This is a long post (I tried SeaJay..really, I tried!) as I drop 2 days into one post. In this third of four installments, I want to share a few of the core features of the DIR/F class the ground exercises, the drills and the video review.
DAY 2
Many think DIR/F is about trying to churn out perfect little bent-knee divers wholl continue to fund the Halcyon / GUE / EE empire through continuous equipment purchases. JJs capitalistic aspirations aside, I dont see that at all.
Team Diving
What attracted me to the DIR/F class was the Fundys book, and what kept me interested in the Fundys book past the introduction was the team diving concept. Buddy diving isnt new to me but team diving sure is. Remember my number one reason for taking the class was to develop a better dive planning process. The team diving concept (MHK drilled this concept into us throughout the land drills and throughout the in-water) as new as it was to me just makes sense. Youve read my two posts about my most recent flubbed dives both of those dives were the result of team failure. One was top side (Captn missed the mark, didnt set the hook, etc, etc.) and the other was in water (clowning around at depth, one diver aborted, killed the dive for the rest of us). Im confident other agencies teach team diving (right?) but I've never been exposed to it - not like this. I now have the focus to spot team break down, and the presence of mind to assure that I am a better team member.
All of the skills (all yall whove been through DIR/F, recite along with me at home ) are built upon a progression (building blocks) that start with enforcing a solid foundation, and then build upon that. But it all starts with team diving. If you have the greatest buoyancy in the world, but your team skills stink, youre a liability. If you have vegan-esque trim and can back-kick like a mo-fo, but youre on a bad team, youre now at risk. Nothing else matters if you cant get your head around team diving being a part of, and recognizing breakdown of the team.
Dry Drills
The Avalon dive park is this crescent parking lot. The divers roll in, lay out tarps and claim their space. Some space is preferred over others. If you get there early and plan it right, youre in the shade. If you snooze, youre rigging up by the plants where the locals relieve their dogs .not good. So its about 6:00 AM on Saturday I cant sleep Im so fired up. Terry wakes up early (PS: Zig and I are bunking with MHK and Terry) so we roll out at about 6:30-ish to go tarp out a few prime spots before the shore boats start pouring in. So were a little bleary, we walk over to the parking lot, and as we roll up to our spot there she is. The girl of Terrys dreams (not) all two-fitty of her, red 1 piece suit completely bent over (and completely oblivious to us) and trying to squeeze her ample self into her 7mil. After immediately waking up, we lay out the tarps and head back to get the rest of the crew. Nothing beats a moon over Avalon to wake a tired body right up.
We get there, and begin the kicks. All yall DIR/F alums know this part. Well its Saturday, so there are a zillion classes going on and were the only people in civys rolling around on the ground. Were the only group practicing. The closest thing to practice I saw while there was a group of about 15 dive students, all shoulder to shoulder. And on command from their Instructor (a member of the two-fitty club himself) they all dropped their weight belts to the asphalt in a cacophonous clank. Scared the crap out of me .
So were doing the kicks. Ok. Next the drills with the BP (no wing) and the reg zip tied to the back (reg rigged right...that's everyone!) Basic 5 .you alums remember it. Move to land S drills conduct, review, do again. Then moved to exposure protection. Good stuff here - design, development, what to look for, what to run from. All intentionally brand neutral features, not brands and not marketing make the gear what it is. Full range of motion, suit fits OK. A little big (Ive lost weight, plus it just came in bigger than I hoped for.) I really enjoyed this part. It was the last part of the class Id really enjoy.
With full exposure suits now on, we size up the BP's. Mine is a little loose.... I though it was cool. So we tighten it up a bit. Everything else was fine - D-rings, crotch strap, buckle, etc. Thanks to all who helped me fit it up.
In Water Drills
Terry goes in and lays down a course. We break off into teams, discuss the plans and hit the water. Immediately the teams break down. Didnt we just talk about all this 5 minutes ago? MHK offers a new signal (MHKism #3 - signal for WTF is that ? I think you can figure this one out), thumbs the dive, we hit topside. He gives it to us, as he asks intensely insensitive, probing questions. Questions such as what were you guys thinking?, why did you do that ? and the ever popular "you getting coffee while your team mate is in trouble there, chief?"
Theres no berating here simply moderating our own team ineptitude. We head down, and we get it more together.
Note to readers. I'm not commenting on the team member's skills when Im skill bashing, its all me.
We fumble through some stuff, and I learn that my specific brand of trim has an interesting name (MHKism #4 Yo Kenny, your trim is like youre *^$#*$ing the dog ) Bingo boffing as one member of the class put it in our soon to come video humiliation. Glad to be of service. Thank you for playing. Tell your friends, I'm here all week. Have you tried the Veal?
Video Review
So its time for the dreaded video review. This part of the class involves both hiding and coming clean. Think about this: If youre all essentially DIR, you all essentially look the same underwater. Note to future DIR/F students: Leave the bright suits and GREEN WEIGHTBELTS at home. Blend. You cant run, but you may be able to hide. Unless you have Bingo trim then you can pick me out in every frame. Sux to be me.
This part of the class was painful, but very, very good. I didnt take the class thinking I was all that, so I wasnt as disappointed as Im sure many are when they watch the video. Terry will be parked in the four-flats zone next time we dive We all laugh it up, have a good dinner and flop. I stay up for another hour, sitting on the beg with my wetnotes and reg around my neck (hmmm
maybe we are geeks) working on the drills, and memorizing the basic 5 so I dont force MHK into a half-a dozen Mod S drills when hes expecting a simple Reg Removal
. I R DUM
DAY 3
Fast forward to Last day no land drills. He hit the water first thing. And we roll through basically the same stuff (the 5 kicks & CG drill) except this time, the hazing begins. The team is much more together on day 3 diving in something resembling a formation. Then the task loading death-from-above begins. My team leader is way too far in front of me so Buzzard MHK descends and calls OOA to me and points to the roving team leader. So now I need to high-tail it to the guy, I call OOA (6 breaths later !) and in the middle of that convulsive fit, Im commanded to give up the mask while team member three is now OOA as well . You get the idea. Its about keeping composure and control (i.e.: buoyancy/depth and trim) while managing emergencies. The key here is to pile it on until you break then re-group, review, and go again.
Next were cruising around the course, practicing our kicks and trying to get a grip with trim (MHKism #5 hey Kenny, you gonna marry that dog soon ?) By now Im in a two man team (memo to self: Bring smaller cylinder next time those with the greatest gas supply are the most likely victims of death-from-above as all the other divers have left the pool and its just me and bachelor number 2. Friggen HP100) so MHK sneaks up and calls mask removal on my team member. No worries, I head over to deploy my spare mask for the guy. Im IN MY POCKET when he calls OOA on me HUH? I go over to my blind partner and tug-tug-rip and grab his reg. I deploy my spare mask for the guy (thinking Im all that) and immediately MHK takes it . WTF, so hes still blind, and MHK thumbs the dive .great. Now Bingo here needs to lead a blind buddy on a gas share controlled ascent with rolling stops at 30, 20 and 10.
You know what - it all came together. I was amazed. In the video review, over pizza (note: Avalon is the only place where they put CARROTS on a veggie pizza. What is THAT??!! What, you ran our of cucumber...?) I saw that in our last drill of the last day it came together. (MHKism #6 you should frame this picture Kenny its your finest hour ) It felt great to nail it. I didnt get the right hand to right hand dialed, but my partner later shared that he knew exactly what I was signaling into his hands (ascend, level off, wait, ascend, level off, etc.) I was pleased.
There are many reasons not to take a DIR/F class. Theyre not cheap. Theyre a great value, and I surely got what I wanted, and more, but theyre still some bucks. After all of these posts, maybe you think these GUE guys are still all gear Nazis. Maybe you think you wont measure up, youre not ready, its too far, I'm busy that weekend working on getting another "skill" card.... Thats all cool. Honestly, just stay away. I can speak for all the alums - if its not for you, its not for you. There are lots of reasons not to take one.
But there is only one reason to take the class thats to become a better diver. Your team diving will improve. Your situational awareness will improve. Your skills will be polished. Youll meet other divers in your area that are committed to improvement and not simply want to stay static. Its simply the best training investment Ive made yet. I recommend it for anyone.
k
DAY 2
Many think DIR/F is about trying to churn out perfect little bent-knee divers wholl continue to fund the Halcyon / GUE / EE empire through continuous equipment purchases. JJs capitalistic aspirations aside, I dont see that at all.
Team Diving
What attracted me to the DIR/F class was the Fundys book, and what kept me interested in the Fundys book past the introduction was the team diving concept. Buddy diving isnt new to me but team diving sure is. Remember my number one reason for taking the class was to develop a better dive planning process. The team diving concept (MHK drilled this concept into us throughout the land drills and throughout the in-water) as new as it was to me just makes sense. Youve read my two posts about my most recent flubbed dives both of those dives were the result of team failure. One was top side (Captn missed the mark, didnt set the hook, etc, etc.) and the other was in water (clowning around at depth, one diver aborted, killed the dive for the rest of us). Im confident other agencies teach team diving (right?) but I've never been exposed to it - not like this. I now have the focus to spot team break down, and the presence of mind to assure that I am a better team member.
All of the skills (all yall whove been through DIR/F, recite along with me at home ) are built upon a progression (building blocks) that start with enforcing a solid foundation, and then build upon that. But it all starts with team diving. If you have the greatest buoyancy in the world, but your team skills stink, youre a liability. If you have vegan-esque trim and can back-kick like a mo-fo, but youre on a bad team, youre now at risk. Nothing else matters if you cant get your head around team diving being a part of, and recognizing breakdown of the team.
Dry Drills
The Avalon dive park is this crescent parking lot. The divers roll in, lay out tarps and claim their space. Some space is preferred over others. If you get there early and plan it right, youre in the shade. If you snooze, youre rigging up by the plants where the locals relieve their dogs .not good. So its about 6:00 AM on Saturday I cant sleep Im so fired up. Terry wakes up early (PS: Zig and I are bunking with MHK and Terry) so we roll out at about 6:30-ish to go tarp out a few prime spots before the shore boats start pouring in. So were a little bleary, we walk over to the parking lot, and as we roll up to our spot there she is. The girl of Terrys dreams (not) all two-fitty of her, red 1 piece suit completely bent over (and completely oblivious to us) and trying to squeeze her ample self into her 7mil. After immediately waking up, we lay out the tarps and head back to get the rest of the crew. Nothing beats a moon over Avalon to wake a tired body right up.
We get there, and begin the kicks. All yall DIR/F alums know this part. Well its Saturday, so there are a zillion classes going on and were the only people in civys rolling around on the ground. Were the only group practicing. The closest thing to practice I saw while there was a group of about 15 dive students, all shoulder to shoulder. And on command from their Instructor (a member of the two-fitty club himself) they all dropped their weight belts to the asphalt in a cacophonous clank. Scared the crap out of me .
So were doing the kicks. Ok. Next the drills with the BP (no wing) and the reg zip tied to the back (reg rigged right...that's everyone!) Basic 5 .you alums remember it. Move to land S drills conduct, review, do again. Then moved to exposure protection. Good stuff here - design, development, what to look for, what to run from. All intentionally brand neutral features, not brands and not marketing make the gear what it is. Full range of motion, suit fits OK. A little big (Ive lost weight, plus it just came in bigger than I hoped for.) I really enjoyed this part. It was the last part of the class Id really enjoy.
With full exposure suits now on, we size up the BP's. Mine is a little loose.... I though it was cool. So we tighten it up a bit. Everything else was fine - D-rings, crotch strap, buckle, etc. Thanks to all who helped me fit it up.In Water Drills
Terry goes in and lays down a course. We break off into teams, discuss the plans and hit the water. Immediately the teams break down. Didnt we just talk about all this 5 minutes ago? MHK offers a new signal (MHKism #3 - signal for WTF is that ? I think you can figure this one out), thumbs the dive, we hit topside. He gives it to us, as he asks intensely insensitive, probing questions. Questions such as what were you guys thinking?, why did you do that ? and the ever popular "you getting coffee while your team mate is in trouble there, chief?"
Theres no berating here simply moderating our own team ineptitude. We head down, and we get it more together.
Note to readers. I'm not commenting on the team member's skills when Im skill bashing, its all me.
We fumble through some stuff, and I learn that my specific brand of trim has an interesting name (MHKism #4 Yo Kenny, your trim is like youre *^$#*$ing the dog ) Bingo boffing as one member of the class put it in our soon to come video humiliation. Glad to be of service. Thank you for playing. Tell your friends, I'm here all week. Have you tried the Veal?
Video Review
So its time for the dreaded video review. This part of the class involves both hiding and coming clean. Think about this: If youre all essentially DIR, you all essentially look the same underwater. Note to future DIR/F students: Leave the bright suits and GREEN WEIGHTBELTS at home. Blend. You cant run, but you may be able to hide. Unless you have Bingo trim then you can pick me out in every frame. Sux to be me.
This part of the class was painful, but very, very good. I didnt take the class thinking I was all that, so I wasnt as disappointed as Im sure many are when they watch the video. Terry will be parked in the four-flats zone next time we dive
We all laugh it up, have a good dinner and flop. I stay up for another hour, sitting on the beg with my wetnotes and reg around my neck (hmmm
maybe we are geeks) working on the drills, and memorizing the basic 5 so I dont force MHK into a half-a dozen Mod S drills when hes expecting a simple Reg Removal
. I R DUMDAY 3
Fast forward to Last day no land drills. He hit the water first thing. And we roll through basically the same stuff (the 5 kicks & CG drill) except this time, the hazing begins. The team is much more together on day 3 diving in something resembling a formation. Then the task loading death-from-above begins. My team leader is way too far in front of me so Buzzard MHK descends and calls OOA to me and points to the roving team leader. So now I need to high-tail it to the guy, I call OOA (6 breaths later !) and in the middle of that convulsive fit, Im commanded to give up the mask while team member three is now OOA as well . You get the idea. Its about keeping composure and control (i.e.: buoyancy/depth and trim) while managing emergencies. The key here is to pile it on until you break then re-group, review, and go again.
Next were cruising around the course, practicing our kicks and trying to get a grip with trim (MHKism #5 hey Kenny, you gonna marry that dog soon ?) By now Im in a two man team (memo to self: Bring smaller cylinder next time those with the greatest gas supply are the most likely victims of death-from-above as all the other divers have left the pool and its just me and bachelor number 2. Friggen HP100) so MHK sneaks up and calls mask removal on my team member. No worries, I head over to deploy my spare mask for the guy. Im IN MY POCKET when he calls OOA on me HUH? I go over to my blind partner and tug-tug-rip and grab his reg. I deploy my spare mask for the guy (thinking Im all that) and immediately MHK takes it . WTF, so hes still blind, and MHK thumbs the dive .great. Now Bingo here needs to lead a blind buddy on a gas share controlled ascent with rolling stops at 30, 20 and 10.
You know what - it all came together. I was amazed. In the video review, over pizza (note: Avalon is the only place where they put CARROTS on a veggie pizza. What is THAT??!! What, you ran our of cucumber...?) I saw that in our last drill of the last day it came together. (MHKism #6 you should frame this picture Kenny its your finest hour ) It felt great to nail it. I didnt get the right hand to right hand dialed, but my partner later shared that he knew exactly what I was signaling into his hands (ascend, level off, wait, ascend, level off, etc.) I was pleased.
There are many reasons not to take a DIR/F class. Theyre not cheap. Theyre a great value, and I surely got what I wanted, and more, but theyre still some bucks. After all of these posts, maybe you think these GUE guys are still all gear Nazis. Maybe you think you wont measure up, youre not ready, its too far, I'm busy that weekend working on getting another "skill" card.... Thats all cool. Honestly, just stay away. I can speak for all the alums - if its not for you, its not for you. There are lots of reasons not to take one.
But there is only one reason to take the class thats to become a better diver. Your team diving will improve. Your situational awareness will improve. Your skills will be polished. Youll meet other divers in your area that are committed to improvement and not simply want to stay static. Its simply the best training investment Ive made yet. I recommend it for anyone.
k
