Moving your wife to DIR?

Easier said then done.........

Over the last few years I have enjoyed my dives so much more in a BP/W along with my new training that I want to share these improvements with my wife. She can see the change in my diving but really likes her BCD, OCTO and training level.

With this in mind I pieced together a rig for her to play around with. Maybe even do a few hours in a pool with me to fine tune things. My goal here is baby steps to build up a nice single tank set up then move to a skills class.

Right now this is what I have built up but I'm thinking weight pockets and that pad kit might make her feel more at home. Over time that stuff could work it's way off. What I don't want is for her to not feel at home in the water and quit diving altogether. So you can understand why I'm trying to put some thought into this.

If it comes to letting her dive what she wants I'm ok with it but when you know a better way it's hard not to try and change her thinking. I have sometime before our next trip to make gear changes but it's not going to be easy.

Halcyon Small Stainless Steel Backplate
Halcyon Small Storage Pack
Halcyon Harness
Halcyon Eclipse Wing
OPV valve with a knob
Halcyon STA W/o weight
Halcyon Trim Weights
Halcyon Small SPG with clip
Wrist Mounted Computer
Wrist Mounted Compass

Don't do it. If she feels even a whiff of being pushed into something, you run a risk of alienating her.

Let her decide to expand her skills or configuration because it's something she sees a need for.





All the best, James

My wife dives basically the same setup you listed. The only difference is that she uses Halcyon's small aluminum plate. This allows her to have ditchable weight in her weight pockets. Obviously, this is a personal choice, but I mention this as it may make your wife more willing to give a backplate/wing setup a try. Also, the aluminum plate (without weights) is much lighter to carry around in general (another plus for your wife potentially.)

fdog nailed it. Let her decide and don't push.

Mayor:

If it comes to letting her dive what she wants I'm ok with it but when you know a better way it's hard not to try and change her thinking.

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People (your wife included) don't change because you want them to, they change because they want to.

Assuming she is actually interested in diving and not just tagging along, I wouldn't spend a penny on gear and instead offer her a UTD Essentials class. This can be done with just about any gear (non-split fins and 5+ft long hose are about the only requirements). If she's got modestly improved skills and is having more fun then you can talk about how different gear would make her more comfortable. If she's not interested, then at least her trim, bouyancy and kicks are to some degree improved.

Its not about the gear.

Ramsy:

My wife dives basically the same setup you listed. The only difference is that she uses Halcyon's small aluminum plate. This allows her to have ditchable weight in her weight pockets. Obviously, this is a personal choice, but I mention this as it may make your wife more willing to give a backplate/wing setup a try. Also, the aluminum plate (without weights) is much lighter to carry around in general (another plus for your wife potentially.)

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I like a neutral rig but it's for her not me. I was thinking about weight pockets. She needed between 12lbs and 14lbs to sink with a jacket BCD and a full 3mm wet suit.

Unless she's an analytical logical woman (and no offense, but you girls aren't built that way), this is going to be a struggle. Good luck with it. I'd rather have my wife diving with me than not diving with me.

If it helps, one other thought I had. My *wife* is actually the person who got me into DIR diving. My wife got interested in DIR diving because of the safety. She viewed the knowledge and the equipment requirements as being good sound diving practices that promoted safety. The enjoyment of diving the DIR system was not her primary goal in going DIR. However, it goes without saying that we both enjoy diving a lot more using the DIR principles.

Ramsy:

If it helps, one other thought I had. My *wife* is actually the person who got me into DIR diving. My wife got interested in DIR diving because of the safety. She viewed the knowledge and the equipment requirements as being good sound diving practices that promoted safety. The enjoyment of diving the DIR system was not her primary goal in going DIR. However, it goes without saying that we both enjoy diving a lot more using the DIR principles.

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How can you not, when you both are on the same page when diving

Mayor:

I like a neutral rig but it's for her not me. I was thinking about weight pockets. She needed between 12lbs and 14lbs to sink with a jacket BCD and a full 3mm wet suit.

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Removing the padding and air trapment that a traditional jacket BCD provides will eliminate some of the weight. She may be able to drop down to 8lbs or so, but putting even the 8lbs (4 on each side) on her waist may make trim difficult. Adding a 6lbs back plate with 2 - 4 lbs would help tremendously.

That said, just like others have said. Only if she wants to.