What's your take on DIR?

[Nailer99]

Hi, all- I'm very new, and trying to understand some stuff here. I just recently completed PADI OW and the first half of AOW, when I realized that I knew next to nothing, and that my texts had not-so-much usefull info in them. I put up a post in the "Basic Scuba" discussion thread asking for info on gas management, and was pleasantly suprised by how many helpfull responses I got. (Especially Gratefull Diver's doc he sent me- Thanks again, Bob!) I also noticed a fair bit of criticism towards PADI, most of which I think was fair. It seems ridiculous to me that they teach you next to nothing about gas management in the first two classes they offer. "Advanced", yeah, right. Anyway, That post caused me to notice the DIR discipline (discipline? School? Cult?) for the first time. I have done a bit of reading up on it, both in the sticky at the top of this section and elsewhere, but I'm confused about a few things. One item I gleaned is that there's apparently some reason the Suunto Cobra dive comp I just bought is not "DIR approved." Why, exactly, is that? What Comp do DIR divers favor? Do you guys really all wear identical gear configs? I scored a deal on a OMS BCD that seemed pretty cool to me, although I haven't dived with it yet...It seems to have a rigid backplate and "wings".....DIR approved or no?

And......sorry if this post is rambling on a little, but what is your take on DIR? What does it mean to you? I really like diving a lot, and want to be serious about it, but I feel almost as if I've wandered into a religious battleground here, or something....Northern Ireland in the 1980's, say.

 

[PfcAJ]

Hopefully you wont ignite some religious e-war. I had alot of the same questions when I got into cave diving and found DIR.

The most obvious and discussed aspect is equipment configuration. DIR divers wear similar, but not exactly the same, equipment. It is configured to be both streamlined, simple, and safe. The uniformity allows everyone to know where their teammates equipment is. I always know where my buddy's equipment is... because its just like mine!

DIR types typically stay away from computers. People tend to become dependant on them, and forget how to work out their own decompression. Some computers have goofy models that are too conservative and could keep you in the water an excessive amount of time, and some are too liberal and can end up hurting you. A simple bottom timer + training can take you very far in scuba diving.

A frequently overlooked part of DIR is the team. I got lucky and found a good DIR dive buddy, and we work well together. Underwater, we have set protocols before, durning and after the dive.

Its all about having fun and maximizing your enjoyment and safety. DIR has taught me alot about diving any myself. Try and get ahold of JJ's book "Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving". It explains all this much better than what I can convey in a post.

Feel free to PM me with any specifics or questions.

 

[DIR-Atlanta]

One item I gleaned is that there's apparently some reason the Suunto Cobra dive comp I just bought is not "DIR approved." Why, exactly, is that? What Comp do DIR divers favor?

Actually, it's not a particular computer that is "not DIR approved", but all computers. Or more specifically, the blind trust in what the computer tells you is or is not OK, without having a solid understanding of what's happening to you physiologically. A computer is just a tool, and like a lot of tools, it can cause serious injury if misused. Many divers are totally dependent on their computers for all dive planning, and the DIR view is that that is a "bad thing". The DIR philosophy encourages divers to avoid that situation by educating themselves about things like decompression theory, bubble mechanics, etc.

I often compare it to a person who does not understand basic addition, yet blindly trusts the results from a calculator. Without basic math skills, how would that person know if the calculator is displaying bad data?

Do you guys really all wear identical gear configs?

Pretty much - one of the major tenets of DIR is the concept of teamwork. One of the principle effects of that is that divers on the same team all wear the same "uniform". This improves the team's response to an emergency situation, since every diver knows how the other team members' gear is configured.

I scored a deal on a OMS BCD that seemed pretty cool to me, although I haven't dived with it yet...It seems to have a rigid backplate and "wings".....DIR approved or no?

If the wings are the dual bladder or the so-called "bungee wings", then no, they are not DIR approved. Dual bladder wings add unnecessary complexity to your rig (two bags, two inflators, two LP hoses), and the bungee wings are less streamlined, more difficult to orally inflate, and may collapse spontaneously if they develop a leak. All of these features are deemed unsuitable for DIR diving.

Also, a DIR harness should be constructed from a single piece of webbing, and without any sort of quick release buckle, sternum strap, etc. So if your OMS BC has any of those features (or more than one piece of webbing on the shoulder part), then it would not be suitable for DIR diving.

For a quick run-down on the DIR gear configuration, check the description on the GUE website.

And......sorry if this post is rambling on a little, but what is your take on DIR? What does it mean to you? I really like diving a lot, and want to be serious about it, but I feel almost as if I've wandered into a religious battleground here, or something....Northern Ireland in the 1980's, say.

Well, since this is the DIR forum, then most people here are (presumably) proponents of the DIR system. In fact, many people are downright passionate about it (both in favor and against ). I consider it to be a simple and utilitarian approach to diving, and use it for all my diving, from recreational to "other".

Your best bet to find out more is to read Doing It Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving by Jarrod Jablonski. It explains a lot about the motivation and philosophy of DIR diving. Since you live in the Seattle area, you might also check out Pacific Rim Aquatics / Fifth D in Issaquah - they are a DIR shop, and can help you learn more about the system (as well as about the gear ).

 

[lamont]

Hi, all- I'm very new, and trying to understand some stuff here. I just recently completed PADI OW and the first half of AOW, when I realized that I knew next to nothing, and that my texts had not-so-much usefull info in them. I put up a post in the "Basic Scuba" discussion thread asking for info on gas management, and was pleasantly suprised by how many helpfull responses I got. (Especially Gratefull Diver's doc he sent me- Thanks again, Bob!) I also noticed a fair bit of criticism towards PADI, most of which I think was fair. It seems ridiculous to me that they teach you next to nothing about gas management in the first two classes they offer. "Advanced", yeah, right. Anyway, That post caused me to notice the DIR discipline (discipline? School? Cult?) for the first time. I have done a bit of reading up on it, both in the sticky at the top of this section and elsewhere, but I'm confused about a few things. One item I gleaned is that there's apparently some reason the Suunto Cobra dive comp I just bought is not "DIR approved." Why, exactly, is that? What Comp do DIR divers favor? Do you guys really all wear identical gear configs? I scored a deal on a OMS BCD that seemed pretty cool to me, although I haven't dived with it yet...It seems to have a rigid backplate and "wings".....DIR approved or no?

And......sorry if this post is rambling on a little, but what is your take on DIR? What does it mean to you? I really like diving a lot, and want to be serious about it, but I feel almost as if I've wandered into a religious battleground here, or something....Northern Ireland in the 1980's, say.

DIR makes rec diving really, really trivial. The level of equipment standardization for DIR is probably overkill for standard recreational diving so is probably not the most attractive thing about it. The equipment standard is, however, fantastically bulletproof. There's nothing much you can do to break a BP/W and it will take a lot of punishment simply because it isn't very complex. When it comes to computers and compasses, ergonomically I was drawn to the wrist layout instead of the console because it eliminated a dangly and make them more accessable. It is also very convenient because you have your depth and time display on your wrist where you are more likely to be checking it, and if its on your right wrist it makes it easy to check your depth while manipulating your buoyancy with your left hand at the same time. Its those kinds of little thought-through details that tend to be attractive about DIR.

As a recreational diver you should not focus on the "banning" of dive computers in DIR. You can dive recreationally with a dive computer like a Vyper just fine and you'll know when and if its time to turn it off. I went for around 150 dives before my Vyper went into gauge mode.

Also, a central piece of the DIR equipment config is the long hose, which is a religious subject, but has a lot of selling points over the standard octo configuration or a configuration with an air-2. The long hose keeps all the regulators where you positively know where they are (in your mouth and under your chin), you know if they're free flowing, they will not come unhooked from an octo-holder, and you don't wind up with the situation on the air-2 of trying to breathe out of your buoyancy control mechanism. Plus you get the benefit (some would say curse) of having a 6 foot hose to make OOA exchanges a little less stressful. There is a big religious war here, though, and you're going to have to do your own research (I recommend throwing an OOA on a real-life diver -- myself or grateful diver would be happy to oblige -- using a long hose and see what you think).

And, DIR is much more than equipment. Another part of it is training and standardized reactions to emergency situations. As an example, a DIR diver will be able to respond quickily and in a standardized fashion to an OOA and solve the immediate problem of getting breathable gas to the diver in seconds, consistantly, every single time. There's also a strong focus on teamwork and awareness. Once the basics are down a lot of DIR training becomes throwing more task work on the team (lines, bottles, lost masks, etc) and figuring out how the teamwork breaks and team-members become task focused, etc and then training again to fix those problems. This may sound a little like overkill for recreational diving, but things like situational awareness and prioritizing problems are things that are mentioned in Rescue courses, but there's no systematic approach to really finding the issues and fixing them.

Hopefully that helps a little bit, without getting too religious about it...

 

[snow drift]

Did not bash OMS my instuctor has a OMS back plate as do I and I like it but the bungy wing IS very non DIR and this is a DIR board and a Q about DIR gear config.

 

[headhunter]

OK guys,

If your post has disappeared from this thread, it is because it contained some element of trolling or agency bashing.

This is not a venue for knocking any non-DIR agency, nor is it a place to post your anti-DIR views.

This poster has asked legitimate questions in the DIR forum and we ask that you provide a DIR answer in a civil manner or not at all.

Thank you for observiing the rules posted at the top of this forum.

Christian

 

[Captain CaveMan]

I didn't bash DIR. I just gave some fact to some unproven rumors.

 

[headhunter]

I didn't bash DIR. I just gave some fact to some unproven rumors.

I believe that if you look through this thread, you will not find any unproven rumours.

I'm only going to say this one more time. This is the DIR forum and is not the place for DIR detractors to post their non-DIR opinions. There are other forums in which you can do that.

So, I respectfully ask that the rules of this forum are followed.

Christian

 

[Tamas]

Unbelievable

, and I though living behind the "red curtain" was hard, there is more bloody censorship and red tape here in this ONE forum then anywhere else.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

It's pretty straightforward.

This forum is set up to allow discussions regarding protocols, processes, methodology for things from dive planning to gas planning to batteries to whatever, but the context is that the discussion revolves around an agreed upon norm: namely, a DIR-compliant perspective.

If you want to 'discuss' any aspect of DIR, this is the forum in which to do it.

If you want to argue the merits or lack thereof of the philosophy itself, or state loudly that it sucks, or insist that all DIR-types are mindless mixed-gas-zombies, have at it...but do it in a different forum.

The entire idea behind a "no-troll" zone is so that advocates may discuss why a certain standardized set of gasses has been established (instead of other gas mixes), for example, WITHOUT the conversation de-volving into a defense of DIR against reasonably consistent critics and critiques.

That isn't to say you can't criticize DIR. Go for it. Just pick a different forum to do it in.

Thanks,

Doc