DIR Feedback

[Divesherpa]

I agree that it would be foolish not pay attention to the most successful group in cave diving. That would be like owning a company and not paying attention to Bill Gates and Microsoft.
I'm only saying that it may be a little extreme for OW reef divers and single tank guys. I wear a plate everywhere but doing pool sessions for OW. A large number of my students don't give a hoot about DIR or even want to consider wearing a plate. That's cool with me, even though I know their diving will be limited because of their comfort level.
Not everyone wants to dive every day!! Hard lesson for me to learn, but very true.

As a side note, I spend about an hour a week at Extreme Exposure talking to the guys who teach the DIRF and CAVE1 TECH1 classes, so I know exactly what they are saying. I don't just read it off someone's post.

Cheers

 

[roakey]

Originally posted by Divesherpa
As a side note, I spend about an hour a week at Extreme Exposure talking to the guys who teach the DIRF and CAVE1 TECH1 classes, so I know exactly what they are saying. I don't just read it off someone's post.

So, for the record, your claim is that EE is saying that DIR is for technical diving only?

Roak

 

[tombiowami]

I am coming from the exact station of one of those single tank guys, and find the attention to detail (config, physical shape, concentration on good solid basic skills, etc) very refreshing after the initial entry into OW classes.

My understanding from reading the DIR Fund book, corresponding with those same EE folks, and going through the GUE website that the DIR Fund class is geared toward recreational divers.

I found the people at EE catered well to my newbie questions. I think Halcyon in general has a big untapped market in newer divers.

I of course would agree that the folks that teach it are obviously technical, and maybe we are just hashing semantics. Compared to the typical OW instructor I have spoken with, yes the people who teach GUE classes come from the tech world.

And oh, yes, I do want to dive everyday, and if I lived where you do, sherpa, I would. I am very jealous. I will start wreck diving this spring and we have to pay 100 bux or so just to get out to the sites and back, and on a typical trip that is only 2 dives, in a 6-8 hour round trip. Being able to drive a few miles ty your sites is divers heaven for sure. You also have good wreck and world class reefs down the state a bit. Anyway, have a good day gents.

Tommy

 

[large_diver]

Roak,

Thanks for answering my original question ;-)

-LD

 

[Divesherpa]

I feel you pain Tommy. I moved back down here in November due to the easy access to miles and miles of cave and lots of wrecks, from 30 feet to 350fsw.
And no Roakey, I'm not saying that at all. They are trying to make a go as being instructors of a relatively new agency. They will teach anyone who meets the quals. They are great at what they do also. I have nothing bad to say about the staff.
I have seen a few things that seem like double standards, but that's expected.

Basically, I'm only saying that as long as people understand that DIR is great, but it isn't the only way, then people will continue to grow and invent new things.
If everyone only dove what DIR says should be dove, nothing new would be produced and the market would shrivel. I'm not sure if you are aware, but the profit margins on tech gear are very small. The only way a shop can sell tech stuff and stay afloat are to sell a whole lot of it, or sell products made for that store and market them well, or both. In EE's case, they are both true.
The exception is to attempt to sell technical gear to basic OW divers and mainstream the gear choices.
Irvine is a marketing genius, for his gear, his methodologies, and his teams abilities. Kudos for that.

Cheers

 

[Lost Yooper]

Originally posted by Divesherpa
L_Y, I will retract my last statement. I just don't understand the reasoning behind attempting to make all divers totally uniform. It makes excellent sense for big teams doing large pushes, but on a 30 foot wreck, it doesn't make that much of a hill of beans.
I believe all of the DIR instructor guys would either be Cave or Deep Wreck by background, which is where there experiences lie. For someone to say Dir=technical is crap is not really paying attention to who is teaching(in my opinion). A lot of the caves in Florida are closed to everyone who isn't an Irvine groupie. Irvine has lots of bucks, while a lot of the rest of us are actually diving EVERY day instead of selling junk bonds. I hope this DIR doesn't attempt to saturate the pleasure divers as well, or the Keys will be closed off to non-DIR guys.
One more thing, attention to detail is the single best part of DIR(IMHO), which would mean that bypassing any "BS"

Cheers

I am not trying to do anything of the sort. I am only trying to introduce a great system of diving to all divers. I have been so impressed by DIR for it's adaptability, efficiency, and pleasure that I feel compelled to share it with others. I don't have any vested interest (financial or otherwise) to promote DIR. I am only interested in promoting a system of diving that has been proven to be nothing short of awesome for me in every diving environment I have used it in.

Take care.

Mike

PS. I appreciate the retraction. I can assure you that you would be hard pressed to find someone who is more keen on the details of anything than I am.