Moving your wife to DIR?

[Captain_Bob]

I've done the same with my wife. I just bought her a backplate and wing, switched her reg to a long hose and bungied backup. I just purchased everything last week and she is looking forward to diving something more like I do. She really likes the idea of having less weight, I will add some weight pockets for her to make her more comfortable. She wants to make the switch because after a few years of diving with me and helping with classes she is seeing the advantages to this set up. I wouldn't say I dive DIR but my gear is a hogarthian set up. I can't wait to get her in the water and see how she likes it.

 

[lamont]

Spoke to Bob about it but it looks to be a mute point at this time. Thanks for the offer I really would like to be there.

<grammer nazi>
moot point
</grammer nazi>

 

[GShockey]

<grammer nazi>
moot point
</grammer nazi>

I suppose it would be a mute point if it was not said out loud.........

 

[Mayor]

<grammer nazi>
moot point
</grammer nazi>

Thanks.....

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

<grammer nazi>
moot point
</grammer nazi>

no ... he had it right ... you've obviously never been married ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Peter Guy]

Some thoughts from the peanut gallery -- as the spouse who was NOT going to ever Do It Right type of stupid diving!!! Not only was I never going to Do It Right, I saw with my own eyes how stupid making the gear change was -- stupid (as in dangerous) and expensive.

My evolution has been somewhat chronicled on SB over the years -- and I believe some of our fights have provided merriment for the masses too! That written, I do thank Lynne for showing me the way because it certainly has changed how I dive, why I dive and to some extent, even when and where I dive.

First thought -- IT REALLY ISN'T ABOUT THE GEAR!!!

Second thought -- IF your wife is comfortable in her gear, let her dive it.

Third thought -- IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT THE SKILLS -- personal skills and team skills.

The earlier suggestion to have your wife take UTD Essentials (or I think a GUE Primer) is the place to start -- or at least it was for me. Lynne drank the Kool Aide and I dove with her and watched how she evolved into a more disciplined diver with the frog kick, back kick, helicopter turn, etc. She also passed along to me such novel ideas as Gas Management, something my PADI education completely lacked. [Story -- we were both taking our PADI Deep Specialty and had discussed the concept of Rock Bottom, which made sense to me, and she asked the PADI instructor what our Rock Bottom would be for the 120' dive. Duh, uh, what? No need to know this stuff he sputtered. Hmmm, OK, maybe this GUE thing had something going for it!]

But, I was NOT going to give up my beloved Cobra (still use it), nor my SeaQuest Balance (still use it for teaching in the pool) nor put a 7 foot hose on my primary (I was already doing Primary Donate because I had an Airsource on by Balance -- 40" was just fine thank you very much). This meant I was NOT going to do Fundies -- no way, no how!

But Essentials -- hmmm, I could do the whole thing with one minor change -- 5 foot hose -- no biggie. I took the class and learned a lot but didn't have to change my gear. HOWEVER, it now made more sense. And then I was offered an opportunity to go diving in Monterey and use a scooter -- but that meant I couldn't use my beloved Balance and HAD to use a BP/W -- which NWGD gladly lent to me.

As it happens, after coming back from Monterey, all diving done in BP/W, I just stayed with it -- taking [UTD] Recreational Diving 2 and then continuing on.

Two things happened in the next 6 months which cemented my evolution to being a Team Diver, with Hog gear: a. I had a bad incident on a dive which taught me I wasn't as good as I thought I was [take away from the incident was that "If it isn't right on the surface, it won't get better underwater"]; and b. I had a fabulous trip to Cozumel and two days of diving in Cenotes [I fell in love with the Caves and HAD TO LEARN how to dive in them].

This transition took a long time and I was dragged kicking and screaming to the Dark Side (where they have cookies).

So, don't force your wife into new gear if she is comfortable in the gear she has.

Do sign her up for Essentials so that she can learn about the physical and team skills that are associated with DIR. Then sit back, dive with her and let her come to terms with how far she wants her diving to evolve.

 

[frothchild]

What a great thread? After having been off the boards for a while, and recently being on a LOT for a less than pleasant experience, I am pleased to share the following.

As some have posted, you can't push, or it just wont happen. In 2003 on my honeymoon, trying a discover / resort scuba class, my wife found the whole experience to be horrible. Fast forward 7 years, it wasn't until I was in Cozumel (participating in the Ultimate Diver Challenge, another tale for another time). My wife decided it was time to try again. Being she doesn't like cold, for her to be able to walk into the water, no wet suit and not be cold, helped a LOT.

I did a resort class for her, and took her on a couple of shore dives and a boat dive. The combination of the comfortable conditions and seeing "turtle" just hooked her. Now being of her own motivation, when we got back home she looked into getting certified.

If she was going to get certified, I did insist on a particular path. She is analytical and competitive, and I was confident the GUE Rec 1 path would be for her and so she went.

Even in Cozumel, I had her in a BP / W and so she knew nothing else. From day one, she now has the traditional DIR* configuration with a small steel back plate.

She loves her set up and can't imagine using anything else. So making the change may be a difficult transition, but as another member posted, I would rather dive with my wife than not. I am just happy to say, she is a DIR* diver.

(* I am not saying one method is better than another, just different)

 

[Gareth]

There is only one thing more dangerous than convincing your wife into doing a GUE fundamentals course.

being the instructor.....


Gareth Burrows (Garf)
GUE Instructor

 

[Hepcat62]

There is only one thing more dangerous than convincing your wife into doing a GUE fundamentals course.

being the instructor.....

My girlfriend and I have enough trouble when one of us decides to provide "honest" feedback about something potentially negative. I can only imagine the horrors that must occur when you turn that into "honest and frank". That's not even considering the video... :shocked2:

 

[Mayor]

There is only one thing more dangerous than convincing your wife into doing a GUE fundamentals course.

being the instructor.....


Gareth Burrows (Garf)
GUE Instructor

Tech pass???