The "other" end of the DIR question

[ZoCrowes255]

I started diving back in 96 and until I discovered this board I had no idea that DIR even existed. Many of the things that the DIR folks spoke of I had already been exposed to by many of my instructors. Things like buddy awareness, streamlining your configuration, good buoyancy and trim etc were all things I had heard from my Openwater. I think I had the benefit on damn good instruction though and I try to pass that on to my students.

 

[flw]

I went down the dir-route for a while, at a time when I was finding my was through myearly trimix diving 5 or 6 years ago. I learned a fair amount through it, particularly with regards to configuration/simplicity etc. However one of the key points is team diving, and whilst we don't dive as a team as such, we do tend to stay within our own fairly closed group. At some point we eventually came to a conclusion,whereby we worked out what worked for us where we are and under our conditions - and we all stuck by it, although it was markedly different to dir, there was a strong 'hogarthian' type element to it. We had our own procedures/favoured deco schedules and gases, but allowed for a bit of variation between ourselves.
As time went by, we started to extend run times, explore deeper wrecks etc and oc started to become limiting, particularly since He and O2 have to be shipped to the island from the mainland. A 'natural' progression ensued and the obvious solution at the time was a rebreather of some sort, in our case mildly modified Inspirations - at which point we departed from what could possibly described as dir, but we still consider it works for us - and actually we don't care what anyone else thinks
f

 

[crpntr133]

Even though I do agree with a lot of what DIR is all about the one thing that I don't like is the title of this post in DIR... Will this equipment be allowed for DIR-F?
http://www.scubaboard.com/t50864.html
Many people have died for my freedom and I will be dipped in pig poop if someone is going to tell me what equipment I am going to dive with. I do realize that part of it is safety and other points of consideration.

 

[pipedope]

For being dipped in pig poop the equipment choice is pretty narrow but it is NOT GUE/DIR.

Just ask your friendly neighborhood commercial diver about diving in hazardous conditions.

 

[bwerb]

An instructor friend of mine had the opportunity to take the DIR-F course a few months ago in Victoria BC. He has been diving for quite a few years but was very suprised that the instructor was so open minded and not all "YOU MUST BUY HALCYON GEAR". I think it was already posted on this thread....but you don't need to fully kit yourself up in Halcyon gear to be DIR. I think most of us would benifit from taking any course where skills and buddy awareness are the focus.

I appreciate your post and POV...one of the things I have found rather interesting is that although the CD and the instructors at the shop mentioned have found some real great teaching and instruction through DIR and are themselves great divers and great people...their shop as a "5 star" facility is unable to offer anything outside of the "curriculum". I find it curious that there is a great deal of criticism of DIR for being "closed minded" and yet "the way the world learns to dive" has put up major roadblocks to their affiliated shops for teaching anything other than what they push.

I think this does a huge disservice to learning divers and unless the shop instructors add to the curriculum provided and change the emphasis of the instructing to highlight some of the potential weaknesses of just following the provided lesson plan, there will be a growing gulf between camps.

The weakness of DIR is the "vocal minority". What I find interesting reading this thread is the number of innaccurate statemets about DIR made by those who have been turned off by the "lemmings"...it's so sad that the good parts of the message are so skewed by the zealot messengers. Rest assured most of us who have chosen to dive DIR are as dismayed as you are, and it is really sad to read "misinterpretations" and outright inaccuracies which turn people away from some very good instruction.

Here's to finding a better way to bridge the information gap and to better learn from one another.

 

[OneBrightGator]

Brian, I appreciate your post and your POV, but, if I read what you're implying to say, that PADI doesn't not encourage teaching classes they don't offer, you are incorrect. PADI does not allow similar classes through another agency to be taught through a 5-star facility, however if there is no PADI equivalent (i.e. cave diving) then the shop is free to offer whatever classes it likes.

Ben

 

[MikeFerrara]

But yes, the blend in question (where PO2 gets pushed) is EAN30 for me.

For wrecks like the Wisconsin I cut back on the O2 also. I use 28% (or less) and if I already had some 21/35 mixed that's what I'd use.

Onto the large problem. "Up north", Nitrox isn't always available which forces me to top off tanks with air. The charter captain at Alpena just added nitrox this year. Also until this year, my tanks are not O2 clean, which saved me $50.00 per tank, meaning that they cannot be partial pressure blended in. This also has forced air top-offs in the past. Another issue that comes up with doubles is a reluctance to pay for a fill of nitrox when I have only used 1000 psi or so and air top-offs are cheaper and I still have a pretty rich blend of Nitrox to boot (ie. Maybe I had EAN32 in them.). So sometimes, best mix means the mix that was most practical for one of several reasons and I didn't feel like diving air.

Adapting to local conditions is just part of life. If I'm going to run down to the local 30 ft deep quarry to do a dive it's unlikely you'll see me spending a bunch of time in the garage blending. I'll throw some air on top of whatever's already in the tanks, analyze and go.

Ckean your own tanks and then it won't cost so much. For me to pay some one to clean all my tanks and service all my regs would cost as much as I spend on diving in a whole year. That'll be the day.

 

[Spectre]

Before you dive a gas you need to mix it right?

Notice that the GUE standard gasses 32%, 21/35, 18/45, 15/55 and 10/70 can all be mixed with helium ans 32%. So...if you bank 32% mixing is always a snap.

That's half of it, the other half is...

Dive thirds on a tank of 10/70. Now top your reserve 1/3 of 10/70 with 21/35, what do you get? What about topping with 18/45?

 

[sea nmf]

After reading numerous threads and talking to a few folks, I believe there are equipment configurations and some techniques that I could learn from taking the DIRF course. I don't expect that I will ever "be DIR".

The reason I haven't taken the course is because I live in Hawaii and it would be WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. I've inquired and have been told that on top of the fee for the course, the students would have to split the cost of the travel and accommodations of the instructor.

I'm hoping that some day a friendly diver will show me the techniques and equipment. So far, however, each time I ask, I'm told to take the class. I'm not sure why they won't share information . . . . .

 

[H2Andy]

have you considered buying the book, DIR: Fundamentals of Better Diving?

you can buy it directly from GUE at http://www.gue.com/classroom/manuals.shtml

just reading the book gave me a lot of ideas and taught me to appreciate what the DIR folk are saying, even if i dont' agree with everything they say.

while i am not DIR, i have set up a lot of my equipment
using their methods because it makes sense to me.
also, the "skills to have" lists are awesome.