hx or meaning of the term "stroke"?

[jimmy71]

first off i am not trying to troll or start a flame war.

I see the term stroke thrown around a lot and am unsure of the history. I have figured out it is a term DIR divers like to use and is used when people are bad mouthing a certain gas mix or diver. Any one care to enlighten me to the history or meaning? Urban dictionary does not have anything on it and I do not run with a crowd who use the term.

 

[g1138]

Can you post an example of the term being used in context or a sentence. I have yet to come across/recall this term coming up on the board.

 

[50Fathom]

Old thread. Discussed to death, but defined on page one:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/265312-etymology-word-stroke.html

Origin:

"The term *stroke* was coined by Parker Turner, the original project director of the WKPP. Parker, much like Irvine, had a no-nonsense approach to diving and running the WKPP. Parker had his rules as to the team and one either followed them or they weren't on the team. It was as plain and simple as that. But what Parker found over the years that there were so many people trying to get on the team without the willingness to put in the requisite work. Instead they would come up to Parker and tell him how they had done this dive or that dive, blah, blah, blah and Parker said that he was sick of these guys *stroking* him to get on the team.. That's the evolution of the word.It has since been expanded to include diver's that approach diving with an unsafe and/or cavalier attitude towards diving.. "

From: Re: If a stroke is one with an unsafe attitude, what is DIR?

Defined:

"Very simply put, a "stroke" is somebody you don't want to dive with. It is somebody who will cause you problems, or not be any use to you if you have problems. Usually, this is a reflection of the attitude of a stroke, but that can be inherent in the personality of the individual, or others can teach it.

For instance, if somebody is taught that diving is an "every man for himself" sport, that you "can't help somebody deep," that "my gas is my gas," or "know when to leave your buddy," then that is somebody you do not want to be in the water with. Some people are natural strokes, but all too many are created. Unfortunately, people believe best what they hear first, and given the low-level food chain structure of dive instruction, most strokes are man-made, and are then hard to fix.

Obvious strokes are not so bad - you can see them and you know to avoid them. Frequently they will give it away with their choice of gear and gear configuration. If you see something that is a complete mess, makes no sense, is less than optimal, or is designed to accommodate some phobia while ignoring all else, you are dealing with a stroke. If the stroke is pontificating about how he can "handle" deep air diving, or obsessing about depth, or appears to be trying to compensate for internal fears, this is an obvious stroke and you merely avoid them.

The really insidious strokes are those who pretend to be squared away, but are in this game for all the wrong reasons. Usually they wish to prove something to themselves or others, or to overcome some internal fears. These tend to try to do things that they are not ready to do, and when something goes wrong, they flee for their lives.

Diving is not an intuitive thing. It is not a natural thing. Natural reactions of human beings on dry land do not work underwater. To be a good diver, you have to control your natural responses, and know that they can only hurt you, not help you. A stroke cannot do that. A stroke is driven by fear, ego, and self-concern. "

George Irvine III

 

[JeffG]

first off i am not trying to troll or start a flame war.

I see the term stroke thrown around a lot and am unsure of the history. I have figured out it is a term DIR divers like to use and is used when people are bad mouthing a certain gas mix or diver. Any one care to enlighten me to the history or meaning? Urban dictionary does not have anything on it and I do not run with a crowd who use the term.

Meaning: Unsafe Diver

History: Unsafe divers "Stroking" their ego with their big talk

 

[Tortuga68]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/dir/116061-s-word.html

 

[jimmy71]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/technical-diving-specialties/392654-whos-using-100-o2-deco-2.html post number 11

12.If there is some problem with your deco or you otherwise develop symptoms and need oxygen either on the surface or back in the water, it is silly to have not had it there all along. 80/20 is a joke for that purpose, unless you have asthma, in which case any accelerated oxygen mix would be a nightmare. This is again part of the "thinking it all the way through" philosophy which is obviously missing from the 80/20 argument.

13.Only a card-carrying stroke would do somethng like this, and showing up with 80/20 is no different than wearing a sign on your back saying "I am a stroke, and have the papers to prove it". It announces to all the world that you have no clue, kind of like wearing clip-on suspenders or having dog dirt on your shoes.

this is a website against 80% as a deco gas The Bakers Dozen - 13 reasons why we do not use 80/20 by George Irvine


Just out of curiosity, is 25/25 a DIR standard gas? Or is it a heresy expounded by the Fallen Archangel AG? I was under the impression that the "official" Recreational Triox gas was 30/30, which is fine for balmy caves with perfect viz, but I was hoping to be a little more conservative with my PPO2 in Ontario conditions, so 25/25 has some attraction despite the possibility of it being a "stroke" gas... Sorry, I'm hijacking my own thread...

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/te...se-techs-mex-divers-part-i-5.html#post4337510


I bring up the GI3 thing because there is a cult following if you havent' noticed, just trying to establish that I'm not a clone bashing 80% because its "stroke gas".

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/te...-diver-sorta-lake-travis-report-8-13-a-5.html





sorry i am not good at making all the pretty colors and such for quotes and high lighting words

 

[jimmy71]

wow thanks. Guess i took to long to find reference posts. My bad

 

[jimmy71]

thanks a lot guys. I promise I did a search on the forums and did not come up with anything .

I would not in a million years been able to come up with that for a definition. They say our perception is colored by our past. I am in the medical field and all i could think of was a stroke in the context of what happen when your brain lacks oxygen. (you know slurred speech and messed up movement). I have racked my brain every time I read the term being used with a certain gas mix. I never could figure out what I was missing that could cause you to have a stroke by using 80%. Guess i need to reread those posts with new eyes.

Thanks a ton

 

[50Fathom]

When I went through Fundies, my instructor, both in class and at the pub after class, emphasized being good ambassadors, both for diving and for the DIR/GUE "Way". He said that we really don't want to use that word, since it has such negative connotations and history.

However, he did say that sometimes, (RARELY though), no other word will do when describing some divers. He said, "Mike, sometimes you see a diver, and by their attitude, approach, and sometimes, yes, gear, the only thing you CAN say is, 'what a f**king stroke.'"

So while I really don't use it, (except with good-natured ribbing with friends), I do hold it in reserve for special occasions.

 

[DevonDiver]

I believe the politically-correct form of address is now: "insta-buddy".