DIR Fundamentals

[Tekkie]

Hey,
This is for all of you DIR divers and anyone else who wants to answer. I have read about the equipment style and procedures used in DIR diving and I was going to get the GUE book called (I think) DIR Fundamentals of Better Diving (or something like that). I was wondering if I can use the gear setup and (for example) the long hose technique without taking the GUE DIR Fundamentals class. Would it be safer to take the class then use the DIR techniques or can I just read the book and use the DIR techniques?

Ok that was a little confusing. What I ment is can I just read the DIR book and be a DIR Diver or do I have to take the GUE class to be a DIR diver?

Thankz
Tekkie

If my post is a little misleading please tell me.

[Uncle Pug]

I'll let someone else answer your question(s).

Let me just say that the book doesn't contain what you can only learn by taking the class. Anyone who has taken the DIRf will tell you the same thing.

[jbd]

the book and you can learn quite a bit from it. Add the videos and you'll probably learn even more but you won't have the real benefit of having a knowledgeable person critique and correct your actual performance and fill out your actual knowledge.

If you're truly interested in the DIR diving skills then take the class if at all possible.

[Ontario Diver]

The book is worth reading. The videos are good as well.

But there is so much more to DIR than that.

When you certified, did you just read the OW manual to become a certified diver? Nope. Same thing with DIR.

[merkin]

Along the lines of the original question... I plan to eventually take the class (Feb, March), but am buying gear now and was planning to go ahead and get the long hose to be familiar with it before the class - am I going to strangle myself or is diving with that hose relatively simple? [I thought about going ahead and buying the book - would this help?]

[Cave Diver]

Reading the book is a good start.

Taking the class is even better.

Neither by themselves (or together for that matter) make you a DIR diver.

It will however, open the door for you to understand exactly what it means to be a DIR diver and give you something to work towards.

Contrary to popular belief on this board, just diving a bp/wings setup with a long hose is not what DIR is all about. I put together a rather lengthy discription about DIR in answer to a PM someone sent me and I will email it to you as an attachment if you wish to read it.

[Cave Diver]

merkin once bubbled...
Along the lines of the original question... I plan to eventually take the class (Feb, March), but am buying gear now and was planning to go ahead and get the long hose to be familiar with it before the class - am I going to strangle myself or is diving with that hose relatively simple? [I thought about going ahead and buying the book - would this help?]

The book will help explain the use and routing of the long hose and it is a good idea to be familiar with the gear prior to taking the class. Also, the long primary hose is the only *required* gear for the class, although a bp/wings setup and fairly stiff fins are highly recommended (split fins dont work well for some of the kicks you will learn).

Diving with the hose is relatively simple and strangulation should be no problem unless you just have a total Charlie Foxtrot.

[jbd]

the long hose yet but my dive buddy ckharlan has the long hose. It doesn't seem to be any different than diving with the regular hose that you are using now. I have done OOA drills with ckharlan and I can see how it would be much easier to swim out of a cave or a wreck with the long hose.

[crab]

A common thread throughout the book (which I have read) and I am sure the class (which I have not taken) is that DIR is a holistic approach to diving. Being a philosophical concept, that is subject to a certain amount of interpretation, one could argue that incorporating the discrete elements (and not swallowing the whole pill at once) is either foolish, thoughtful, or somewhere in between. I have noticed one of the frequent gripes of individuals who subscribe to and practice the complete DIR approach is the co-optation of the DIR name by people who have grasped a few of the principles, yet have not subscribed to the genuine holistic approach.

To address your question-- I have read the DIRF book and have adopted many of the equipment elements (including the long hose) and I have not experienced any manner of a dangerous learning curve that you seem to be worried about. The area where I am looking for the most impact in my actual diving is skills. In particular buoyancy, weighting, and trim. The learning and application of concrete skills can only be accomplished in the hands-on environment of a class. Did I mention that I am planning to take DIRF as well?

[Fetch]

Jumping onto the long hose without any special classes works, BUT:

1) Do some pool dives, and then some very very easy OW dives. Like any other big gear change, try to have CF's occur under otherwise manageable conditions.

2) Get all of the pictures/diagrams/videos you can, first (fifthD has some great video from DIR-F training that you can download and watch). It'll better help you understand how the equipment is configured and deployed.

I'd recommend doing the above, and then becoming comfortable with your gear at least a month prior to a DIR-F class, you'll get a lot more out of the class (bouyancy, trim, being a team, etc) than you will if you're struggling with gear (as John and I witnessed in our class).

jeff

[Tekkie]

Thanks for all the replies,
I think I will order the book for GUE and do what Fetch said about appling the skills slowely to my needs of diving. I would take the DIRF class, but I'm not planning on going to Flordia any time soon. Does anyone know of any instructors that teach DIRF up here in Virginia?

Well thanks anyways,

Tekkie

[Cave Diver]

Tekkie once bubbled...
Thanks for all the replies,
I think I will order the book for GUE and do what Fetch said about appling the skills slowely to my needs of diving. I would take the DIRF class, but I'm not planning on going to Flordia any time soon. Does anyone know of any instructors that teach DIRF up here in Virginia?

Well thanks anyways,

Tekkie

GUE teaches all over the country (and world). Your first step would be finding several like minded people who are willing to take the class or getting a LDS to sponsor it. Then check with either the 5th Dimension (http://www.fifthd.com) or the GUE (http://www.gue.com) websites for information.

[Tekkie]

Cool,
Thanks Cave Diver I'll see what I can do.

Tekkie

[wreckedinri]

Hi All,
I'm quite new to this board and do not post this with any intent to upset anyone. My attraction to this site, above many of the others that I have visited, is that there appears to be a great deal of respect among all that participate in these discussions. It is with that spirit of respect that I ask the following question. With all this talk of DIR, does it mean that those of us that are not wholly DIR are DIW? If so then I and my "buddies" have survived a decade of wreck diving while doing it wrong.

When does it go from a series of ideas to make the diving experience safer, and therefore better, to fanaticism?

If I put a swivel with a captive "O" ring on my first stage to pull a hose down and out of the way, is that wrong? 50' back in the U-853 I would prefer to risk the minute chance of that "O" ring failing rather than get hung up with a hose sticking out.

I would simply like some comment on this DIR philosopy.

Be Safe,

Dennis

[WreckWriter]

The facts are that this board is composed of divers from all over the world, with many different philosophies. Some of us are DIR, most are not.

I would ask you to do one thing for me: please do not assume you are going to be attacked for not being DIR. In reality those who are DIR are most often the ones that come under attack here.

Some of us, myself included, believe that all, or at least most, of the concepts of DIR diving are the best way to go. When asked, we will say so.

Is the swivel wrong? In my opinion, yes, because there are ways of streamlining yourself and your gear that don't introduce additional points of failure. Will I call you a stroke for doing it? Nope. You're perfectly free to dive how you choose and are in no way obligated to take my advice or do anything my way.

WW

[wetlettuce]

Hi

Sorry mate, but you'll get your head kicked in on this board for this kind of question (British Technical Term) :mean:

Before becoming all defensive and going to the extremes you need to read a bit and do some research before posting stuff.

www.gue.com

www.gavinscooters.com

www.wkpp.org

Visit these sites first and see what they have to say.

Then read through the many posts on the board regarding DIR etc. These posts include many other links to quality info.

The end result is that if you don't do it DIR then you're just not DIR. Theres no need to assume that it means you're doing it wrong. It doesn't have to be a yes no black or white statement.

If you still haven't resolved any of your issues after that then post some questions which won't get your (see british technical term above).

:D

[wreckedinri]

WW

Perhaps I am uncomfortable with the terminology. Maybe DIB - Doing It Better would - would be more suitable than DIR. Let us stay with the swivel example: I agree with you, I could do away with the swivel with different regs, however my financial situation does not allow me to abandon my MR22 at this time. But it would be BETTER if I could.

Maybe it is just semantics and my comfort zone is way too fragile but I tend to see a red flag when I hear people talking in absolute terms.

Dennis

[WreckWriter]

I don't completely disagree but the terminology is already there and unlikely to change. We're stuck with it and we all have to learn to work with it.

WW

[salty]

I agree with you, I could do away with the swivel with different regs, however my financial situation does not allow me to abandon my MR22 at this time. But it would be BETTER if I could.



It only takes a $20 hose to start your assimalition.....I mean enlightenment...no that dosent sound good eather:rolleyes:

All kidding aside and quality reg will do a simple hose change will show you what its all about.

Easy change, simple design, well thought out use. Thats what the long hose is all about, and the rest of the equipment choices for that matter.

[The Pirate]

Tekkie once bubbled...
Hey, This is for all of you DIR divers and anyone else who wants to answer.

Ok! I'll bite.


I have read about the equipment style and procedures used in DIR diving and I was going to get the GUE book called (I think) DIR Fundamentals of Better Diving (or something like that).

Yea! Something like that.:out:


I was wondering if I can use the gear setup and (for example) the long hose technique without taking the GUE DIR Fundamentals class.

Heaven forbid you use the long hose without taking The Class!:reaper:


Would it be safer to take the class then use the DIR techniques or can I just read the book and use the DIR techniques?

Never, never use the DIR techniques without reading the book, uh, or is it the other way around, Never, never read the book without using DIR techniques. I forget. Oh well you can figure it out.:crawl:


Ok that was a little confusing. What I ment is can I just read the DIR book and be a DIR Diver or do I have to take the GUE class to be a DIR diver?

No! You must have the DIR patch for your wetsuit b4 you can be a DIR diver. :kidding:

The Pirate:pirate:

[MechDiver]

The Pirate once bubbled...


snip non-informational comments;

No! You must have the DIR patch for your wetsuit b4 you can be a DIR diver. :kidding:

The Pirate:pirate:

Another post where you manage to say nothing whatsoever. You're very good at this. Possibly you could trade your pigeon for one with a larger vocabulary?

[Gorji]

Agree. Why do that? Maybe it should be removed.

[willanz]

If I put a swivel with a captive "O" ring on my first stage to pull a hose down and out of the way...


Dennis,

It's funny you bring up the swivels on the 1st stage. I had to end a dive at the surface of the water because one of the o-rings in the swivel was leaking. We exited the water and I suggested to my buddy an alteranate routing for his regs. He made the change and the hoses were clear of his valves and routed nicely.

We went and had a nice dive. We made our way back to the shop for some fills and I noticed him tinkering with his reg. The next day I looked at his regs and he had the swivel back on there...hmm. I didn't get why he changed it back.

Later I found out that because he paid for it, he wanted to use it.

Some people are just like that...I guess.

I agree on the financial situation. I sold 4 regulators to get 1 solid one but after 6 months of diving them it was worth it : )

Original question:

Can you use a long hose?

Yes.

Just be carefull of the length and how you route it. My first experience of hearing this, I ended up with a 9' hose bungeed on the side of my tanks. It took one air-share to figure out there had to be a better way.