DIR, WKPP, GUE, and Halcyon Part 1 of 3

[String]

GI is seen as a leader of the "DIR" move, an agency that delights in telling everyone its right and anyone who disagrees is wrong.
Going by that logic ALL its members should in theory share the same view of rebreathers as he does.

Now wearing a T-shirt and holding a card they could well have inferred from that you;d think the same way.
Granted, they shouldnt have a conversation WITH you about "DIR ****s" however, if you wandered into a shop and overheard a conversation about it i say there was no problem with that.

I still think GUE would be a LOT better if it distanced itself from his ramblings.

 

[Uncle Pug]

NWGratefulDiver once bubbled...
The next day, the class surfaced directly in front of the oncoming water taxi. Had the taxi not seen the bubbles and stopped just before heads started breaking the surface, y'all would've been reading about casualties.

This post probably deserves its own thread in the Orca Bait forum.

What Bob says is sadly true. And far worse IMO than turning off offended non-DIR divers to GUE training (which they can live without) is the out of bounds activity that turns off and offends the non-diving public and could close the dive site to all divers!

 

[diverbrian]

O-ring once bubbled...
I was in a dive shop a week or two ago and wore a GUE shirt. I had the unpleasant experience of listening to 4-5 rebreather guys and instructors go back and forth about "the n@zis" and this and that and was even told at one point that I should "throw my GUE card in the trash".

Just remember that this "dripping arrogance" and general a-hole behavior comes from the "other" side as well and just makes the problem worse. You know, those in glass houses and so forth..

We have no rebreather divers out of the shop that I frequent. I only know of about one or two "regular" divers in the Tri-City area that dive with a BP and W with single tanks. Obviously, when we dive doubles we use a BP and W configuration. (I use this as an example.)

I would love to apologize for the behavior of the divers that you refer to, but I can't. They don't represent me. Gee... It would seem to me that the same could be said of the DIR "bad apples" in that barrel too. In other words, there are more than two sides to the issue. The only two sides (as in many things that are true in life) that cause any issue, are the ones that are the most extreme.

But, people need to read what they write around here. (Yes, sometimes I am included as well. I do post apologies for most of the times that happens as well. I am not THAT proud.) We wouldn't have to look far to see signs of that arrogance in the posts either set of extremists, now would we? If I am treated with respect, I will be respectful. If I am not, well, I will try to be respectful for a while, but I will respond in kind after some period of time. If you think about it, most people are that way. So, let's keep everything non-personal and talk about behaviors that we despise and not the jerks that are out to incite the more rational people in a flame war. Then we can all try to "get along."

 

[Diver0001]

O-ring once bubbled...
I was in a dive shop a week or two ago and wore a GUE shirt. I had the unpleasant experience of listening to 4-5 rebreather guys and instructors go back and forth about "the n@zis" and this and that and was even told at one point that I should "throw my GUE card in the trash".

Just remember that this "dripping arrogance" and general a-hole behavior comes from the "other" side as well and just makes the problem worse. You know, those in glass houses and so forth..

You're right. It can't be tolerated from either "side". As a great man once said "and eye for an eye and the world would be blind".

R..

 

[O-ring]

I would love to apologize for the behavior of the divers that you refer to, but I can't. They don't represent me. Gee... It would seem to me that the same could be said of the DIR "bad apples" in that barrel too. In other words, there are more than two sides to the issue. The only two sides (as in many things that are true in life) that cause any issue, are the ones that are the most extreme.

And the ones yelling and screaming at the rebreather divers and acting like pompous horse's rear ends don't represent me either..

 

[Col.Cluster]

NWGratefulDiver once bubbled...



A few months back a general announcement went out over several of the area's local diving boards for help to maintain the boundary cable that separates the dive site from the water taxi lane and fishing pier. Many dive clubs, LDS, and diving individuals responded with donations of time and materials. Conspicuously absent (although they are there diving virtually every day) was any presence by the local DIR divers. No big whoop ... this is volunteer work, and we only want you if you want to be there.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Bob,

I am sorry to hear that you folks have not been able to foster a working relationship with some of your DIR folks. We try to be very proactive in our local dive community. We are all members of GLUE (Great Lakes Underwater Explorers). A number of the GUE boys from northern tech diver were very active participants in getting the club up and running. One of them even built them a web site and established a domain and donated it to the club. The club is for ALL divers regardless of training or agency. The idea simply being that if you get yourself to Kingston, Ontario the club will do what can to make sure that you get a dive in.

The wreck relocation program is Tom R’s baby. I believe all of the wrecks found so far were first located during the 1980’s. If Tom reads this post I am sure he will gladly give you more specifics. We moor the wrecks for ALL divers to enjoy as well. The mooring of the main wrecks this spring also turned out to be a GLUE event, which was a major success with the cooperation of most of the local charter operators.

You will find most the GUE team up here to be members of one or more clubs and local dive organizations. Kevin Ripley takes care of the mooring on East Cliff Hall (a steel freighter lower down in the river) for the Ottawa Chapter of the SOS. Also, you will quite often find 2 or 3 of us on the boats doing the regular recreational thing with the main stream diving crowd. This is the culture that has been fostered here and it does come from the top down. It is something, which is encouraged by all the GUE instructors that I have met and taken training with.

Good luck with your volunteer work.

All the best
CC

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

CC, that sounds more like it. Like I said, we're all divers. I just wish I'd stop seeing some of the more colorful terms and descriptions that both "sides" keep coining for each other on this one ... it's divisive as all hell.

Looking back at my post I'd just like to clarify something (because my words may be misleading) ... all of the GUE instructors I've met (including MHK, who I met recently) are class people. I've always been treated respectfully by them, even though most are aware of my misgivings about the DIR "culture". I do wonder though what goes on when I'm not around to cultivate the kind of behavior I've witnessed on the beach by some of DIR's more vocal advocates.

While I would like to see more inclusivity amongst the various diving "camps" (and in that I'll also include those who are pro and anti hunting, etc) I really don't set my expectations for anything more than a mutual respect for each other's rights to coexist peacefully.

Sometimes to do that we've just got to work together to realize that we all have something to contribute. Perhaps there'll come a time when the right "project" comes along, and we can find our commonality.

In the meantime, best of luck up there in the Great Lakes region ... sounds like y'all have it more together than we do ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[coberry7]

I've had the fortunate experience to participate in many things that involved people of different views.

When I was in the army we had jokes about the other services, but when the time came to get the job done, at my level (none of my peers had stars on their uniforms) we got the job done. i.e. the Navy had a different mission than the Army, but when we were working, we respected each other and got the job done.

In college I was in a fraternity. I felt and feel that my fraternity was best suited for those that embraced our beliefs. And while, in closed sessions we shared a joke or two about the other fraternities, we literally had to work with them every day towards a common goal on campus. We treated each other respectfully and respected the differences in our organizations.

I'm a PADI OWSI. I work with instructors from NAUI, SDI, and SSI. The core truth is the same...train people to be safe and responsible divers. There are not any GUE, DIR, or otherwise divers in my area that I am aware of, but they are always welcome...BECAUSE THEY ARE DIVERS!!!

We all have the same similar desire...to enjoy the underwater world..safely. How we enjoy it is an individual decision. Based on the fact that diving is a SELF REGULATED INDUSTRY, and not oversighted by a Federal or State organization gives credence to the officially certified agencies.

DIR and GUE are new. So is the logic of SDI (No tables, computers only). Are they better for what you are trying to do? I don't know. Ask yourself that question. I did when I decided upon which branch of military service to join, and again in college when I decided which fraternity to join....and again, when I decided which organization to professionally affiliate myself with.

Was I unsafe in joining the Army over the Navy? Was I wrong to join my fraternity over others?

Nope, not at all. And I wasn't wrong to professionally join PADI. I challenge anyone to dispute that piece of logic.

Everyone's choices are respected in my classes. And I encourage my students to make their own choices about how they dive, even if it means not certifying with me! I want them to be comfortable, even if it is lost income to me.

So, who is best? I don't know. It's an illogical question. Which resort is best on the Caymans? There is no right answer.

Hey divers, it's not GUE or DIR, or the rest of us against the world!! It seems to be us against each other. No matter what, we're all divers. Have fun with it!!

Thank you for your time,

Colin Berry
PADI OWSI 183035

 

[Tekkie]

O-ring, just wondering what dive shop were you at?
Tekkie

 

[Jimmy B]

and the pufferfish fell silent

Puffer you disappoint me, I'll be back in Kingston soon and you haven't posted a retort to Col Cluster.

JB