DIR / DIR Curious Shore Dive Event - October 9th - Heisler (Laguna)

[ligersandtions]

It seems that a fair amount of interest in the socal DIR community has been generated recently, so I wanted to set up an informal, fun event where those who are DIR curious have the opportunity to chat with, check out gear, and dive with divers who have been diving the DIR system for a while....basically, give you an opportunity to see what this is all about and allow you to make an informed decision if this kind of diving is for you.


Who's putting this on?

My name is Nicole and I've been diving a little over two years now. When I first started diving, I met a number of local DIR divers and started diving with them as I really enjoyed the way they dived -- they were always in control and made everything seem effortless, the communication was concise and clear, and I never worried about losing a buddy because they always made sure that I knew where they were and where we were headed. Since then, I've taken UTD Essentials and GUE Fundamentals. I'm interested in pursuing some tech diving in the future, but am really only concerned with doing as much diving and having as much fun as I possibly can in the meantime

Team diving and becoming confident in my skills (through classes and a lot of diving) has really changed my diving for the better. If this is compelling to you, DIR is something that you should check out!


What's the plan?

The plan is to meet at Heisler Park (at the picnic tables) on October 9th. Some of us will be getting there early enough to snag a table or two and a barbecue....oh, and score some close/free parking! But for the rest of you, it would be great if you could be there by 8am-ish.

We'll plan to hit the water for dive #1 around 9:30am, which will give us plenty of time to set up gear, discuss gear differences (pros/cons), answer questions, chit chat, establish buddy teams, and make dive plans. I envision this being a fun / non-skills kind of dive....that said, if you're thinking, "What is this s-drill thing I've been hearing about?", please do not hesitate to ask....I'm sure a number of us would be happy to demonstrate at some point in the dive and then continue searching for neat critters and pretty marine life.

After the first dive, we'll have a nice surface interval with plenty of time to ask any questions that come to mind, and refuel with some snacks and drinks. And if you're up for it, we can go in for a second dive.


What if my gear is not DIR-compliant??

Absolutely not a problem! We will discuss the gear we dive versus more traditional recreational set-ups....we will explain what it is that makes us like what we dive. But absolutely no worries if you are not diving a bp/w, long hose, can light, etc.

Most of us will be diving singles set-ups as Heisler is shallow and singles are fun!! We will likely have at least one doubles set-up that we can talk about as well.


Do I need to bring a buddy?

I'm really hoping that we will have enough DIR divers to team up with each DIR curious diver. It would be ideal if we could manage 1 curious : 2 DIR....but that will depend on how many from each camp can make it. If we are fortunate enough to have that kind of ratio, it will make it that much more obvious how "team" plays into DIR diving, as that is one of the most important aspects of this style of diving.

That said, we should have plenty of people for you to buddy up with....but if you have a buddy's who's also interested in DIR, definitely bring him/her!


Food/Drinks

This event will be potluck-style, so each person should plan to bring something....a side dish, chips/dip, fruit, dessert, drinks, whatever. There will be a barbecue available if anyone's interested. We'll also need to someone to bring plates and utensils. If you're able to make it, please list what you will be bringing (if you're not sure as of right now....I understand, this event is almost two months away....feel free to post later on).


Who's coming?

Should be a really fun event and I hope many of you can make it! I'm hoping that a few of the local GUE/UTD instructors will be able to join as well....that will give you a great resource to ask questions (I will answer what I can, but honestly, I'm still pretty new to this as well!!).


Who's coming?

DIR (has taken a GUE/UTD course):
1. ligersandtions - Nicole
2. xstephenx - Stephen
3. jenth - Jen
4. lobstah - Maciek (UTD instructor)
5. Ramsy - Walter
6. hsuan - Jennifer
7. Codyjp - Cody
8. Rainer - Christopher
9. SCUBA Q - Quintin
10. stargost - Cyrille
11. Steve Millington - Steve (GUE instructor)
12. leabre - Shawn
13. Charles
14. Blackwood - Marc (probably)
15. Bob Sherwood - GUE Instructor


DIR curious (has not yet taken a GUE/UTD course):
1. textilet
2. pfulks
3. Leslie
4. joethesci
5. Venom
6. Grover48
7. scubadobadoo
8. scobadobadoo's wife
9. formula1mb
10. Oside Jimc
11. peewee2472
12. Roger

If there are more than ten in either (both!) of the categories, we'll keep adding to the list....I just figure ten is easy to start with

Please do let me know if you have any questions. I'm really looking forward to meeting many new divers....this should be a ton of fun

[jenth]

I'll be there! Not sure what I'll bring food-wise, but probably something vegetarian. Looking forward to all the fun!

[lobstah]

vill be zere. uiz utenzilz

[leabre]

I'll be tentative. It depends on whether Jeff has a lesson/dive planned for me. If not, count me in

[textilet]

I'll be there. I can bring plates and side of some kind.

[pfulks]

I'm there too. I can bring some drinks and burger patties

[Ramsy]

Jennifer and I will be there. We will bring drinks.

[Leejnd]

I'm in. I'll bring some type of home-made food item...not sure what yet, I'll post that closer to the event.

[Codyjp]

Of course Leslie and I will be there. I'll make sure she bakes something great too.

[Rainer]

Plan to be there as well! Sounds like a lot of fun.

Will bring something vegetarian.

Thanks for organizing, Nicole!