The minimalist movement

[Doc Harry]

Minimalism is in the eye of the beholder.

We can all come to a consensus of what is "minimalism."

But how that "minimalism" is put into practice is in the eye of the beholder and is something that we can argue about until the sun burns out.

A lot depends upon the risk that someone is willing to take. Some degree of "minimalism" involves making smart equipment choices, but a whole lot also depends on your risk choices, too.

Often more minimalism = more risk and fewer choices when disaster strikes.

But it's a double-edged sword, because more gear can increase the risk of problems, too.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Minimalism is in the eye of the beholder.

We can all come to a consensus of what is "minimalism."

But how that "minimalism" is put into practice is in the eye of the beholder and is something that we can argue about until the sun burns out.

A lot depends upon the risk that someone is willing to take. Some degree of "minimalism" involves making smart equipment choices, but a whole lot also depends on your risk choices, too.

Often more minimalism = more risk and fewer choices when disaster strikes.

But it's a double-edged sword, because more gear can increase the risk of problems, too.

Well then the same could be said about DIR.
A jacket wearing split finner could claim they are doing it right as far as they're concerned, and the stripped down back pack diver could claim they are doing it right just the same. Who is really doing it right? It's the DIR crowd that has staked claim to the name and it is understood in the diving community that DIR is a specific school and has it's established rules and protocols.
This is exactly what we are doing here; establishing that minimalism is a school and there is a set of protocols and guidlines as to what a minimalist is.
I think Nemrod has explained it way better than I can.

As far as risk, minimalism in my view has much more lee way than other schools. The gear is taylored to the dive and the conditions.
For instance, doing a shore dive or boat dive in calm conditions and the depth limit is 60 feet or so, I would be perfectly comfortable doing this dive solo with one reg and absolutely no redundant gear. If I'm doing the same dive off a boat in the Channel islands and they put us in a spot where current might kick up I might add a small smb clipped off on my waist d ring. If the depth get's down below 100 feet or so I might add a buddy and run an octo, or skip the buddy and clip off a small pony. If the dive get's really deep then I go back to doubles and a deco bottle of 50%. If I know I'm going to get into deco then more stuff comes out to meet the challenge of that dive.
But never the less I am using the least amount of crap I need to to do the planned dive.

For the majority of my dives now, a super simple set up is all I use and I feel I am safer in the environment that I dive in due to the fact that I have less junk and clutter that I have to deal with should I have to ditch and go.

 

[Kern]

I think a lot of divers take themselves far too seriously.

I am happy to be, & consider myself lucky to be able to dive with, a bunch of unlabelled divers.

On second thoughts, maybe I'm a GOD. :mooner:

 

[vshearer]

I think a lot of divers take themselves far too seriously.

Give this man the cigar.

 

[Nemrod]

I think a lot of divers take themselves far too seriously.

I am happy to be, & consider myself lucky to be able to dive with, a bunch of unlabeled divers.

On second thoughts, maybe I'm a GOD. :mooner:

Then minimalism is not for you, you are free to seek another path. Not choosing is a choice.

Minimalism will find stiff resistance within the abc agencies and the hugely equipment dependent divers they have unleashed upon the oceans. A man may think he needs a crutch even after he has healed until the day it is pulled from under him. The gear dependence, the substitution of layers of gear for skill and the ultimate expression of that is the adaptation of cave diving techniques, total redundancy to open water sport diving, DIR, is the end result. You can claim you are minimalist but when you are standing there with two of everything for a simple open water dive, you are not, regardless.

The majority of SCUBA divers will be resistant as well, they love to go to the dive retail store and spend money on doodads, imagine not doing that, that is hard. It is like a fetish or drug that has to be undone. If you never bought it then you cannot carry it into the water, it will not find it's way into the landfill nor be left on the reef. You can imagine who will be against that .

Minimalism is not just a gear configuration, it is a holistic approach to SCUBA diving. Let's look at something, take fins for example, are Jet Fins more green, more simple than thermoplastic rubber band, split fin, hinge fin, flip up, led flash fins? Well, since it is proven that Jet Fins last many years, even decades, their environmental impact has to be less than that of fad fins that wind up in the land fill. The minimalist diver is the Franciscan monk of SCUBA divers. We would just substitute for the oath of poverty, an oath of simplicity. If you don't really need it then don't take it into the water and better yet, maybe not purchase it.

Minimalism is a goal, an idea and ideas cannot be killed, not by abc agencies, not by retail stores, nor by the latest acronym. Minimalist divers are out there, here, there, few in numbers, but growing day by day. It is our turn.

N

 

[IceBergSlim]

A few years ago the clothing line GANT collaborated with Jean-Michel Cousteau for a few photo shoots. I have to admit that I had not watched any Cousteau diver for years but the pictures were remarkable.

The gear the divers used was about as minimal as anyone could imagine. Very small doubles with a manifold but no isolator. (it was an old school tank coupler) The doubles were covered by a plastic looking cowl (looked like an Inspiration shell but painted a nice blue) and there was a first and second stage only.
No BC, no SPG, no octo nore any other gear. Just a wetsuit,

That is pretty minimal.

 

[Doc Harry]

...For instance, doing a shore dive or boat dive in calm conditions and the depth limit is 60 feet or so, I would be perfectly comfortable doing this dive solo with one reg and absolutely no redundant gear. If I'm doing the same dive off a boat in the Channel islands and they put us in a spot where current might kick up I might add a small smb clipped off on my waist d ring. If the depth get's down below 100 feet or so I might add a buddy and run an octo, or skip the buddy and clip off a small pony. If the dive get's really deep then I go back to doubles and a deco bottle of 50%. If I know I'm going to get into deco then more stuff comes out to meet the challenge of that dive.....

You have provided many examples of my point. We can agree with the concept of "minimalism" but when it comes down to the dive.... What you consider "minimal" for any given dive might be "too much" for another minimalist.

You might feel than an SMB is warranted, someone else might feel that an SMB, whistle, strobe and beacon are warranted, but you both might call yourself "minimalists" for that dive.

There's a fine line between "minimalist" and "dangerous."

You might solo without a redundant air supply. You might call that minimalist, I might call that dangerous not minimalist. But I bet that both of us could agree on the concept of "minimalism."

BTW, I consider myself a "minimalist" most of the time so it's not that I disagree with the concept. I embrace it wholeheartedly. For example, I want to state that I only dive with my sunglasses during the day, I leave them topside at night.

 

[Kern]

Then minimalism is not for you, you are free to seek another path. Not choosing is a choice.

Don't be silly, every dive involves choices.
Doing an overhead I have a lot of redundancy.
Doing an NDL with a buddy I use no redundent systems.
Doing an NDL solo I use some redundancy.

My, My, your post grew while I wasn't looking.

 

[Nemrod]

Don't be silly, every dive involves choices.
Doing an overhead I have a lot of redundancy.
Doing an NDL with a buddy I use no redundent systems.
Doing an NDL solo I use some redundancy.

My, My, your post grew while I wasn't looking.

The first sentence was for you, the rest was a general statement to avoid multiple posts in a row. As to name calling, as I said, the conventional dogma will be threatened and resort to defensive tactics, nonetheless, the idea of minimalism stands. Finding Minimalism inconvenient, one might try to redefine it but in the end, minimal is the operative concept.

N

 

[L_A_S]

I've never been a fan of carrying more than necessary, a philosophy that started when backpacking with the boy scouts. The fine line between lower risk and higher comfort is up to me, hopefully experience and sense keep me from doing anything stupid. It's kept me sane and safe so far, and if the unpredictable happens I hope to sensibly do what an old scoutmaster advised: Do the best you can with what you have to work with.

The most minimalist diver I've seen was a captain in Cape Hatteras who's been running private charters (but only for certified divers) some weekends during the summer. He's been doing it over 40 years so maybe he once was more active, but allegedly over that same time he's logged 1000s of dives. With literally just swim trunks, mask and fins, alu80 with 1st and 2nd stage slung over one shoulder with a length of rope, he would come up when the air ran out. I saw him do this at 125' for a single dive, and my instructor who's known him a few years says that's how he's always done it, and the captain said he's never had an accident. I couldn't believe it, and the parts I didn't witness may have been exaggerated, but gutsy nonetheless. Of course I'm in no way advocating this.