the DIR moniker

[peterbj7]

My story on DIR is simple. Several years ago I was renting a lot of tech equipment, and one guy turned up wanting a backplate. I showed him a choice of 9 or 10, of different makes and materials. He asked if I had a Halcyon backplate, and I replied that I didn't. He said it had to be Halcyon, and left without further comment. He never mentioned DIR and perhaps I'm making an unwarranted assumption, but I can't think of any other explanation - he had been so indoctrinated by the DIR idea that he couldn't think beyond it.

Since no-one else in the country rented any tech equipment I've often wondered what he did - spent his holiday in the bars perhaps?

Mind you, I'm also reminded of another incident which has nothing at all to do with DIR. A guy turned up with a fairly unusual top-of-the-line SLR camera and wanted to rent a housing for it. I explained that each housing is specific to the model of camera, and not only did I not have one he'd be extremely lucky to find one for rent anywhere, in any country, unless he pre-arranged it. He certainly wouldn't find one anywhere in Belize. He was most put out.....

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

My story on DIR is simple. Several years ago I was renting a lot of tech equipment, and one guy turned up wanting a backplate. I showed him a choice of 9 or 10, of different makes and materials. He asked if I had a Halcyon backplate, and I replied that I didn't. He said it had to be Halcyon, and left without further comment. He never mentioned DIR and perhaps I'm making an unwarranted assumption, but I can't think of any other explanation - he had been so indoctrinated by the DIR idea that he couldn't think beyond it.

Since no-one else in the country rented any tech equipment I've often wondered what he did - spent his holiday in the bars perhaps?

Must be a regional thing ... around here more DIR folks are sportin' DSS plates than Halcyon. HOG is making a big dent in the backplate market recently as well ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[NAM001]

No ... it's safe to assume that some people will never understand ... because they choose not to.

I think his message was pretty straightforward ... it's just diving.

Maybe if you're not having a good time being around somebody, it's more because of you than because of them. I'm not even DIR ... but I wear a backplate and long hose. And yanno what? I've had plenty of jerks come up and start giving me a hard time because they thought I was one of those "damned DIR" folks. I never said anything to them to provoke that response ... I dive with all sorts of people. But they take one look at my gear and make the exact sort of assumptions you just made. Think I'm gonna let it traumatize me? Hardly. I don't really care what they think. I dive to have fun. So do all my DIR friends ... and they really don't care much about you or your home made reel. So if you want to let what some nameless person thinks bother you, then that's really your fault, and you're gonna end up having less fun because of it.

I get so tired of people coming into the DIR forum just to spew anti-DIR attitude. If you don't like DIR people, that's fine ... you don't have to. But in that case, wouldn't it make more sense to go somewhere you don't have to be around DIR people. It doesn't make any sense for you to post in this forum ... and it's just bad manners to come into someone else's home and then sit around telling them why you don't like them.

Personally, I think you're displaying the very same behavior you're complaining about. Maybe it's not them that's the problem ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

thats not the point at all. i have not made any confrontations at all with any dir's i have only responded to the arogance they have put out.

you took offence of being falsely acused of being one of those dir folks. i have the same problem being accused of not being good enough to get wet unless i am dir.
as i said most of the dirs i have not had problems with. they are great folks with lots of info to share. but thier are the group of holy than's that really take away from one feeling they can approch a dir'er with out ridicule. they ar the ones that are the root of the bad rap the dir's get.

the thing about the dive reel was from no one on this board it was a real event at a lake. i have picked up several things from the dir philosophy and think it makes sense to do these things. looking for good ideas is why i read this forum. there are and always will be those who will label anyone as a trouble maker if they dont totaly agree with them. it appears now that lamont is one of them with his warning. he has to do what he has to do i guess.

after all ,,,that "holier than" attitude is what was being expressed in many of the posts about some of the over zelous dir's.

ok lamont the ball is in your court.

 

[NAM001]

I'm confused . . . I thought KWS was saying that it was GI3 who took exception to his reel?

Anyway . . . everybody's entitled to an opinion. But most of us DIR divers are just interested in diving, and diving safely and with a level of skill that allows us to have the most fun possible.

KWS, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a general air in the DIR forum that this is a better way to dive. If we didn't think it was better -- for US -- why would we put the work in to do it? There are people on this board who think vintage is better, or minimalist is better, or dork diving is better. There just aren't, perhaps, as many of them, and they don't have as visible a label.

sorry for the confusion no one on the board was involved in my reel episode. it was only an example of an attitude i once got from a dir diver at a local lake.

 

[Slamfire]

Well, they were solid divers, really fun people to be around, fit right in socially with everyone else on board ... and not a single DIR person had anything bad to say about their gear or tried to convert them to the "dark side". We had a fun, drama-free three days of great times together.

Imagine that.

Yeah ... seriously ... it's just diving ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I've been in boat dives, by invitation, where everybody else (7 others) were either UTD or GUE trained (probably some of the same people Bob is referring to). I'm not DIR nor am I GUE or UTD trained. I was never the target of efforts to convert me, or criticisms about my gear, skills, dive plans, etc. We were diving in two teams. The other team was doing a serious deep dive (200+ can't remember the exact depth). They were full DIR for this dive. Two of them would be doing support diver roles and three were going down to the full depth -- std gases, std protocol the full 9 yds DIR. As for my team of 3, we were on a fun dive to an overhang in the wall of Snake Island located at around 135'. We did it as a single gas nitrox dive and I don't believe we got into any deco obligations, if we did it was minimal, the kind that gets fulfilled with a slow ascent plus safety stop (I'd have to check my log to confirm).

Yes, we were doing "deep air" and furthermore, one of my UTD trained teammates was diving a single steel 100. His only gas redundancy were the doubles on the backs of his other two buddies. He's got a really good SAC rate, to the point were we tell him he must be like the salamanders that can breath through their skin.

Everybody on the boat knew about our plans and we knew about theirs. Nobody was criticizing anybody else or telling them we were going to die. It was just diving.

 

[NAM001]

So some random guy who is dressed in black and uses a pony bottle tells you not to use home made gear.

Where do you get the idea that he's "DIR" or a spokesman for DIR? Most people I know who have DIR training use at least some home made stuff, and none of them use pony bottles (at least whilst still following the DIR part of their training).

Maybe he even said he's "DIR," buy yanowhat, I can say I'm the President. There's nothing in any DIR training that specifies black clothing and equipment, there's nothing that precludes do-it-yourself gear (it's often encouraged... look at stage rigging, for example), and there certainly aren't any pony bottles.

i agree with you, once again it was the attitude that was displayed. the snubbing ect. not tha accuracy of what he said. a pony bottle not only looks stupid it is stupid. he certainly felt superior about it.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

you took offence of being falsely acused of being one of those dir folks.

I wasn't offended at all ... I simply told them they were misinformed and let it go at that.

there are and always will be those who will label anyone as a trouble maker if they dont totaly agree with them. it appears now that lamont is one of them with his warning. he has to do what he has to do i guess.

Hmmm ... so you think "mommy knows best", "holier than thou", and other such language that you're using here expresses disagreement? I think it expresses an attempt to incite.

Lamont is doing his job as a moderator. Suggest you go to the top of the forum and read NetDoc's rules for posting here ... everyone, regardless of their chosen diving style, is expected to abide by them.

after all ,,,that "holier than" attitude is what was being expressed in many of the posts about some of the over zelous dir's.

... and what, exactly, do you think you are expressing?

ok lamont the ball is in your court.

On this or any other internet forum, folks who openly break the rules and then challenge the mods to do something about it are seldom happy with the outcome.

I imagine we can expect to see yet another "censorship" thread in the Whine and Cheeze forum soon ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

a pony bottle not only looks stupid it is stupid.

... and you're complaining about other people's "superior" attitude?

A pony bottle, when used appropriately, is just another tool. Some folks find them useful, others do not.

It so happens, they have no place in the DIR scheme of things ... primarily because the DIR approach assumes that a team will be appropriately trained to properly calculate their gas reserves ... and will be appropriately disciplined to respond promptly if their buddy should need the gas in your tank(s) that is reserved for them.

More than anything else, this should tell you that the person who commented on your reel was not DIR.

"Stupid" is another matter ... some symptoms of "stupid" are ...

- judging an entire class of people by the acts of one person who may or may not be a member of that class.

- making judgmental comments about other people's gear because you don't choose to use it.

- whining about someone else's behavior while acting out the same behavior yourself ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[lamont]

they are great folks with lots of info to share. but thier are the group of holy than's that really take away from one feeling they can approch a dir'er with out ridicule. they ar the ones that are the root of the bad rap the dir's get.

I don't have psychic abilities to be able to control DIR divers and make the assholes stop being assholes. JJ does not have that ability either. It is also beyond the PADI CEOs abilities to make all the ******* PADI divers stop being assholes (same goes for NAUI, NACD, TDI, IANTD, BSAC, ACUC, etc)

If you have a specific problem with a specific diver, you should take it up with them. If you have a specific problem with a specific post in this forum you should post a response to that. Venting about some wrong that occurred in your past on this forum is basically like showing up as a guest in someone's house and pissing all over the carpet. It violates the ToS and the explicit instructions that this is a no trolling zone.

If you don't see how I'm not responsible by basis of agency affiliation for some wrong committed against you by some other scuba diver, then you need to go vent your argument some place else.

 

[peterbj7]

(is this a proper use of the word "trolling"?)