DIR and/or Hog not for the Atlantic?

[Pumpkin King]

I put this here because I am a proponent of the Hogarthian rig. That being said, I would also like the DIR outlook on this; particularly the age of some of the information and how it has changed in regards to what is currently being put out by GUE.

New Jersey Scuba Diver - Dive Gear & Training - Introduction

Are the opinions put forth under each section's 'DIR commentary' truly representative of Atlantic Ocean divers' (wreck divers especially) or are they just this author's and maybe his group's?

It seems that the overall message is either that DIR is too strict for open water, or that there is some hostility involved over misunderstanding the system and "being told what is the right way".

Discuss

 

[ianr33]

Whoever wrote that has a chip on their shoulder. The article is not worth the paper it is printed on!

 

[Bismark]

It is writers like that who give TDI a bad name. Nothing like a little bit of knowledge to make people appear stupid. Looks like the gene pool needs a little bit more chlorine in that neck of the woods.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Apart from some photography perhaps, there is no goal other than to float through the underwater splendor ( or gloom, as the case may be ) and enjoy the view.

The single, unvarying minimalist gear configuration of DIR simply will not do, and its strong reliance on the buddy system quickly unravels in the wide-open spaces and low visibility.

While cave divers always operate in co-dependant buddy pairs, many of the best wreck divers prefer to do penetrations alone.

WOW, where would you even start? He started with some blatantly false premises.

DIR aside, the basic "hogarthian" configuration just gets some tanks on your back by way of a plate and harness and hangs some regs in a convenient functional place. It will, and has, worked just fine all over the place.

I like the way he reprinted all those stupid anti-buddy system articles. SD magazine printed a bunch of those when they were running their ant-buddy diving campaign leading up to the introduction of the SDI solo course. I don't have anything against solo diving but that is some of the most illogical nonsense I've ever seen in print.

 

[MikeFerrara]

It seems that the overall message is either that DIR is too strict for open water, or that there is some hostility involved over misunderstanding the system and "being told what is the right way".

Discuss

My guess is there is some bad blood there.

 

[MikeFerrara]

It is writers like that who give TDI a bad name. Nothing like a little bit of knowledge to make people appear stupid. Looks like the gene pool needs a little bit more chlorine in that neck of the woods.

IMO, writers like Michael Ange give TDI a bad name. My personal favorite was his "deep air" article but his anti-buddy diving stuff comes in a close second.

 

[JeffG]

or that there is some hostility involved over misunderstanding the system and "being told what is the right way".

George probably made fun of him on the techdiver list.

 

[Steve SDI/TDI HQ]

I teach technical program in various types of environment from Northeast Atlantic to Caribbean. My diving style is what's commonly called Hogarthian... (not sure Bill would agree with any of us on this score but that's a debate for a different day). I wear essentially the same kit regardless of where dives are to be conducted. What changes is the thermal protection. Most importantly perhaps is the mind set remains the same. I know of many other instructors and instructor-trainers for TDI who dive and teach in a similar fashion. SO the short answer to the original question is: The opinions stated are those of the individual who wrote them... not those of TDI.

 

[JeffG]

But he did put an accurate disclaimer on his website. LOL

Disclaimer:
I make no claim as to the accuracy, validity, or appropriateness of any information found in this website.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I teach technical program in various types of environment from Northeast Atlantic to Caribbean. My diving style is what's commonly called Hogarthian... (not sure Bill would agree with any of us on this score but that's a debate for a different day). I wear essentially the same kit regardless of where dives are to be conducted. What changes is the thermal protection. Most importantly perhaps is the mind set remains the same. I know of many other instructors and instructor-trainers for TDI who dive and teach in a similar fashion. SO the short answer to the original question is: The opinions stated are those of the individual who wrote them... not those of TDI.

Good points Steve. My advanced trimix course was very "Hogarthian" (LOL), maybe even a little DIRish and somewhat geared toward wreck diving but it resulted in a TDI certification.