Are there any actual DIR divers here?

[FLDVR]

Hi, just wondering from the content of some of the posts if most of the people here were actually Dir orientated divers.
It would be nice to see users accomplishments and goals as far as Dir training goes.
Henry

 

[dlndavid]

 

[underwasser bolt]

I think there are plenty of dir (gue) here. I am not one. I respect their agenda and agree with it in many areas, but they seem to have a training agenda intense with cave dives, which holds zero interest for me.

 

[RonFrank]

I think there are plenty of dir (gue) here. I am not one. I respect their agenda and agree with it in many areas, but they seem to have a training agenda intense with cave dives, which holds zero interest for me.

DIR-F maybe a prerequisite to advancing in the tech training, but is a class that most can benefit from.

 

[Vie]

Hi, just wondering from the content of some of the posts if most of the people here were actually Dir orientated divers.

Hmmmm. Good question.

 

[nadwidny]

I think there are plenty of dir (gue) here. I am not one. I respect their agenda and agree with it in many areas, but they seem to have a training agenda intense with cave dives, which holds zero interest for me.

Let's see. GUE offers DIRF and Tech 1, Tech 2, Tech 3, and Cave 1, 2, and 3. Plus Rec Triox.

I count 8 classes of which only 3 are "intense with cave dives".

 

[do it easy]

Let's see. GUE offers DIRF and Tech 1, Tech 2, Tech 3, and Cave 1, 2, and 3. Plus Rec Triox.

I count 8 classes of which only 3 are "intense with cave dives".

You could look at it another way and say that 3 out of 8 classes offered are cave classes. I don't that you can say that about most other agencies, except maybe the NSS and NACD.

Yet we digress, the OP is looking for DIR divers!

 

[edparris]

OK I'll bite with hopes that this thread will not go directly into the crapper....

First and foremost my goal is to have fun with good friends. Putting that in a diving context means that I want to be able to do any dive that grabs my interest safely and share that experience with my dive team. I'm interested in naval history and archaeology so I would like to be part of a diving project in that area.

Given that the easy answer to my training goals/accomplishments is that I've recently completed Tech-1 and am having fun building experience in the early stages of decompression diving. Our team also completed a few dives where we wanted to be more mobile so we have added two new DPVs to our resources and took a GUE scooter workshop to learn the practicals of this new equipment. Cave-1 is next on my list in preparation for solid overhead environments.

The more complex reality is that with a holistic system like DIR only a small fraction of your training and accomplishments have to do with diving skills. The remainder of this post deals with training and accomplishments that are IMHO just as, if not more, important than the in water skills.

First off I'm upgrading my most important piece of equipment, my body. I wasn't in bad shape to start with but I spent some time learning about basic nutrition and athletic training regimen and am applying that knowledge to improve my overall health and physical condition.

Second we are working to develop a close knit team of DIR divers in our local area. So far there are 4 of us who dive together consistently and about 5 more who dive as time permits. We occasionally get together and dive with some of our northern cousins in NEUE. I'm actually most proud of this as the friendships are strong and we are making good progress at refining our overall team dive protocols.

I want to make sure I'm in a position to help my team if an emergency happens (If I can't it's going to me me answering to their wives and kids). I completed a semester long emergency first response class at the local community college to upgrade my first aid skills. I'm considering taking the EMT-B curriculum next.

We haven't been impressed with the services offered by our local dive shops so to improve logistics and safety we have decided to maintain all of our own equipment. This certainly isn't a cost savings but the time/money spent for training and tools for cylinder inspections/maintenance, mixed gas fills and regulator repair certainly increased our knowledge and gives us more peace of mind. To make things simpler we have started to standardize on equipment brands etc. within the team. Next on the list is our own compressor.

And finally the project/historical interests is the area I've made the least progress in. I dove once with some divers from the local Institute for Maritime History who run projects in the area. I need to follow up with them in the future and see if they have anything we would enjoy participating in.

Anyway I'm not sure that this response is what you intended when you asked for DIR training accomplishments and goals but it is what I have to offer. If you guys have any suggestions for improvement or other areas I've missed I'd appreciate the feedback.

Ed

P.S. If your new and wondering what all this is about remember that despite what you read on the Internet DIR is about a lot more than nitpicking a gear configuration and maintaining horizontal trim 6 inches above a training platform.

 

[TSandM]

Oh, Ed, great post, and a beautiful example of what DIR should motivate a diver to do!

I've done and passed DIR-f, taken but not passed Rec Triox. I keep making sporadic efforts at the gym and the pool, and I'm acutely aware that fitness is a significant part of the philosophy, and one where I'm weak. I work with a loosely knit group of divers who are serious about skills and teamwork, and we go diving for fun together, too -- FUN being a serious part of the DIR idea!

I keep reading and learning as much as I can about decompression theory, so I can order my dives in a rational fashion. I don't do my own gear maintenance, but I can disassemble and reassemble a lot of things now. And I carry a good set of spares and tools.

DIR diving is much more these things than perfect trim.

 

[ArcticDiver]

Yes Ed a nice post. But....

Certainly skill competency is important. But, every diver should make body and mind maintenance The Priority. This is not just the province of any particular dive philosophy. If is a rational thing to do to be able to meet the demands of routine diving, routine life and coping with the emergencies that life and diving throw at you. I was taught that in my NAUI Open Water course. It was put this way: "Active diving is not a hobby; it is a life style".

So, although some would say that DIR definition is simple, I would say that a definition depends on who you talk to. Maybe even some other than than GUE divers are DIR, eh?