Who should take DIRF

[chepar]

MHK once bubbled...
We are in the process of setting up a class in Maui for around May or June so if interested let me know off-line..

BUT I am starting a new job next month and that means I've got no vacation time. Rats.

I wasn't able to make the Kona class last November either, due to having used up all my vacation earlier in the year - and the intimidation factor.

Any plans on setting up a class on Oahu?

 

[MHK]

chepar once bubbled...


BUT I am starting a new job next month and that means I've got no vacation time. Rats.

I wasn't able to make the Kona class last November either, due to having used up all my vacation earlier in the year - and the intimidation factor.

Any plans on setting up a class on Oahu?

Let me say it this way.. The traveling classes are generally a result of local interest and the byproduct of local enthusiasm, if there is interest and local coordination in Hawaii I'll do a class there any time ;-)

BTW, this class we are setting up will be Fri. evening, Sat. & Sun. so I'm not sure you would need to miss any work ;-), but then again I wouldn't mind another excuse to come to Hawaii ;-)

Later

 

[MechDiver]

Spectre once bubbled...


I've been thinking about this.

The Pass/Fail part of it only matters if you need to pass it as a prereq to other GUE classes.

If you take it just to take it; and you fail; do you get less out of it then if you take it now and learn about everything you need to work on?

Good points. If you aren't looking to continue with GUE the pass/fail becomes a non-issue and you take what you want from the course.

MD

 

[Dr. Jay]

what would you say to someone who has around 10 dives past their OW certification (and just having soo much fun w/scuba ) who was thinking about eventually going down the DIRF/GUE path?

Maybe a step-by-step suggestion to a young, potential DIRF/GUE Padawan learner, like:
1. Look at the website and try to practice techniques.
2. Buy the gear and get used to it.
3. Get some more certifications from your OW agency.
4. ....or.....just shut up and take the class. You're going to fail the first time anyway.

Are any of these accurate? Care to ellaborate?

Thanks

 

[jewhtwave]

chepar once bubbled...


I have been interested in taking a DIRF class for improving my skills. However, I admit to having been a little intimidated by my impression that the people taking this class were all very experienced and skilled divers. Okay, more than a little intimidated.

One of the greatest and most validating things that came out of my class was to see that divers at every level were having the same problems. The videos taken during the dives are priceless not only for learning but for easing the feeling that one might not be at the same level as others in the class. The instructors were also very good at simultaneously encouraging people and critiquing their skills. I did not walk away frustrated, but energized - about my diving, about DIR, and about GUE. It really is the greatest opportunity for new divers who want to be the best diver they can be.

 

[MechDiver]

Dr. Jay once bubbled...
what would you say to someone who has around 10 dives past their OW certification (and just having soo much fun w/scuba ) who was thinking about eventually going down the DIRF/GUE path?

Maybe a step-by-step suggestion to a young, potential DIRF/GUE Padawan learner, like:
1. Look at the website and try to practice techniques.
2. Buy the gear and get used to it.
3. Get some more certifications from your OW agency.
4. ....or.....just shut up and take the class. You're going to fail the first time anyway.

Are any of these accurate? Care to ellaborate?

Thanks

I would do 2, 1, then 4 if you wanted, then maybe 3 depending on what you wanted from GUE. Going to the class assuming you will fail will most likely mean you will.

If it would be awhile or you wanted to stay rec, I would take a nitrox course and then look forward from there. If your intent is to go technical, and if you're set on GUE, then go that route later.

Lots of choices

MD

 

[MHK]

Dr. Jay once bubbled...
what would you say to someone who has around 10 dives past their OW certification (and just having soo much fun w/scuba ) who was thinking about eventually going down the DIRF/GUE path?

Maybe a step-by-step suggestion to a young, potential DIRF/GUE Padawan learner, like:
1. Look at the website and try to practice techniques.
2. Buy the gear and get used to it.
3. Get some more certifications from your OW agency.
4. ....or.....just shut up and take the class. You're going to fail the first time anyway.

Are any of these accurate? Care to ellaborate?

Thanks

Jay,

I like to use the example all the time citing my girlfriend. In the case of the student with 9 dives that I used in the earlier post, the student happened to be my girlfriend. I refused to teach her OW, and I didn't want to teach her for the DIR-F class either, in fact I don't ever want her as my student ;-)

But seriously, she realized that if she ever wanted to see me that she better learn to dive, so I had a buddy of mine certify her, and then we were in NYC and I had been on the road for about 8 consecutive weekends so I flew her into NYC to hang out, I told her to bring her ger in case we had time for a fun dive.. Well she was too scared of Andrew, I didn't want to teach her so we put her in Sonya's group and in 9 dives she was nuetrally buoyant, good trim and did the skills better then some of teh diver''s who had 5000+ dives. You can go to Andrew's site and see the pic's on www.fifthd.com

But the obvious point is that these skills aren't rocket science, most excepting for the backward kick, helicopter turn and maybe the bag shooting should all be learned before you even get out of OW in my view. So the class isn't anything to be afriad of. We keep you in 20', we put you on video tape so you can see for yourself what we as instructors see. Then we break down step by step the skill, then how you did it, and how you can improve by giving you practice techniques based on your own video de-brief...

Most of the rumors you've heard about us ripping masks off, or shuting down valves are greatly exagerrated, or are excerpts from the tech 1, tech 2 or cave or rebreather training. This class is all about helping you get to fundamental level of basics that will make you more comfortable, competent, and confident underwater. That is our only goal, not to harras you, but to make you a better and more confident diver..

Let me know if that explains it, or if you need any more help..

Later

 

[Dr. Jay]

....step 1 would be to take the class?

But how much of DIRF/GUE actually depends on gear configuration vs. skills? Would I be better off learning w/out the gear first, or is using just a BP/wings very different than my back-inflate B/C? Would I be considered a poser if I went with a DIR setup and didn't have the class under my belt?

I'm not to worried about the mask ripping/air turn-off thing. I've had my reg yanked out of my mouth b4 on accident, and after a short "woopsie" I handled it just fine. I've come close to the mask thing, and now that I've got a mask that fits well (even though not DIR) I feel more confident about that.

Sorry if I sound persistent. I just don't want to end up in that boat with all the wrong skills learned and have to re-learn the Right ones.

Thank you both MD and MHK for the info

 

[lucid]

animian2002 once bubbled...
I have read abt DIR/DIRF from here and I notice that most of the time, the participants are either very experienced recreational divers or cave divers. I have yet to read abt newbie taking DIRF though they are allowed to take and I wonder why :huh:

just out of curiorsity :thinkof:

Who do you guys think best suit to take DIRF and why ??

I thought I was an experienced rectreational diver until I took DIRf. All I can say is that it was extremely humbling and everyone should take it. It completely changed how I look at diving and gave me goals to achieve. Its an excelent class!

 

[MHK]

Dr. Jay once bubbled...
....step 1 would be to take the class?

But how much of DIRF/GUE actually depends on gear configuration vs. skills? Would I be better off learning w/out the gear first, or is using just a BP/wings very different than my back-inflate B/C? Would I be considered a poser if I went with a DIR setup and didn't have the class under my belt?


Sorry if I sound persistent. I just don't want to end up in that boat with all the wrong skills learned and have to re-learn the Right ones.

Thank you both MD and MHK for the info

Don't worry about being persistent, I'd prefer you hear the straight answers so if I'm unclear let me know..

The example I use all the time when someone speaks to me about gear is as follows, and I hope you are not a carpenter ;-) because I'm not..

But what I say is that if I walked into the Home Depot and spend thousands and thousands of dollars and purchased the best equipment a caprenter could own and then went back home with all that fancy new equipment, could I add a room onto my house???

The answer is that if you gave a skilled carpenter the worst, most crappy set of tools he could still get the job done.. Whereas you could give me the best, moet up to date tools in the world and I couldn't build you anything..

If you have skill, you'll be proficient in the water.. At best equipment is 1/3 of the equation.. If you put the poorest skilled diver in the world in what is an ideal DIR configurtaion that still won't make them a proficient diver. Whereas if you take someone who has trained, who has practiced and learned teh skill putting crappy gear on them will be a slight annoyance but they'll balance the rig and make it work..

Ask SeaJay about when he gave me his rig to try, and ask him the results..

Concentrate less on gear, and more on skill..

Later