Dan,
There is arrogance in DIR. But, this arrogance seems to come from the newly-minted GUE divers, those just diving within insular groups, or those far removed from the action. I've been invited to join the project twice now. I really want to say yes and make the type of contribution from a WKPP member that Casey wants, but I find that there are few DIR divers I enjoy being around - other than the inner circle.
I've always compared DIR to Christianity. Jarrod is like Jesus and always kind when delivering the philosophy to others and accepts that it isn't for everyone much like, "Him with an ear let him hear..." The original WKPP divers and GUE instructors were like the apostles and the early followers venturing around Wakulla and cave country like Galilee. George was like John the Baptist crying loudly in the wilderness. Andrew Georgitsis was like the apostle Paul traveling the world setting up various "churches," and Barry was like Judas Iscariot.
As a GUE diver, I believe in the philosophy just like I believe in Christianity. But, as a GUE diver, I'm deeply bothered by the way many DIR divers treat others outside the community and even inside the community as well. I'm not talking about those divers who truly are doing things that are absolutely unsafe and to be condemned across the board, but it bothers me when that attitude is directed toward the giants upon whose shoulders we stand today in the cave and tech communities. The zealotry borders on religion. For some, all they've known are split fins, a 3 day OW class, and then GUE-F and above. They are ignorant of many things and what isn't understood is condemned.
When pockets of DIR divers spring up like churches, many behaved badly and unlike Paul's epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, and Thessalonians, no one was really putting a stop to the problem. The blame seems to fall on George, but I think George contributed positively to DIR calling attention to the movement in a way that wasn't easy to ignore. He also did the dives. I really hate it when GUE divers who never met George place the albatross of blame on him for a "past attitude" that exists today - one they often display. I suspect the attitude of certain instructors was emulated. Worse, it really bothers me when they have no understanding of what it takes to get to the EOL in Wakulla. As you know, most would cry, "Uncle!" way before they can imagine. Cave diving at that level is not about trim, buoyancy, propulsion, looking good, or following the DIR rulebook. It's all that in ways, but the most important traits for a deep cave diver are respect for one's situation and courage to be comfortable in those circumstances to be an asset to the team and reliable. Many DIR divers live vicariously through the exploits of the organization and put down divers who've done dives that JJ would and does respect from other organizations.
Many carry the fight from the 90's to the windmills of today as if creating a jihad against other organizations will end them a spot in DIR heaven. GUE has trained so many divers who have taken the philosophy back to their leadership positions at other agencies or have become instructors with other agencies that the influence is amazing and has lifted the standard of a tech skill set industry wide. Some zealots believe that only GUE should teach any form of DIR diving, but you can't put the genie back in the bottle and good instructors who converted couldn't help, but convert their own students to at least the basic foundations of the philosophy.
Like Christianity and the Bible, you can't find all the answers to some current problems in the philosophy or the standards. You can however apply the philosophy and standards to trying to reason through situations.
As a GUE diver, I often criticize the philosophy and the organization in message boards simply because the "religious" zealotry is a bit scary. It's hard for me to embrace DIR that passionately because I see it as having added a tremendous amount to my diving, yet I've had lots of other training and experiences that I need to respect and honor. As a Christian, I believe that Judaism paved the way for my faith and that Muslims believe in the same God I do. I'd hate to exist in an all-DIR diving world as if the Crusades and the Inquisition and the Roman Catholic Church won over the world left us all in the parochialism of the Middle Ages. While DIR forms the foundation of my technical diving experiences, I welcome the Renaissance of improved technologies - especially CCR. The romantic in me also needs to be bad and get seduced into danger. I'm a Protestant in Christianity as much as I protest close-minded zealotry in diving and my part Native American heritage makes me yearn for a world also free of religion.
From reading the Bible, I don't think Christ ever intended to have a belief system that was based upon love and forgiveness bind the human heart as much as religion has done. I also don't think JJ ever intended a system based upon safety to somehow bind the minds of the practitioners. As a collective, we can stimulate an exploration Renaissance. But, with all of the DIR divers worldwide, the organization isn't promoting the opportunities to support one another and too many divers keep practicing for the next course rather than gaining experience and finding mentoring while promoting local causes. I suggested to Doug Mudry that GUE instructors should be encouraged to join the WKPP and oversee the training and practice of regional explorer groups better than is currently being done and be able to specifically train more divers far afield for specific tasks in Wakulla in their home waters so they can more seamlessly join and contribute to active diving operations. He explained to me that had been the idea, but hadn't really worked because too few divers had the experience to do the dives. They had skill, but little experience.
That brings us full circle. There are many talented cave divers with the experience, but they don't like many DIR divers due to the attitude. Yet, most cave divers truly like those involved in JJ's inner circle and have the greatest respect for the work. Also, the misinformation about being part of either the WKPP or GUE or both and what is or isn't acceptable on one's own time is confusing. The last I heard, Panos says it is okay to solo dive if you are certified by another agency on your own time because you are then their problem, not GUE's. I also heard Casey doesn't approve of solo diving on one's own time if you are with the WKPP. I was told that I could be a GUE instructor and teach solo through another agency, but then I was told that really would be frowned upon and that I wouldn't like being a GUE instructor with my personality because I like to play with new toys such as my Razor and Nomad.
Ultimately, many DIR divers believe that if you don't become a GUE instructor, it's because you aren't good enough. But, you and I know of people working for Halcyon who are gifted and experienced divers and instructors with other agencies that value their freedom on their own time.
I don't know what the current goals are for the project and I've heard that there is sometimes a shortage of members, but imagine what could happen if some of today's young cave diving talent could be brought on board? Casey wouldn't be short quality guys and if these guys could be supported by fledgling DIR students, newbies and DIR divers from across the globe? Imagine what could happen if the community of DIR divers could get along with others and themselves? We could really do some terrific stuff - especially worldwide conservation research. But, I guess that would be like trying to get the Christian community organized to help the world as well.
I could be part of the project as either a sponsored support diver or freediver and my girlfriend really is interested in supporting surface management because her career is as a production and stage manager. My entire hesitancy to be involved stems from having grown weary of the "DIR attitude" with which I've dealt since 1999. Other than that if I had the freedoms to dive under the certifications I have on my own time, I'd be totally reliable.
I think other cave divers and cave instructors with experience may feel the same way.
If the project begins to slow and doesn't warrant restricting access I think the state, the "Friends," and the WKPP should think about exchanging the right sort of information to allow access to all well-trained cave divers ... including the atheists.
