DIR Fundamentals comes to Phoenix!

We have arranged for a DIRF class to be held in Phoenix on the weekend of June 27th. MHK and Sonya Tittle will instruct. The class will be presented as it has in the past and will not be affected by the new changes from GUE. I haven't confirmed this with MHK yet, but I suspect that if you desire to take this as a GUE certification then that can be arranged.

The class will cost $360. This does not include instructor(s) expenses which will be split among the students. Also not included are tank rentals, fills, weights, lake fees, and any meals.
Participants will need to order the required reading, The Fundamentals of Better Diving, from the GUE website.

The class will be held at Scuba Specialties in Phoenix.http://www.scubaspecialties.com/
You can sign up for the class at either of their locations or by calling 602-504-1112. (Please be patient...this is new and I haven't yet had a chance to brief the staff at either store.)

We have considered the extreme temps of summer in Phoenix and plan to do as much as we can indoors with the AC cranked down. The dives will be at Lake Pleasant...keep your fingers crossed for good visibility and think of it as a real world test of your buoyancy skills.

I will be out of town for a few days but when I return I'll get more details out.

SA

FAQ

1. As Steve noted, you'll be able to "audit" the course (i.e. no C-card and minimal equipment requirements) even though the class is being held after June 1. If you're interested in taking the class as a certification course, you'll most likely need a full set of DIR-compliant equipment. See below for a link to the syllabus.

2. Even though you can sign up for the class at Scuba Specialties, you'll still need to complete the GUE enrollment form found on their website.

3. You can find the basic syllabus for the course, including equipment details, HERE.

4. There will be a hard deadline for enrollment and payment of fees. We don't have a deadline yet, but figure that it will be at least 30 days prior to the class.

5. You will probably need to buy a long hose (5' to 7').

6. Because the open water portion of the class is being held at Lake Pleasant, feel free to bring any RPHHG's (Rocket Propelled Holy Hand Grenades), Harpoon ASM's or Mark V torpedos you happen to have in your arsenal. We may need to clear some jetskis from the dive site.

If you have specific questions, Steve and I are in contact while he's out of town. PM me with any you have in the next few days, and I'll try to get an answer.

I have a question. Why has the price jumped so much?

The price has jumped because I'm billing at my hourly rate for drafting responsive posts.

AFAIK, there are a couple reasons:

1. Increased travel expenses due to increases in petroleum prices.
2. LDS overhead relating to sponsoring the event.
3. MHK's green fees at TPC. Well, not really.

The most recent DIR-F price I've seen is $330.00, so the price for this class isn't *too* far out of line. We've done what we can to keep the cost down, but some things are out of our control. It still beats the travel and related expense of going to San Diego or LA for a class.

can we have a total price including the stuff that was not included?

We won't know for certain until we have a figure on travel expenses from the instructor(s). However, as to other expenses:

DIR-F book: $25.00 + shipping

Equipment and air (quoting El Mar prices,since I know what they are)
Air/Nitrox fills: $4/tank x 4 tanks = $16.00 (Saguaro Sports does air fills for free if you'll wait). Nitrox is $10 for EAN32 and $12 for EAN36.
Tank rental: $6.00 per day
Weights: $3.00 per day
Long hose (if required): $39.00 (FifthD or EE price. Ebay is $25-ish + shipping)

Of course, if you have all your own equipment, you'll only be out the price of gas, the book and your share of instructor expenses. AFAIK, we'll be doing shore dives. If we do boat dives, that's another $39.00 per day, but I think tanks and weights are included in that price.

We have been working hard to keep the total cost of this class to a minimum.

In addition to the $360, students will be responsible for splitting the instructor's lodging expenses. I estimate this to be $25 to $35 per student. In addition to that, you can probably figure on $10 per tank (weights included). We will be doing 4 shallow dives and you might be able to get by with only one tank per day. Also, as AzAtty pointed out, if you don't already have the required book then you will need to purchase it from GUE for $24. Add to that other costs like lake fees...about $6 per car per day...and what you might spend for meals. A long hose and necklace backup, though preferred, is only required if you plan to take this course for certification.

The dives will, indeed, be from the shore. There will be no boat fees.

I have compared the cost of this course with those around the country and it is pretty similar to what others are offering.

I would ask that if you intend on renting tanks and weights, then please rent them from the facility that is sponsoring this class. Also, if you plan to purchase any gear like hoses and such, then it would be great if you would wait till class starts so that you can get the instuctor's input on such things. We will have much of what you will need at that time.

In the next few days I will post a sign-up deadline. To make this work we need the help of all you Scuba Boarders here in the valley.

Thanks,

SA

O.K. guys,

I need to have a class roster before June 1st. That means you have to get your money in by that date. I have opened this up to the staff and customers at Scuba Specialties and there seems to be a lot of interest. Space is limited...so please reserve your spot as soon as possible. I need payment in full...no deposit. This is non-refundable (unless the class gets cancelled) so be sure that you have that weekend available before you commit. For now Steven, Frankie, or Rich at the west side facility can sign you up...I still haven't had a chance to brief everyone at the east side store.

SA

Class is still scheduled for June 27th. However, most of the scubaboard members that we originally set this up for have lost interest. So, there are now spots open that we need to fill and I'm kinda in a bind.

Anyone interested? Contact me here at scubaboard.

SA

Guys and Gals,

I need to hear from you by May 15th.

Thanks,

SA