The "other" end of the DIR question

[detroit diver]

but you would have to take the DIR class, wouldn't you?

can you be DIR without ever taking the class?

You can, but the odds against it would be amazing. You'd have to be admitted into the WKPP (a miracle unto itself) or have been around/near/close to a DIR-F class to get the benefits of the instruction.

How else would you get the information and experience? It's not all in the book. And you certainly can't learn it on the internet ( I know that's a shock to some!).

 

[detroit diver]

If something's in caps, it's an acronym. When was the last time you ever heard anyone use "dir"?

Therefore, use of the acronym "DIR" doesn't exclude non-JJ DIR divers, unless by definition such qualifications are required.

I always figured any joe could qualify as a DIR diver if they conformed to the book in both equipment and technique. Isn't that what the class is about? ('cept DIR-F is even more abbreviated)

In theory you're correct. In reality I would argue that it would be nearly impossible.

 

[Don Burke]

I always figured any joe could qualify as a DIR diver if they conformed to the book in both equipment and technique.

can they? that's exactly the question i was asking.

i suspect that they can not. it's like me reading the NAUI book and following what it says and suddenly declaring myself a NAUI diver. i believe i would be treated with a certain degree of skepticism, to say the least.

If you wanted to call yourself a "GUE diver", then there would be a problem. There is no agency called "DIR."

 

[Tom R]

but you would have to take the DIR class, wouldn't you?

can you be DIR without ever taking the class?

One of the main components of DIR is attitude, you can take all the class offered and still not be DIR. It's the whole package not just the gear, or just the training.

Learning how to dive DIR from non-GUE instructors is most likely non-productive, not saying that all instructors are bad. Presently the're other agencies teaching DIR like training trying to get on the "band wagon", the problem here is the majority of them don't have the skill to pass on.

 

[jonnythan]

Seriously, if you think DIRF is a marketing ploy you're incredibly mistaken. Really. You are. I *just* took the class, and the least important thing was what manufacturer made your gear. The name Halcyon was seriously never heard the whole weekend, I think. Somehow the real message gets lost on the internet to an impressive degree. Being DIR has absolutely nothing to do with who makes your gear.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I think some of you are confusing sales and marketing ... they're not the same thing.

When someone suggests to me that DIR is a marketing ploy, Halcyon doesn't come to mind. Actually, my first thought is that no ... DIR isn't a marketing ploy at all ... it's the product that's being marketed. There are several "ploys" being used to market the product ... not the least of which is Internet boards like this one.

Think about it ... what topic consistently gets the most attention every time it gets mentioned? Yep ... those three magic letters. It's heated, it's controversial, and it always brings out the most opinionated responses.

You can't buy that kind of advertising.

The "marketing ploy" was making it controversial in the first place. After all ... most of it is common sense, and none of it's new. So why all the controversy? IMO - it's because without the controversy, it'd just be a (relatively few) bunch of guys swimming around in backplates. The rest of us would've never heard about it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[gj62]

IMO - it's because without the controversy, it'd just be a (relatively few) bunch of guys swimming around in backplates. The rest of us would've never heard about it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Except for boards like this one, that's still the case...

 

[gkndivebum]

[...] You can be DIR without a single piece of Halcyon or Extreme Exposure gear.

Unless you dive a rebreather ... in which case only the Halcyon rig will do.

Or am I wrong?

(the Halcyon rig seems like a nice one for a semi-closed unit. Trainig is going to be
much harder to come by than for the Drager Dolphin, for example, which lessens it's
appeal considerably)

 

[drbill]

I am probably a poster child for non-DIR diving, but my methods work for me (at least so far after 42 years of diving). I have friends who have gone over to the dark side and really are firm believers (well, they will still dive with me so they can't be that doctrinaire!).

Seriously, my diving is different from that of a lot of other divers due to my focus on scientific research and underwater videography. However, I would consider taking a DIR-F course because I know I can always learn from other divers and approaches. I would not become a "true believer," but would adopt what made sense to me.

I dive a soft backpack (X-Tek) and wing (Rec-Tek) which is not DIR but very comfortable for me. I have hoses criss-crossing my chest (secondary, octo, pony reg and console). Despite mucking around in a lot of kelp they rarely get snagged or pulled loose. I use Apollo Biofins... dove Rockets and Jets for years, but find the Apollos to be more comfortable.

So my advice... be open-minded, don't close your mind to what DIR can teach you. However, you don't have to become a "true believer" (unless you do believe).

Dr. Bill

 

[gj62]

I am probably a poster child for non-DIR diving, but my methods work for me (at least so far after 42 years of diving). I have friends who have gone over to the dark side and really are firm believers (well, they will still dive with me so they can't be that doctrinaire!).

Seriously, my diving is different from that of a lot of other divers due to my focus on scientific research and underwater videography. However, I would consider taking a DIR-F course because I know I can always learn from other divers and approaches. I would not become a "true believer," but would adopt what made sense to me.

I dive a soft backpack (X-Tek) and wing (Rec-Tek) which is not DIR but very comfortable for me. I have hoses criss-crossing my chest (secondary, octo, pony reg and console). Despite mucking around in a lot of kelp they rarely get snagged or pulled loose. I use Apollo Biofins... dove Rockets and Jets for years, but find the Apollos to be more comfortable.

So my advice... be open-minded, don't close your mind to what DIR can teach you. However, you don't have to become a "true believer" (unless you do believe).

Dr. Bill

I agree - the Hogarthian rig has many benefits and folks would be well-advised to adapt the rigging options in this style that make sense to them. Also commendable are the skills that are stressed - trim & bouyancy control, finning techniques, buddy skills, etc. Note that none of this is exclusive to DIR (in fact, it all existed before DIR). As many have stated on this thread, DIR is more than the rigging or the techniques - it is the holistic system. It is the overall system that I choose not to adopt, and therefore cannot be considered DIR. I do like the DIS concept however...