In reading posts in this forum, it seems that DIR divers, especially newer divers in general seem to be worried about learning DIR "misinformation." George Irvine remarked that the biggest problem in diving today is misinformation.
I believe that misinformation is dangerous on two levels. The first, and I believe the intended version of "misinformation" as put forth by George Irvine, had to do with the basic tenets of DIR. These were standardized equipment configurations, correct gas mixtures for the planned dives, and standardized team procedures and protocols. At the time, the misinformation was that helium diving was dangerous and there were all kinds crazy configurations that were complicated, unbalanced, poorly thought out and no two rigs alike in a dive team. There was a lot of poorly thought out procedures as well and poorly planned and executed dives. The divers that were doing these dives were usually not the unskilled nor the untalented, quite the contrary, they were the divers who were cutting-edge. But, due to deep air diving, extreme solo diving, and inferior technologies diving was taking the lives of those who otherwise could never be killed within the parameters of the standard envelope of recreational diving which, when I started, was as deep as 190 feet. Beyond this all bets were off. Had DIR existed early on for the stalwart explorer many legends and pioneers of diving would be alive today. It was out of the accidents and through analysis of accidents that DIR started to grow and then took hold during the WKPP expeditions when George Irvine took over as project director. The deeper you dive and the further inside a cave you go, the more the ethos of DIR becomes clear. However, those lessons can filter all the way back to the recreational diver at both the technical and purely leisurely levels. This is "Big Picture DIR" and misinformation at this level will definitely redefine the simplistic foundation and safety of DIR diving.
GUE was once the only game in town for DIR training. But, due to politics, egos, economics and legalities, GUE lost primary players and dive leaders to agencies like NAUI and PDIC. While PDIC DIR had taken over Brasil and other S.A. areas thanks to the efforts of former GUE instructor trainer, Marcus Werneck, others like former GUE training director, Andrew Georgitsis, who developed the very training programs that taught many of us DIR diving and who has moved to NAUI have had greater influence upon DIR alternative training in the United States. George Irvine, who was the WKPP director and maybe even more recognized as the voice and face of DIR, has returned to other personal and business endeavors and is no longer an active sage of advice. Despite George's prominence as the WKPP director and the work that must have gone into that, George was always willing to educate freely on the internet, on the phone or in email. I had several questions answered by George, nothing was too dumb, to not warrant a reply, and believe me you got a reply, and not some political cop out or vague reply either. He even took the time to visit my boss in NYC. The roster of instructors is far different than it was years ago and several of these were just students at the same time that I was. That's not to say they aren't capable. They may even be more skilled and capable than the original instructor ranks. But, to me, something seems different... maybe its just my own sense of loss and disconnect from my original leaders... or is something else going on? I don't know. It could be that I have my own personal biasis against the current training regimen, or, maybe I just became way too sick and tired of hearing attitude and disrespect from yet another DIR-F student aimed at some pretty great non-DIR divers? I don't know.
The second concern about DIR misinformation could be that GUE wants to keep its hold on DIR. Much the same way as PADI warns divers that other C-cards aren't as recognized (maybe not as recognizable but just as accepted), GUE can warn new divers about misinformation to protect its financial and personal interests. If warnings about misinformation are still being given, I would believe that this is market driven. Some statements in the past were politically blatant attacks against instructors like Andrew, who retaliated in kind, while others were directed, rightfully so, at "the usual suspects". But, big picture DIR information floods the internet. Gear, gases, teamwork, decompression strategies, and media all exist to lock in the basic "big picture" of DIR. We live in an age of information and the very founders of DIR accomplished what they did due to information exchange. If we don't exchange information as DIR divers, do we not lose an important tool to improve diving?
I personally love what's happened to the safety of diving thanks to DIR, but I hate what has happened to the fun of diving due to DIR. I'm not talking about the training, the practice, the discipline and procedures. Learning these things has been part of the fun for me. What I'm talking about is the arrogance and the attitude that seems to have sprung up in the diving community. The community has alrerady been divided by recreational vs. technical and both these communities are being impacted by the "Mean Girls" (the film) atmosphere that seems to be stinking up the neighborhood from DIR. This was something we had been addressing before Scubaboard.com crashed and most of us agreed there was an attitude. Some thought the attitude was more of a relic of the Irvine days, while others felt it still showed its presence. But, we did agree that an attitude did or does exist. Where did it come from? That's rhetorical. But, what we can do is to take proactive steps to bring DIR out from under the cloud of this history. We need to first lighten up with each other and other divers. Place nice and share the sandbox. We need to stop arriving at dive sites with the aura of the Nazi SS. Not only should we be good in the water by demostrating great teamwork and skills, we should be the best and most positive public relations machine for safer diving.
Jarrod Jablonski himself said, "DIR is bigger than GUE and GUE is bigger than DIR depending upon how one looks at it, but DIR is bigger than all of us because it speaks to a world of divers."
He also remarked that a diver "Who is 300 to 500 to 1000 dives into the system and who wants to change a D-ring a quater of an inch, if he thinks that will benefit his diving can then do so, because he is qualified to make that decision since he has some experience."
I think the future of DIR isn't going to be from the top down, but a lateral movement of information among divers and agencies that may climb back up to the top as that world of divers gets to speak from experience.
I believe that misinformation is dangerous on two levels. The first, and I believe the intended version of "misinformation" as put forth by George Irvine, had to do with the basic tenets of DIR. These were standardized equipment configurations, correct gas mixtures for the planned dives, and standardized team procedures and protocols. At the time, the misinformation was that helium diving was dangerous and there were all kinds crazy configurations that were complicated, unbalanced, poorly thought out and no two rigs alike in a dive team. There was a lot of poorly thought out procedures as well and poorly planned and executed dives. The divers that were doing these dives were usually not the unskilled nor the untalented, quite the contrary, they were the divers who were cutting-edge. But, due to deep air diving, extreme solo diving, and inferior technologies diving was taking the lives of those who otherwise could never be killed within the parameters of the standard envelope of recreational diving which, when I started, was as deep as 190 feet. Beyond this all bets were off. Had DIR existed early on for the stalwart explorer many legends and pioneers of diving would be alive today. It was out of the accidents and through analysis of accidents that DIR started to grow and then took hold during the WKPP expeditions when George Irvine took over as project director. The deeper you dive and the further inside a cave you go, the more the ethos of DIR becomes clear. However, those lessons can filter all the way back to the recreational diver at both the technical and purely leisurely levels. This is "Big Picture DIR" and misinformation at this level will definitely redefine the simplistic foundation and safety of DIR diving.
GUE was once the only game in town for DIR training. But, due to politics, egos, economics and legalities, GUE lost primary players and dive leaders to agencies like NAUI and PDIC. While PDIC DIR had taken over Brasil and other S.A. areas thanks to the efforts of former GUE instructor trainer, Marcus Werneck, others like former GUE training director, Andrew Georgitsis, who developed the very training programs that taught many of us DIR diving and who has moved to NAUI have had greater influence upon DIR alternative training in the United States. George Irvine, who was the WKPP director and maybe even more recognized as the voice and face of DIR, has returned to other personal and business endeavors and is no longer an active sage of advice. Despite George's prominence as the WKPP director and the work that must have gone into that, George was always willing to educate freely on the internet, on the phone or in email. I had several questions answered by George, nothing was too dumb, to not warrant a reply, and believe me you got a reply, and not some political cop out or vague reply either. He even took the time to visit my boss in NYC. The roster of instructors is far different than it was years ago and several of these were just students at the same time that I was. That's not to say they aren't capable. They may even be more skilled and capable than the original instructor ranks. But, to me, something seems different... maybe its just my own sense of loss and disconnect from my original leaders... or is something else going on? I don't know. It could be that I have my own personal biasis against the current training regimen, or, maybe I just became way too sick and tired of hearing attitude and disrespect from yet another DIR-F student aimed at some pretty great non-DIR divers? I don't know.
The second concern about DIR misinformation could be that GUE wants to keep its hold on DIR. Much the same way as PADI warns divers that other C-cards aren't as recognized (maybe not as recognizable but just as accepted), GUE can warn new divers about misinformation to protect its financial and personal interests. If warnings about misinformation are still being given, I would believe that this is market driven. Some statements in the past were politically blatant attacks against instructors like Andrew, who retaliated in kind, while others were directed, rightfully so, at "the usual suspects". But, big picture DIR information floods the internet. Gear, gases, teamwork, decompression strategies, and media all exist to lock in the basic "big picture" of DIR. We live in an age of information and the very founders of DIR accomplished what they did due to information exchange. If we don't exchange information as DIR divers, do we not lose an important tool to improve diving?
I personally love what's happened to the safety of diving thanks to DIR, but I hate what has happened to the fun of diving due to DIR. I'm not talking about the training, the practice, the discipline and procedures. Learning these things has been part of the fun for me. What I'm talking about is the arrogance and the attitude that seems to have sprung up in the diving community. The community has alrerady been divided by recreational vs. technical and both these communities are being impacted by the "Mean Girls" (the film) atmosphere that seems to be stinking up the neighborhood from DIR. This was something we had been addressing before Scubaboard.com crashed and most of us agreed there was an attitude. Some thought the attitude was more of a relic of the Irvine days, while others felt it still showed its presence. But, we did agree that an attitude did or does exist. Where did it come from? That's rhetorical. But, what we can do is to take proactive steps to bring DIR out from under the cloud of this history. We need to first lighten up with each other and other divers. Place nice and share the sandbox. We need to stop arriving at dive sites with the aura of the Nazi SS. Not only should we be good in the water by demostrating great teamwork and skills, we should be the best and most positive public relations machine for safer diving.
Jarrod Jablonski himself said, "DIR is bigger than GUE and GUE is bigger than DIR depending upon how one looks at it, but DIR is bigger than all of us because it speaks to a world of divers."
He also remarked that a diver "Who is 300 to 500 to 1000 dives into the system and who wants to change a D-ring a quater of an inch, if he thinks that will benefit his diving can then do so, because he is qualified to make that decision since he has some experience."
I think the future of DIR isn't going to be from the top down, but a lateral movement of information among divers and agencies that may climb back up to the top as that world of divers gets to speak from experience.
