So, just who is George Irvine III?????

[BDSC]

If I understand correctly, you are referring to the same brand and model?

in that case it would be the latter. Furthermore, contrary to popular opinion, it doesn't have to be all black either

You are correct. I didn't know if everyone had to all go out and buy the very same thing.

 

[TSandM]

There is a wide variety of brands to choose from in equipment -- the basic requirement is a backplate and wing with backmounted tank or tanks, a wrapped long hose, and non-split fins. Beyond that, there are recommendations for exposure protection and how generally to arrange and secure things (eg. backup lights). Much more important that brand is making sure you have the right equipment for the job at hand -- a properly sized wing, for example, or a regulator suitable for cold water, if that's where you're diving.

Jarrod has been quoted as saying that, to him, the central core of the system is standardization. That means not just equipment, but gases, procedures and protocols, and emergency responses. The focus is on operating as a team. The owner of our local DIR shop once told me, "DIR is such a SIMPLE way to dive," and he was absolutely right. So many things are givens . . .

 

[danvolker]

So educate me for a moment. If you are part of a DIR dive group/team, would you be expected to have the very same equipment or just route the equipment you have in the same way?

At an exploration team level, you would want your buddies "key" gear to be intimately familiar to you, and vice versa....key gear like the bc ( bp/wing), and weighting system....anything that one buddy might need to help with in an emergency...This does not go to absurdity like brand of mask and snorkel, or which wetsuit.

I have seen many recreational buddies with very dissimilar weighting systems on different BC's....Integrated weight systems on one that the other would never be able to figure out without a 5 minute or longer trial and error session--that would not be DIR compatible--in a planned team.

 

[tkdgodess]

I don't think you can judge on equipment. I walk like a duck, quack like a duck, but I'm not a duck. Here are the key difference for me,not being a dir diver, but looks just like one. I dive air past 100 feet, i do not use standard gasses for trimix, i therefore don't do ratio deco, i use a bottom timer and a multigas computer as back up, dive a generated plan, with back ups in my notes, i dont do light back and forth when doing shutdowns, which are not the dir method anyways. I have a team, we plan our dives, dive as a team, i call the dive they come with me, we plan gas contingencies planning to bring up our team. I dive a balanced rig, long hose, can light, hogarthian set up ect, I have been mistaken a dir diver, sorry about that guys.

edit typo

 

[Hockeynut]

So, where's the answer to the question. I don't know who George Irvine is. There's too many posts to read it all.

 

[chrpai]

So, where's the answer to the question. I don't know who George Irvine is. There's too many posts to read it all.

Somebody that 99% of the world's divers have never heard of...

 

[Pullmyfinger]

So, where's the answer to the question. I don't know who George Irvine is. There's too many posts to read it all.

He's some dude that posted some stuff on some forums at some point in the past. Some people are still grinding their axes about it, so occassionally they blow on the embers to re-live the moments......they would really like for all of us to re-live it too, even if we weren't around then.

Oh....he also apparently almost got into a fight with some other dude back in the day. There's a news flash!.....two guys in the South almost getting into a fight. ;-)

See....it's almost like it all happened yesterday......and now you know why everybody thinks GUE divers are rude and arrogant.

And the campaign wheels keep on rollin'


Cheers,
Mitch

 

[Slamfire]

The issue isn't George, it's more related to their insistence on standards that while MORE than admirable eventually ends up having many more experienced divers splitting away. Their skills levels are excellent because of their GUE training, but they start to see others diving sidemount/ccr and doing bigger dives with less skills and discipline and they drift away, wanting to do that type of diving themselves. Or they just feel like they are stuck at "practice" forever and get frustrated and just quit. Very few divers can fully embrace the holistic approach lifestyle and diving discipline it would take to be wholly DIR. They need to find a way to still allow those of us who have "strayed" along the way still be part of their community... it's a very difficult balancing act for GUE.

I will take issue with the idea that GUE is not growing and is losing market share...

Yes, they lose advanced divers over the decision not to embrance sidemount or CCRs. But you know what? They aren't "lost", because many of them still dive the same way on dives that don't require the changes. We have a number of GUE-trained folks here in Seattle who have gone CCR . . . but they come dive with us on OC. They are still friends. They even help with projects and the like.

At some point in your development it does seem that strict adherence to DIR/GUE protocols can be a hindrance. You can't always have the perfect DIR team when you go out to explore a virgin cave in a remote part of an island. Does that mean you will pass on the chance of a lifetime even though you and your non-DIR teammates do have the skills to successfully complete the survey? What kind of certification do you need from GUE in order to "legitimately" lay virgin line on a cave?

When I did the wreck of the MT-6 in Elliot Bay, Seattle, there was another dive boat on the other side of the bay doing the AJ Fuller. Somebody in our boat mentioned that they were GUE divers. Somebody else replied, "Can't be. GUE divers only dive Cove 2." To those not familiar with Seattle diving, Cove 2 is used for practice dives. In other words he was echoing cerich's sentiment that at times it seems they are stuck in practice mode forever and take too long to move into real dives.

 

[chokolad]

When I did the wreck of the MT-6 in Elliot Bay, Seattle, there was another dive boat on the other side of the bay doing the AJ Fuller. Somebody in our boat mentioned that they were GUE divers. Somebody else replied, "Can't be. GUE divers only dive Cove 2." To those not familiar with Seattle diving, Cove 2 is used for practice dives. In other words he was echoing cerich's sentiment that at times it seems they are stuck in practice mode forever and take too long to move into real dives.

Seattle GUE divers tend to do MT6 from Cove 1 on a scooter.

 

[danvolker]

At some point in your development it does seem that strict adherence to DIR/GUE protocols can be a hindrance. You can't always have the perfect DIR team when you go out to explore a virgin cave in a remote part of an island. Does that mean you will pass on the chance of a lifetime even though you and your non-DIR teammates do have the skills to successfully complete the survey? What kind of certification do you need from GUE in order to "legitimately" lay virgin line on a cave?

When I did the wreck of the MT-6 in Elliot Bay, Seattle, there was another dive boat on the other side of the bay doing the AJ Fuller. Somebody in our boat mentioned that they were GUE divers. Somebody else replied, "Can't be. GUE divers only dive Cove 2." To those not familiar with Seattle diving, Cove 2 is used for practice dives. In other words he was echoing cerich's sentiment that at times it seems they are stuck in practice mode forever and take too long to move into real dives.

I don't see this in recreational dives...GUE divers will often dive with non-GUE's....but when a dive approaches the level of challenge that the GUE Diver considers "challenging" to themselves, or even at an exploration level, I think many correctly decide that if it is going to "push them", that they should be with "their team".
I post as a DIR that knows lots of GUE's....and that is how I choose....