kanonfodr
Contributor
I will second that, if you don't wish to pursue the DIR system of diving, then a cavern class would be a most excellent alternative. One of my newer dive buddies is cavern certified and while we aren't always on the same page yet, he's still a solid diver and I enjoy my dives with him.
The big thing about DIR education is that, with the instructor corps being so small, the quality of the instructors is very dependable: you know that you are getting top-notch education. It's not necessarily so in other, larger agencies that may not have the standards of the DIR organizations, or even the ability to control the quality of their instructors.
Normally I judge an instructor by their students, but if you are GUE or UTD certified then I have much less anxiety about my dive buddy because I know we are on the same page in equipment, dive planning considerations, and diving procedures. I wrote a report on my first post-Fundies dive, and it is here, if you choose to read it. That's what I think gives most of the DIR people such a great feeling about the system we use, because it allows relative strangers to go out and enjoy great diving together with all the big details already in place and, thus, eliminates a lot of potential anxiety.
Peace,
Greg
The big thing about DIR education is that, with the instructor corps being so small, the quality of the instructors is very dependable: you know that you are getting top-notch education. It's not necessarily so in other, larger agencies that may not have the standards of the DIR organizations, or even the ability to control the quality of their instructors.
Normally I judge an instructor by their students, but if you are GUE or UTD certified then I have much less anxiety about my dive buddy because I know we are on the same page in equipment, dive planning considerations, and diving procedures. I wrote a report on my first post-Fundies dive, and it is here, if you choose to read it. That's what I think gives most of the DIR people such a great feeling about the system we use, because it allows relative strangers to go out and enjoy great diving together with all the big details already in place and, thus, eliminates a lot of potential anxiety.
Peace,
Greg