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I suppose this isn't the best forum to post this artical, but it is the technical crowd that I am targeting by writing it. I've been extremely busy since summer started up here and haven't participated as much as I would like here, but I felt I had to share my experience with all of you.
DIRF, A Sobering Experience
In a class of 12 students or so, we had a range of divers from very new to very experienced. There were life-long “rec” instructors to fully certified trimix divers and self-taught divers, such as myself. Some students had been certified for less than a year and some for 20+ years. Never in my life would I have imagined that such a diverse group of divers could be shown to be equally poor divers.
It didn’t take long for Andrew G., Mike Kane, and Dan Mackay to show us how to show ourselves how bad we all were. This was the first time that I have ever seen a PADI instructor and a new diver on a level playing field struggling with precisely the same basic skills. Time in the water, years of experience, or pieces of plastic in your wallet meant absolutely nothing to your success in this class.
Upon completing the class, it was evident to most everyone that the result was nearly a 100% failure rate (in a class where there isn't a pass/fail). No one had done well enough to go onto Tech 1 without significant practice and/or coaching. Some people showed up the first day very confident and outspoken and were preparing to have a great time but quickly found themselves extremely solemn and withdrawn following the very first dive and throughout the rest of the class.
As for myself, I had a no expectations of success for myself. I had known exactly what to expect as far as the challenge. Even though I have a few pieces of plastic issued to me by PADI and TDI, I knew that my skills had never been evaluated since OW. I knew going into the class that my skills were equal to or better than most anyone that I had ever dove with (rec instructors, certified trimix divers, self taught divers, etc.). What I didn’t expect was that all of them, including myself, were wholly inadequate divers – ALL of them.
Upon completing the class, I came to the realization that it would be possible for me to attain GUE quality skills with practice. However, the enormous amount of practice and time that would be required to become proficient with those skills is likely prohibitive for me. Simply put, I don’t have the time, place, or people to go with to achieve that goal. With a dive season that is only four or five months (max), the long period of inactivity would be counter productive to learning and maintaining GUE quality skills (assuming I could achieve them in the first place). I’m not an instructor (nor do I care to be one) that can get in the water ten times per week and practice these skills while training students.
Driving home after the class was a time of reckoning for me. For two hours I thought about forgetting diving all together. I don’t care for shallow Great Lakes diving. I don’t have the time or place to get GUE proficient to do deep wrecks, which I enjoy so much. I started asking myself some very real questions. Do I E-bay everything I have and abandon all the investment of time and energy that I have put into diving? What other hobbies would I enjoy doing (I’m thinking putt-putt golf )? I could still dive in the tropics while on vacation every now and then, right? Hmmm.
As time went by, my thoughts turned towards accepting that I didn’t want to give up diving. Not having diving in my life seemed impossible and nothing else really interests me. So, I thought about risk assessment. How much of a risk am I to myself and to my buddy? How safe is diving? How are the technical divers dying and getting hurt up here and other places? Am I better than they are (generally, yes)? After an excruciating ride home, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to continue diving. I wanted to continue to dive on the wrecks I enjoy. So, I asked myself what I’m lacking? Why? How do I over come it in the short term and the long term?
Anyway, this class was nothing less than mind boggling. I have greater respect than ever before for what GUE is trying to do, how they do it, and why. I have a greater disrespect than ever before for most all other agencies as well (indeed the industry as a whole). As many of you know, I have been a huge supporter of DIR for the past 5 years or so. I have been a huge supporter of GUE as well, even before I took the class. I have loudly expressed my great dislike of most other agencies and the industry at large as well. This class has confirmed my previously held notions so clearly that I’m virtually speechless. The funny thing is that the instructors didn’t have to tell you squat. They showed you how to show yourself how bad you are and how bad the industry really is. It was an amazing class.
Last edited by Lost Yooper; July 15th, 2002 at 08:21 PM.
I like what you said about no matter what plastic you hold, your diving skills had never been evaluated since OW. That's something we could all use.
We've all come across those divers who have taken all the tech classes, (with some, diving in a class is about all the diving they do) bought all the RIGHT gear, can quote theories ad nauseum, look good and talk a big game until they get in the water. For those of us who aren't 'tech divers' and these examples of 'tech divers' is all we see, is it any wonder we aren't impressed?
Your honest soul searching is good to see. We could all stand more of it ourselves.
Originally posted by CincyDiver Some examples would be great. I'm about to finish up my PADI divemaster course and would like to hear what kind of skills I may be lacking.
If you've been trained in the mainstream style, I hate to say it but almost everything about your diving is lacking or has been taught to you wrong. However, if you're going to be an active DM you will have to teach others the same wrong way of doing things since the recreational industry hides behind the word "standards" rather than "correct."
Take the DIRF course, but I'll warn you that you'll have some soul searching to do afterwards because your local shop will DEMAND that you teach inferior skills and techniques to divers that they only offer inferior equipment to. It's very frustrating. I used to be a DM, I could not do that job anymore unless a local shop started carrying the right equipment and offered either an advanced DIRF-like course or an "enriched" OW course that went far above and beyond normal OW requirements.
Mike,
Thanks a lot! ...since it is too late to practice skills for my DIRF (starts Friday), I am on to the mental preparation stage. I am spending this week getting myself geared up to take whatever happens and your post helps me get in the right frame of mind...be prepared to fail at everything and learn as much as possible...ego checks in at the door.
"I'm Warren Miller and about 50 years ago, back in 1946 when I was a senior in college, I went skiing on the second weekend in November. On Monday morning, I went back and dropped out of school. Since then, I've never looked back." - Warren Miller
Um, so did the instructors try and help you FIX anything, or did they just make you feel so crud about yourself that you came to the point you mentioned where you were actually considering giving up diving?
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)? I could still dive in the tropics while on vacation every now and then, right? Hmmm.
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An eye-opening class
