Why is DIR controversial?

[namabiru]

Hello,
I've spent some time "listening" on this thread to the various questions, and done some poking around the GUE website, and intend to read some of the listed books, but I still haven't formulated a clear answer as to why DIR is controversial.

The impression I've gotten is that DIR people are passionate about diving, and want to become the best they can be, and to do so they choose to learn skills separate from the mainstream training agencies at different times. DIR training is not necessarily a "snooty cousin" to other agencies, but comparable to getting another opinion or seeing another side to a common issue. Skills like backfinning actually sound quite useful, as I've been experimenting with kicking style on my own. I've even gotten "rebellious" by diving with my tank higher than normal, so the valve is at the back of my head (a move I figured out in taking the PADI PPB course) in order to achieve better buoyancy in the water.

So can someone explain why DIR is so potentially controversial to some divers? To me, it seems like choosing to train and dive DIR is like choosing to train and dive PADI-style, or NAUI-style, or SSI-style, depending on the speciality.

But do people actually get really fired up about DIR in particular, or am I misreading? I just wonder, as there is the disclaimer to not spam in here.

Any insight would be appreciated. Cheers!

 

[CAPT HOOK]

I think it comes down to the zeal often seen in recent "just quit smoking", "I've been saved", etc. style of preaching - I found a better way for me , so everyone else must
do it my way.
The principles of DIR are fine, it is the fervent promotion by its adherents that turns many off to it.
JMHO.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

I'm not so sure DIR concepts are, in themselves, controversial. I would suggest the controversy comes more from DIR advocates who believe DIR is the only way to dive.

Your post discusses individual improvements you have made to your diving. It would seem you experiment to find new ways to do things. That would probably not be DIR, which adheres to a more rigid view.

That's a clearly simplified version of the issue.

Overall, I think many serious divers agree there is merit to much of the DIR philosophy, I certainly do. But I also believe many things that are DIR simply do not work in all situations.

Jeff

 

[Diver Dennis]

I think you find that mostly on the internet. I'm not DIR but I have been diving with a lot of them and have never seen this problem in "real life". The debate is fueled from both sides, the Anti-DIR believing it is some kind of cult and the Only-DIR believing any other way of diving is, for lack of better words, stupid and dangerous. You know, I think what happens is that divers from both sides with no real opinion get sucked into these debates when they see such polarized views and choose sides, where normally they would not. As is typical with the internet, it is easy to spout radical views when you are hiding behind a keyboard.

ME? I don't think I will ever be DIR but there are many excellent skills and procedures from DIR that I have already incorporated into my own diving. A thinking diver will choose to do the things that will make their diving better, no matter where it comes from.

The other important point is that there are different types of diving. I do all of my diving now in open, warm water environments. The whole DIR concept would certainly appeal to me more if I did cold water, low vis dives. Not to say that the concepts of DIR do not work in my type of diving, but it is a lot easier diving in a warm ocean with good vis. My LDS owner here in Canada calls cold water diving a whole different sport and I agree.

 

[namabiru]

I see. So it's sometimes a gaggle of overenthusiastic participants, not the methods themselves, which bother others.

Please note to newcomers that I'm not trying to stir up trouble here by asking this question, just looking to find out why the method invites controversy, and gaining information. I do plan to read the Fundamentals book as soon as I can acquire a copy to explore some more.

But divers are individuals, and different things work for different individuals. Is it thought to be incomplete, then, to adopt some DIR practices but not all? What if you *do* find that some things work for you, but others don't? How are you, as a diver, viewed by the DIR community? Is it still acceptable to say you dive DIR, or not? It seems that it wouldn't be, but is this also a misconception?

 

[Cacia]

I have a theory that it could be a financial rub, just a little.

I mean, they do spend thousands and thousands on that training, and you sort of assume that means large disposable incomes.

Many regular recreational instructors have forfieted bigger pay to teach something they love and probably have some ambivalence about that. Even some of the best photogs in the world do it just for the lifestyle, the travel, the simpler life.

The two factions are bound to have philisophical rubs that collide. The gear and the skills aren't so much the issue, as the fundamentalism involved.

I value both a lot and the trick is knowing who to go to for what...

DIR selects for people serious about diving. They may be experienced, or they might not be. But they want their forum to be a place where they can have a discussion without the big goof-offs (some of which are also good divers) causing a lot of havoc. That is legitimate, IMV.

Diving with thrills and fun as legitimate objectives is also legit. IMO, DIR puts more emphasis on safety and for regular recreational depth dives, some might feel it too restrictive, especially when traveling to foreign locations where flexibility and thinking on your feet is a valuable life skill for which there might not be a drill or a procedure for.

The more challenging the dive, the more I feel I am on thin ice...the more I am all over them for the deco, physiology, ideal configuration input.

 

[Diver Dennis]

Good point Catherine.

 

[namabiru]

Ah, so the cost of DIR may also be a turnoff to some--I did see it was a bit more expensive. Which, as a graduate student, it *is* a bit tough to do expensive things right now. But can one not make the argument that "mainstream" tech diving is also quite expensive as well? Not everyone goes towards tech diving, and that's not a problem from a general diving standpoint. However, DIR's current requirements in order to take the DIR 101 Intro course (I believe it's called Fundamentals) are that a diver is certified. So the diver *is* still getting an arguably inexpensive introduction to diving, and making the conscious choice to try DIR.

I did read, though, that an OW-style diving certification course is being added.
I'm understanding that new divers would start out in BP/W configuration in this course. Would this also stir controversy, since the method may be less feasible to those interested in diving due to cost? If so, how? The "other" agencies are still offering the jacket-style BC OW certification course, and it's presumable that a diver who was certified through one of these courses could still choose to move on and take the DIR Fundamentals, yes?

 

[Adobo]

I see. So it's sometimes a gaggle of overenthusiastic participants, not the methods themselves, which bother others.

I've read quite a few people of the recent DIR flavored threads. If you take an objective look at the threads, the pro-DIR folks get significantly more bashing than they give. So to say that the "over-enthusiastic" participants are the ones who are troublesome is quite close to a mis characterization the issue.

What I have seen is that there are a couple of things about DIR that touches some sensitive nerves on others. These things include:
- the name.. DIR or doing it right makes people feel like if they are not DIR, they are being told that they are doing it wrong.
- the "holistic" nature of the system. Those who follow the system will tell you that equipment and procedures are very much standardized. The anti DIR folks get irked about not having the ability to pick and choose.
- mis understanding or mis characterization. Again, in reading a few of the recent threads, there seems to be an endless amount of people who are willing to talk about the details of DIR. And yet only a small fraction of of those have actually taken a DIR class. Some of the recent silliness I have seen from include:

• gotta have all black to be DIR
• gotta have doubles on, even on 30 feet dives in tropical reefs
• do nothing except training dives
• all DIR divers are evil people

Read enough of the threads and you will see that all kinds people come out of the woodwork and throw in a bunch of stuff that has nothing to do with DIR.

But divers are individuals, and different things work for different individuals. Is it thought to be incomplete, then, to adopt some DIR practices but not all? What if you *do* find that some things work for you, but others don't? How are you, as a diver, viewed by the DIR community? Is it still acceptable to say you dive DIR, or not? It seems that it wouldn't be, but is this also a misconception?

The DIR community that I know about in my area dives with DIR and non-DIR divers alike. Any intelligent diver will want to dive an easy dive with you before diving anything more advanced. DIR divers are no different. One way to easily get a read on how well you will gel with another diver is to see if they have the same type of training you have. And if they follow the same procedures as you do. And if they use similar gear to yours. And even then, doing an easy dive before doing an advanced dive is important. After all, it is not unheard of to have two DIR divers that just don't feel comfortable diving with each other.

The important question I think you should really consider is this - how do you find out if DIR is for you? One of the best ways to find out is to go and take a class. Once you've taken a class, you will have enough information for yourself to make your own decisions.

 

[H2Andy]

i think the problem is not with the DIR people but with the non-DIR people who feel insecure when someone tells them they have a better way to do something

my reaction would be h? show me ...

if it's better, then it's better ... if it's not, then it's not

instead, most insecure non-DIR people freak out and defend their practices so that they don't feel they are inadequate divers. most secure non-DIR people take it in stride; it doesn't threaten their egos.

there is a very small minority of divers who have just discovered DIR and who use it to feel superior to other non-DIR divers who create a very distorted image of what DIR divers are

so, on either side, it's the insecure people who must at all times feel superior to others that cause the problem

i love it when i see people who only have to hear "DIR" to go ballistic ... and i wonder ... do they ever stop and wonder why they have such a reaction? it's more than DIR ... it's personal, and it's got to do with who you are