling less overwhelmed and with the confidence to put your plan into action. It's too easy to get hung up on the gear.

 

[Patoux01]

"no doubt the major component", that's a very interesting view you have here. And I feel most DIR-divers don't see it in that way. But I'm no expert.

 

[Lorenzoid]

"no doubt the major component", that's a very interesting view you have here. And I feel most DIR-divers don't see it in that way. But I'm no expert.

I paused a second before I wrote that, but I decided that was how I saw it. I had in mind Jablonski's book "Doing It Right--The Fundamentals of Better Diving." It devotes more space to the gear than anything else, while still emphasizing that the gear is just one component of the system. Look, I'm no DIR or GUE guru--just a guy who has fairly recently headed down that path. Just calling it as I see it.

Hey, now that I think of it, although that book is getting a bit dated, it's still a good resource, and I recommend it as a starting point for the OP. It's got good pictures of the gear, though I suspect most of them can also be found on-line at GUE's web site and elsewhere.

 

[PfcAJ]

The gear is the easiest part to show and it gets the most attention. The other parts are not as easy to show but extremely important.

To me, you need the equipment, the teamwork/procedures, and training/experience to really do it right.