Doing It Wrong-Anti-DIR

[cyklon_300]

All of us should try to improve and learn from the more experienced. I was taught that aspiring to be mediocre is a fairly worthless goal.

Reading your last post helps somewhat to dispel the singular image of flamebait artist that you've created for yourself.

There's a ton of good info available on SB, and you'd likely learn more if you focus on posting relevant diving-related topics rather than the trite and inflammatory stuff you seem to prefer.

The tolerance you're asking for is probably relative to the positive contributions you make to the board.

Just my opinion.

 

[Lawman]

Not all of us are 24 years old rock climbers. Not all
of us live on the ocean. Some of us have demanding
jobs. What we have in common is that we like to dive.
Because of restrictions of age, physical condition, and
ability to practice we don't all aspire to be DIR/GUE/
Tec divers. Some of us like to dive the intermediate
less challanging reefs just like some skiiers like intermediate
slopes. This is a hobby and we like doing it. We practice doing
it when we can. We sometimes stir up the silt. Sometimes we
hit the coral. Sometimes our bouyancy isn't perfect. We're still
recreational divers and we're trying to learn better skills.

That's what I was saying. If it's too complicated a concept for
you than read it again. I am NOT advocating, poor conditioning,
destroying coral, stirring silt or anything else.

 

[Northeastwrecks]

See. That's what I thought. The whole "trying to improve" is the critical issue.

Whatever gave you the impression that DIR divers are 24 year old rock climbers. I'm a 35 year old intellectual property litigator and part time professor of law. I haven't climbed a rock since I got out of the Army. That said, I'm also an entry level technical diver looking to learn more.

Not every GUE/DIR adherent is a technical diver. At the LDS where I DM, we teach the GUE concepts to our OW students. Perhaps 1 in 10 of these people expresses an interest in going technical. Of those, only a fraction pursue the necessary training.

However, those skills are not wasted on the recreational divers. To the contrary, the buoyancy, situational awareness and buddy skills that fall within the ambit of DIR allow them to have more pleasurable dives at whatever level they dive. Similarly, streamlining their gear and using a long (5" in the case of OW divers) hose decreases their drag and increases their ability to respond safely to an emergency.

 

[raxafarian]

Lawman once bubbled...
We sometimes stir up the silt. Sometimes we
hit the coral. Sometimes our bouyancy isn't perfect. We're still
recreational divers and we're trying to learn better skills.

That's what I was saying. If it's too complicated a concept for
you than read it again. I am NOT advocating, poor conditioning,
destroying coral, stirring silt or anything else.

Who is "we"? I didn't know that you were the spokesperson for scuba divers everywhere.



There are no excuses for hitting the coral.
You either: a. do not care
b. were not paying attention
c. have a bunch of crap dangling below you and don't even realize you are creating trenches behind/below you (or again, you do not care).

I understand that you do not advocate damaging coral, but if you know that you have crappy buoyancy, then stay away from the coral.

Who are you learning your "better" skills from?

 

[WJL]

Lawman once bubbled...
We're still recreational divers and we're trying to learn better skills.

Really? Then why do you spew all this antagonism to DIR? DIR tries to teach recreational divers how to maintain good bouyancy, how to stay off the bottom, how not to stir up the silt, while still having fun. You should be a DIR poster boy. Wait, I've got it. You've been assimilated, but you don't even realize it yet.

 

[Lawman]

"What gave me the impression" is the number
of people who write into ScubaBoard saying
this is the kind of stuff they do. It doesn't matter
any way. I was trying to make a point and some
people seemed incapable of understanding what
was said and the spirit in which it was said. They
kept accusing me of wanting to kill coral, having
no respect for the ocean, and a bunch of other
childish stuff. All based on what I thought was
a fairly straightforward statement that we all
are not perfect divers but were trying to improve.

To Hell with it.

:bah:

 

[Northeastwrecks]

raxafarian once bubbled...
Who are you learning your "better" skills from?

We've made a breakthrough. I can just feel the love.

Rax does have a good point. It is all well and good for a diver to claim that they are trying to improve and correct deficiencies. However, it is important that the goal be pursued through effective means.

So how do you recommend that infrequent divers maintain/improve their skills? We try to encourage scuba refreshers. If that is not an option, I will tell the diver to fix their position slightly above and behind me so that (1) they can't bottom out because I'm not running into coral and they are above me; and (2) I can see them by ducking my head and looking backwards.

I am still curious why you feel that the intermediate reef is as safe as you do. This is not meant as a cheap shot. It is just that I look at any substantial body of water as a potential hazard. After all, people have died in kiddy pools.

 

[Wreck/Tec]

I believe we are witnessing a mass narcosis!

 

[Northeastwrecks]

Yeah, but it feels great.

 

[Lawman]

must this go on?

I'm not advocating anything about the intermediate
reef. I was using it as an example to illustrate that
not all of us aspire to the prefection of GUE and not
all of us want or intend to cave or tec dive. I don't
care if the intermediate reef is dangerous or not
dangerous....it was an illustration! Don't you get it??

We who either don't want or expect to be diving to
400' or go in caves can still be good divers. We don't
need to catch the endless hell we get from the
sanctimonous DIR, Tec "look at me, I NEVER stir
the silt" people in here. The instructors keep telling
us what incompetent a******s we are for not knowing
enough physics, DIR/GUE keeps telling us we have to
sell our gear and wear their silly outfit and some dimbulb
is quick to say I/we like to "kill coral". Give us a break for
a while before the peasants revolt and kill all DIR/GUEs.