I get the "why and when" of starting, now I need the "how"

[sea_nauga]

I'm a novice diver, PADI AOW, <40 dives (all benign), with the ability to give a pretty frank self-assessment of my own skills.
The DIR concept really appeals to me as I tend to be 'mission and procedures' oriented (if you meet me you'll probably understand fairly quickly ) but there's no one in my immediate circle of diving friends who 'follows the path'. Anybody in the South LA county/LBC area willing to give me a blunt look at what I need to head to start improving my skills over a cup of coffee or a beer or something?

Tried to post this to the SoCal DIR group but I don't have the secret handshake.


Dave

AKA Nauga,

[rhlee]

Hi Dave,

The easiest (best?) path would be to hook up with one of your local GUE instructors; luckily you have a few in the area. Give Karim, Steve or Marc a call and they will be able to get you sorted straight away.

regards,
-Rob

[sea_nauga]

The easiest (best?) path would be to hook up with one of your local GUE instructors; luckily you have a few in the area. Give Karim, Steve or Marc a call and they will be able to get you sorted straight away.

Thanks, I found their contact info on the GUE website and will get in touch.

In the meantime, I'll ask one of many questions: I'm planning on taking a drysuit class this winter before buying one, and hoping to progress towards either GUE primer or fundies, but I'd prefer to try a BP/W before jumping into a class with it. Would it be better to try a whole new gear config (currently diving wet with a back-inflate BC) before adjusting to a drysuit or get situated with a drysuit then try the BP/W? Seems like a lot of folks buy the gear and jump right in, but I'm not ready to lay out good money for a rig I'm not at all familiar with. Same goes for the drysuit, but at least I've got a lot of time in them...just never in water, thankfully. That makes sequencing trials and training a little more challenging.

Nauga,
all over the map

[gsk3]

Try posting on the DiveMatrix as well. A few of the SoCal DIR folks hang out there.

[ligersandtions]

Thanks, I found their contact info on the GUE website and will get in touch.

In the meantime, I'll ask one of many questions: I'm planning on taking a drysuit class this winter before buying one, and hoping to progress towards either GUE primer or fundies, but I'd prefer to try a BP/W before jumping into a class with it. Would it be better to try a whole new gear config (currently diving wet with a back-inflate BC) before adjusting to a drysuit or get situated with a drysuit then try the BP/W? Seems like a lot of folks buy the gear and jump right in, but I'm not ready to lay out good money for a rig I'm not at all familiar with. Same goes for the drysuit, but at least I've got a lot of time in them...just never in water, thankfully. That makes sequencing trials and training a little more challenging.

Nauga,
all over the map

There are quite a few local DIR divers that would be happy to help you get pointed in the right direction....and, of course, happy to get out and dive! I'm not entirely qualified to assess your skills or anything like that, but I have been diving this system for a few years now and find it to work well for me.

I would strongly suggest you contact Steve Millington -- he's a great instructor and an extremely nice guy. I'm sure he'd be able to give you advice about transitioning to bp/w and drysuit at the same time. And I also know he's happy to set up GUE-style drysuit classes....so it could almost serve as an intro to this type of diving, while getting you comfortable in the drysuit (and bp/w).

Where in socal are you located? I won't be around for a couple weekends, but I'd be happy to get some diving in with you when we're both available -- feel free to PM me if you're interested

[TSandM]

I think you will find the transition to the BP/W is a minor one. It's still a BC, and it still adds air and vents much the way you have learned (unless you are using an i3!). I don't think you'll have any trouble at all in SoCal, finding someone who will lend you a BP/W to try out for a dive, and who, more importantly, will help you get it close to correctly adjusted beforehand.

Transitioning to a dry suit is a bit more of an adjustment, since as a wetsuit diver, you are not accustomed to inflating and venting your suit (at least not from a tank ).

The way I would see it is that, if you want to dive more this winter, look into the dry suit thing first. If you are resigned to less diving in winter, get the backplate system. At least the dives you do may be a bit better balanced and possibly more comfortable.

[sea_nauga]

Spent some time on the phone with Steve Millington yesterday, thanks everyone who suggested contacting him. I've got a better idea of where I want to be with respect to skills, but what still bugs me is that there doesn't seem to be a clear way for the average PADI-trained sand-rake diver to see if DIR is the way to go without a significant investment in gear just to find out if this is worth pursuing. My plan right now is to take a PADI drysuit class as soon as practical and start looking for a drysuit that would also be suitable for GUE classes (not buying before trying). As soon as I get comfortable in the DS I'll see about begging or borrowing a BP/W and a pool or maybe a refresher in BP/W to find out what works for me. If that goes halfway decent then I'd be a lot more comfortable buying the gear and getting some time in the water in it. Then, at some convenient time, either the GUE primer or fundamentals, depending on my skills at that time.

So...is this a reasonable plan or am I missing something? Overthinking it, maybe?

In the meantime, thanks for the offers of help and diving – I'll try and stay in touch and see about getting out to Vet's to talk and dive a little more.

Nauga,
whose key to flexibility is indecision

[TSandM]

Well, you don't really have to be in a dry suit to dive DIR/GUE style. You have to have a balanced rig, which in SoCal with thick wetsuits and diving steel tanks, means having some ditchable weight.

There is a large and well-established DIR community down there . . . I can GUARANTEE you that it will be possible to connect with someone who can lend you a backplate and go for a dive with you, so you can see how they dive and how they communicate. In fact, you might very well find that someone is willing to go dive with you without you even changing your gear (I may be able to volunteer someone, in fact.)

I don't think most people have to get all the way through a class to decide whether this kind of diving appeals. A few dives with DIR divers will tell you whether it does. For me, it took one. Once you have made the decision, the rest of it is budgeting.

[sea_nauga]

Well, you don't really have to be in a dry suit to dive DIR/GUE style.

A drysuit has been on my wish list since I started diving . My interest in GUE came after I started looking for a little more, uhh... 'rigor' in my diving.
Thanks for the help!

Nauga,
who is checklist-oriented

[ligersandtions]

I think the best way to decide if you like this style of diving is to go out with those who already dive this way. Seeing really is believing...and doesn't require purchasing any gear (though, if you're like I was, seeing it will make you want to buy it ).