bwerb
Hoser/English Translator, eh
I had a great reply and the cable connection decided to fail...here goes for a short version.
I want to dive deep PNW wrecks. When I started diving I had no idea if I'd been sold a bill of goods in terms of training or if it was all the same or anything. There really is no way or knowing what to look for until after you become a diver and know what to look for (the eternal catch 22 of dive training is no initial frame of reference).
I was watching Discovery channel and caught the Brittanic dive with the GUE team. I was really floored by the show and the degree of preparation they went through. I then found this board and started reading all I could to learn more about becoming a better diver. I started hitting threads with some stuff I'd never heard of before...DIR, BP/W, etc. As I read more, it started to make sense. Then...I realized that the show I watched was about DIR divers...and one of their key training shops was really close by...hmm...this is interesting.
I started watching the 5thD videos on basic dive skills and realized that I couldn't do them anywhere close to what was "textbook" and that the "skills" portion of diving had never been emphasized in the classes I took. The more I looked around at the people I saw diving, the more a lightbulb turned on. Few were really skilled divers in terms of bouyancy, trim, streamlined gear etc.
I decided to keep researching and one of my philosophies is to read and talk to as many people as possible in order to learn from them and learn from their mistakes as well. I realized that much of the DIR program made logical sense and that the level of skills as exhibited by their instructors was absolutely phenomenal. This looked to be a great path to get the skills to do the dives I want to do.
As I started meeting and diving with DIR divers, I started learning more and more (and still do) on each dive.
The equipment is tried, basic, uncomplicated and relatively bulletproof. I liked that it was in many ways "traditional" gear. It wasn't the "latest and greatest just in from DEMA". They didn't seem to push multiple sets of gear for multiple disciplines, it all seemed to start with the same foundation and as skills and dives progressed, more was added to the foundation.
As I started encorporating DIR principals and equipment into my diving...the fun factor just got way better.
The one negative which hovers over DIR is the preponderance of the "DIR internet cyberdiving lemming". Unfortunately, some of the strong personalities of DIR have been damaging in their delivery and there have been a vocal minority of people who want to just be in the "club". What I have found is that a good ability to separate wheat from chaff is needed when reading anything DIR related on the internet. Luckily, I have found nothing but phenomenal divers and phenomenal people when we've hit the water together.
I want to dive deep PNW wrecks. When I started diving I had no idea if I'd been sold a bill of goods in terms of training or if it was all the same or anything. There really is no way or knowing what to look for until after you become a diver and know what to look for (the eternal catch 22 of dive training is no initial frame of reference).
I was watching Discovery channel and caught the Brittanic dive with the GUE team. I was really floored by the show and the degree of preparation they went through. I then found this board and started reading all I could to learn more about becoming a better diver. I started hitting threads with some stuff I'd never heard of before...DIR, BP/W, etc. As I read more, it started to make sense. Then...I realized that the show I watched was about DIR divers...and one of their key training shops was really close by...hmm...this is interesting.
I started watching the 5thD videos on basic dive skills and realized that I couldn't do them anywhere close to what was "textbook" and that the "skills" portion of diving had never been emphasized in the classes I took. The more I looked around at the people I saw diving, the more a lightbulb turned on. Few were really skilled divers in terms of bouyancy, trim, streamlined gear etc.
I decided to keep researching and one of my philosophies is to read and talk to as many people as possible in order to learn from them and learn from their mistakes as well. I realized that much of the DIR program made logical sense and that the level of skills as exhibited by their instructors was absolutely phenomenal. This looked to be a great path to get the skills to do the dives I want to do.
As I started meeting and diving with DIR divers, I started learning more and more (and still do) on each dive.
The equipment is tried, basic, uncomplicated and relatively bulletproof. I liked that it was in many ways "traditional" gear. It wasn't the "latest and greatest just in from DEMA". They didn't seem to push multiple sets of gear for multiple disciplines, it all seemed to start with the same foundation and as skills and dives progressed, more was added to the foundation.
As I started encorporating DIR principals and equipment into my diving...the fun factor just got way better.
The one negative which hovers over DIR is the preponderance of the "DIR internet cyberdiving lemming". Unfortunately, some of the strong personalities of DIR have been damaging in their delivery and there have been a vocal minority of people who want to just be in the "club". What I have found is that a good ability to separate wheat from chaff is needed when reading anything DIR related on the internet. Luckily, I have found nothing but phenomenal divers and phenomenal people when we've hit the water together.
