Honest question about DIR

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otter-cat

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I do not know very much about DIR, and most of what I have heard about it has been through posts on this board. Without wanting to enter into the extensive debates about the merits of DIR, (which can be found in other threads, for those interested,) I want to ask a question about DIR philosophy on gear.

Why is so much of the gear espoused by DIR divers black? From the little I do know (and I admit that it is little...that's why I'm asking about it) it seems that much of the DIR system/method/philosophy is concerned with doing everything possible to maximize safety, and yet I see photos of DIR divers in dark exposure suits, with dark wings and dark hoses. Wouldn't it be an added safety feature to have all the divers wearing bright colors? I realize that much technical diving takes place in areas where there is little, if any, light. But it seems to me that brightly colored gear would still be safer, since everyone carries lights, and some of the time is necessarily spent closer to the surface at the beginning and end of each dive.

Am I missing something here? Or is black gear just part of the tech image? I am not trying to be judgemental; I really want to know. I know motorcyclists who wear bright colors have a statistically lower fatality rate, and was wondering if maybe the same thing might apply to diving (albeit for different reasons.)

Thanks for sharing any info about this.
otter-cat
 
I would also like to know the answer to this question. I have heard some DIR devotees on the board state for instance that colored hoses were ridiculous, but if you go to the DIR website and look through the picture galleries you will see more than one person using colored hoses.
 
because they think they are ninjas!!

Seriously though - it is easier to see at depth, but I would recomend some reflective bits which will show up when a torch scans across

Jonathan
 
Bright colors and reflective tape ruin your night vision which is important when cave diving or deep diving where there isn't much light available.

I know, I bought a DUI TLS350 with neon yellow accents and my buddies complain about it. Fortunately it's fading and looks like poo now, so it isn't so bad.

Roak
 
My understanding is that it has NOTHING to do with DIR. As a matter of fact, when I changed my approach to DIR, I asked my buddy, who was trained as a DIR diver pre-videos etc. about black vs visibility and color, and he agreed. He said that scuba fashion in general was leaning toward black right now, and that the kind of person who embraced DIR, tending toward the tech heavy, responded to black gear. It was/is his belief that gear would swing back to color sooner rather than later.

Personally, not only do I prefer color for vis, I think weight belt buckles should be a standardized, high vis color. When I did rescue, looking for a weight belt buckle was a waste of time because of the way they get lost against other gear-especially the black plastic! I use a stainless buckle for security anyway, but the higher contrast is useful.

Ken
 
kwesler may be right...and I suspect he is in part about the black "tech" image being good marketing.

The other question is why make colors? If Halcyon had to change their manufacturing operation and incorporate color, don't you think that would drive up the price for the diving consumer? They would have to stock all these different materials and deal with consumers whining when their pink wing faded a little. If there is not a strong argument for making colored items, I don't blame them for not doing it.

IMHO, if you are doing it right your buddy skills will be such that you won't lose your buddy no matter what color gear he is wearing and since you will be intimately aware of his/her gear configuration you do not need components to be highly visible in order to locate them in an emergency.
 
Here's DIR poster boy George Irvine in his "gorgeous" red DUI drysuit

LD,
I was actually thinking about going with the orange and black Andy's drysuit...someone needs to talk me out of it before I look like a traffic cone underwater...
 
It may also have to do with fading...black does not fade as much or as noticeably as other colors, so perhaps that is why manufacturers make more in black. I'm in the theatre, so EVERYONE dresses in black! (To not be seen when backstage and, ahem, ...to look as cool as we can!)

BTW-Did you know why Model T Fords were all manufactured in black? The medium for black paint was originally the only one that dried fast enough for the assembly line!

Ken
 
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