DIR-F for me?

While I understrand that DIR-F is probably at least as much about how you do a thing as what thing you do, I'm curious, what things do you do? I've been feeling signed-off on since my first class and in need of some supervised rigor. DIR-F sounds,
ideology aside, like what I've always imagined I needed. Maybe I just need to be loved.
I'm not at all averse to the idiology, but am more interested in the physicality (read in the voice of Jessie Jackson). A nice cold, opinionless list would be nice as would any opinions. Thanks.
Dave

well, i just took DIR-F, and I would sincerely recommend it.

as for specific skills, you basically will work on your bouyancy and trim.
in order to have good bouynacy and trim, you'll work on shedding weight
and properly configuring your equipment.

then you will practice a number of skills. the highlights are:

1. basic propulsion (frog; mod frog; mod flutter; backwards; helicopter turn)
2. regulator removal and replacement
3. mask removal and clearance
4. shooting a marker bag
5. sharing air drill; and
6. timed out-of-air ascents

however, i find that the class is more than the sum of its parts. you really
need to take it to experience it.

H2Andy:

well, i just took DIR-F, and I would sincerely recommend it.

as for specific skills, you basically will work on your bouyancy and trim.
in order to have good bouynacy and trim, you'll work on shedding weight
and properly configuring your equipment.

then you will practice a number of skills. the highlights are:

1. basic propulsion (frog; mod frog; mod flutter; backwards; helicopter turn)
2. regulator removal and replacement
3. mask removal and clearance
4. shooting a marker bag
5. sharing air drill; and
6. timed out-of-air ascents

however, i find that the class is more than the sum of its parts. you really
need to take it to experience it.

Click to expand...

I was hoping to hear from you since you just took it. I understand that its more than the sum of its parts but was curious about the level of physical rigor. I'm assuming that "mask removal and clearing" is somwhere between mask-removal-and-clearing
and hit-in-the-face-with-brick-while-entangled-and............ .

It's not as bad as "hit in the face with a brick, but you might be asked to remove and clear while hovering at a fixed depth with good trim. It's all things you should be able to do, but you aren't given the luxury of demonstrating them one at a time while kneeling in the shallow end of the pool. It's more about making sure you can do them well while task loaded.

evad, there's very little physical rigour required, other than swimming 300 yards
in 14 minutes (i admit, this was almost too much for me).

no one will trick you, or throw unexpected stuff at you. they basically tell you
what they want you to do, and then you do it.

MSilvia is right, though. the skills must be done while maintaing trim and bouyancy.

belive me, that's hard enough.

Even if you choose not to follow the philosophies of GUE, the DIR-F course is fantastic. Nothing has improved my diving as much as that course. I was taking Padi course after Padi course and still not learning "how to dive". I took all the configuaration on that GUE recommends, and have yet to find a reason to change any of it. I am working on sticking with their philosophies the more I dive as well.

Take it, you won't regret it.

evad:

While I understrand that DIR-F is probably at least as much about how you do a thing as what thing you do, I'm curious, what things do you do? I've been feeling signed-off on since my first class and in need of some supervised rigor. DIR-F sounds,
ideology aside, like what I've always imagined I needed. Maybe I just need to be loved.
I'm not at all averse to the idiology, but am more interested in the physicality (read in the voice of Jessie Jackson). A nice cold, opinionless list would be nice as would any opinions. Thanks.
Dave

Click to expand...

Well, the class is not named "fundamentals" for no reason... ";-)
You go back to the basics. In my class, dive experience ranged from 1 year to 20 years, and believe me: *everybody* could improve their basic skills. Every diver has learned to remove his mask in open water. And every diver has learned how to stay at the same depth. But doing those two basic things at the same time is hard! But once you master it, you'll notice that the fun in your diving really improves.

The most important thing I learned is what I still have to learn ";-)

I just took my Fundamentals course as well. And it really is worth it... even if you just go there to test your own existing skills.

As long as you enter the class WILLING TO LEARN. You will come out a much better diver. Whether you agree with the lessons or not... if you're willing to learn... it will make a HUGE difference in your diving after the class.

Ok... a little more info on the drills... the mask clearing and removal is pretty basic... but they make you do this not to really see if you can clear your mask... but if you can maintain buoyancy. In PADI... you're taught to do this kneeling on the ocean floor. And seriously... who loses their mask while kneeling on the ocean floor in a real dive???

Anyway... the basic buoyancy concepts are actually very similar to PADI's books... BUT... it's HOW these concepts are taught... and HOW they make you practice them that makes all the difference.

Situational drills are the best way to learn. Since you get to perform tasks as they would happen during a real dive. Not standing/kneeling on the floor. And it's great that the whole class is being done at 20 feet...where buoyancy is particularly tough. It really puts your over-all skills to the test since you're being asked to do one task (S-drill for example)... but are being rated on multiple tasks (S-drill, buoyancy, trim, team awareness...etc) while you do your drill. So watching the video after, makes you realize what areas do you start losing concentration once your start the drill... do you forget about the team next to you? Do you forget about your trim? Do you forget your buoyancy? All these things come out. And THAT is the good part of the DIRF course. It really shows you where you need to improve.

This is like the BMW driving school (Or Skip Barber... or similar classes) ... vs. Driver's Ed. You learn control.

As long as you are in decent shape, you'll be fine physically. They don't beat on you in that sense, instead they ask to do very basic things (like a simple ascent and descent drill while holding the right trim or clearing your mask while keeping your trim on point). Because the skills are so basic, the class can become very mentally taxing in the sense that many people (like me) realize that they lack even the most basic skills. The course was a real reality check. I recommend it very much. Don't worry, they won't make you do push-ups while wearing doubles or swim around with one fin one and no mask.

"Do 100 push-ups with a full set of doubles... swim 300 yards fully geared, but no fins... swim through this wreck without a mask, no buddy or line, and don't touch anything... do this all in under 5 mins!!!!"

No..they don't do anything like this. They will really monitor your buoyancy and trim. Finning techniques and stress levels during the drills.