DIR without the gear

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rockclimber26

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My wife and I just became PADI AOW certified and recently purchased all our own gear including vest type BCDs, non-wrist computers, and Atomic regs. I started reading about DIR and GUE diving a few days ago and am very interested but lack the funding to purchase all new gear again and am hoping to get a lot more use out of our existing equipment. Is it possible to start learning, practice, and use DIR principles without the equipment such as a wing setup? If so, what good place to start?

Thank you,


David
 
rockclimber26:
Is it possible to start learning, practice, and use DIR principles without the equipment such as a wing setup?
Click to expand...

For basic recreational diving, sure. I know if someone handed me a vest BC that I wouldn't suddenly turn into a terrible DIR teammate for a 30' reef dive. That said, clearly the gear *is* an important cornerstone of the DIR approach, so at some point, having the right gear matters (and certainly helps at any level).

The best way to move forward is to find either a local DIR instructor or local DIR divers who could serve as mentors. You can learn a bit on the internet, but it'll only take you so far. The GUE recreational books are probably a good place to start reading.

If you do decide to follow with DIR, you can always consider looking for deals on used gear, selling your own gear, or trying to convert what you have (e.g. many console computers can be put into a wrist mount).

These forums are a wonderful place to ask questions, but if you can hook up with some local DIR divers, you'll be way ahead of the curve.

Good luck!
 
Agree with what Rainer said. While gear is a part of the philosophy, and it's the one people tend to focus on the most, it is only a part.
 
If you’d like to dive DIR equipment, as Ranier mentioned, it doesn’t need to bankrupt the piggy bank. You might be able to turn some of your current equipment into DIR. For example, my back inflate SP Ladyhawk BCD with 40 dives sold for just under what it cost to pick up a bp/w. I’ve purchased several pairs of Jets here on the classified section, on ebay or thedecostop.com for around $30 each. A hose swap is pretty inexpensive.

I have a DIR friend who is moving to Boulder Co soon. If you’d like the contact, feel free to PM me.

It’s a lot of fun to crossover from rock climbing to DIR diving :)! Good luck!
 
A good way to start toward this kind of diving is UTD Essentials. You have an essentials instructor, George Watson, in Colorado. This class, I believe, requires non-split fins and a long hose configuration, changes which are quite inexpensive to make, but allows you to use your existing BC.

If you can't make even those changes, one options would be to talk to George, or to Boulderjohn here on SB, about doing some mainstream dive classes with a "DIR" flavor -- for example, a peak performance buoyancy class which would be strongly oriented toward balancing your equipment and working on horizontal trim, and perhaps some introduction to non-silting propulsion techniques.

The cornerstones of DIR diving are strong personal skills and operating as a team (which means honing situational awareness). You can easily work on those things before changing over your entire equipment setup, although the "donate the primary" strategy for gas sharing DOES require a longer hose on the primary regulator.
 
Thank you for all the suggestions. Also, is the Halcyon gear worth the extra expense or will a Zeagle BP/W work?
 
The requirements are a rigid backplate and a continuous harness. A short inflator hose (so it doesn't dangle below you) is preferred, and a single rear dump on the left underside of the wing, with no knob or ball on the end of the string. Many brands now meet those criteria; I'm not sure about Zeagle.

Halcyon gear is very good quality (and the Cinch system is rather nice) but also sits at a very high price point. It is not necessary to own ANY Halcyon (or UTD) gear to be a good DIR diver.
 
TSandM:
A good way to start toward this kind of diving is UTD Essentials. You have an essentials instructor, George Watson, in Colorado. This class, I believe, requires non-split fins and a long hose configuration, changes which are quite inexpensive to make, but allows you to use your existing BC.

If you can't make even those changes, one options would be to talk to George, or to Boulderjohn here on SB, about doing some mainstream dive classes with a "DIR" flavor -- for example, a peak performance buoyancy class which would be strongly oriented toward balancing your equipment and working on horizontal trim, and perhaps some introduction to non-silting propulsion techniques.
Click to expand...

George is also on ScubaBoard (Rookers), but he really does not participate much here.

George has a lot of equipment that he loans to people for classes. That is, in fact, how I started when I did not have the gear. I then picked stuff up a little at a time.

I am still picking it up, in fact. Almost everything I have purchased has been intended for doubles diving. If I am going on a reef dive (which does not happen all that often), I still use my old ScubaPro Nighthawk BCD. The only thing I have done differently is to switch the hoses so that I have a 7 foot primary and a bungeed alternate. I will get a singles wing soon, but I have not seen it as a priority in expending my meager finances. Besides, if I really want a singles wing I can just use George's, which I have done on several occasions.:D

Feel free to contact me for more information.
 
You can apply and learn a lot of the principles of DIR using your current gear and as you learn more about the system you can make up your mind whether to change some of the items and which ones are a higher priority. The ideal is to find some people around that are willing to mentor you and try out a typical DIR configuration before you decide to buy anything ...

Incidentally, I will be moving to Boulder, CO in a couple of months and have some extra gear I can loan out. I would love to quickly find local people to dive with, so let me know if you are interested :D
 
zamburinha:
...
Incidentally, I will be moving to Boulder, CO in a couple of months and have some extra gear I can loan out. I would love to quickly find local people to dive with, so let me know if you are interested :D
Click to expand...

You must be the person that Kathydee mentioned in her post?
You might want to get in touch with George Watson (UTD)at Ocean First Divers in Boulder, and Rob Calkins (GUE) at Flatirons Scuba.
You should have no trouble finding dive buddies, there are a ton of divers in CO. We usually dive at a location that is deep enough to keep up your T1 skills and beyond ( i noticed you are T1).
Hopefully we'll get to dive sometime when you get here :D
 
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