Who disagrees with DIR and why?

[DiveCaptDean]

;D ummm.... my bike is 1200cc, a crotch rocket though i prefer sport bike, have a tinted black visor, just got a black leather jacket, and were all black when i am riding most of the time..... :o and still i am stroked out all of the time! he he he

Hummmmm lets see....CJ Halcyon Wings...Tx40 and Tx50....Aluminum Stage Bottle....Necklace second and 7ft primary...Black Dry suit..Bottom Timer...and I know for a fact that your guage is tied on with wreck line.....Does this remind you of anyone......Add this with the 1200 Buel, black helmet, jacket, pants and boots........Dont go to the "Dark Side" CJ

[jasondbaker]

That might be true. But that is like saying a greater percentage of race car drivers crash on race tracks versus average drivers on city streets. It comes with the territory.

[Mark Y]

That might be true. But that is like saying a greater percentage of race car drivers crash on race tracks versus average drivers on city streets. It comes with the territory.
[/quote]

Jason, I think DiveCaptDean suggests that super certified folks, even though they are entering higher risk dives, have a higher survival rate than warm, rec divers???

Although we wander from the thread title, DiveCaptDean, how would you improve rebreathers to a point where you'd dive one? I'm certified on the Draeger Dolphin & the YBOD (Inspiration) and find them both to be fine machines. But then again, I be a stroke!

[DiveCaptDean]

No, just the opposite...I think accident rates are mich higher in technical diving..Yes, it comes with the territory..but to say someone is a Stroke, or unsafe becasue they are not following a certain phylosophy is moronic. Much of the DIR system,,, as much as i like parts of it.. is really meant for divers that are pushing the edge. I see little need for it in more standard kinds of recreational diving..of course, the fitness part is needed everywhere......Regarding the Rebrethers...Like i said..I think they are awesome right now....the only reason i dont dive one..right now, is that cost just doesnt fit into my diving budget....for now...I am, however accepting donations... I would love to dive rebreather!!!!! ......I MUST BE A STROKE

[MNLakeDiver]

my problem with DIR is that 90% of the DIR divers I have meet have an atatude that makes me not want to be near them. They remindes me of star bellied sneetches judging divers by whats on their backs instead of their diving skills. I do not have any problem with anyons gear selection but saying a BP wings / long hose setup is a DIR concept is like saying PADI discovered SCUBA. they may have introduced it to alot of people (and made money doing so) but they did not start it.

[scubadog76]

I Don't think some of the config choices are the best either. The long octo is a great idea however I don't like the idea of giving away my primary and taking air from my octo. Given people have their equiptment in tip top shape, Octos still tend to be tuned a little lower to reduce freeflows and also not used nearly as much. I don't want to find that out the hard way and have a paniced buddy that won't give back your primary. It's their emergency, they should get the less certain air option. Also, I always tow a flag which to my understanding is not DIR. There are plenty of boaters that don't know what a dive flag is, but enough do. Put a safety sausage up there and every boater thinks it's something to salvage. I guess your not supposed to have a whistle either?> What do you use in it's place? I have not dug very deep into DIR practices, but these are things that do come to mind in what I have read.

[Mark Y]

Sorry DiveCaptDean . . . I read it as 'they are S=H=I=T', not 'the S=H=I=T). ;D

It would be interesting to see the differences between Tech & Rec diver fatalities, I've not seen any studies, though.

[Mark Y]

Very funny! I just checked, I don't have a star on my belly . . . know where I can buy one? ;D

[jacobsonc2]

blaaa... bla bla.... i did take the halcyon bill boards of of my wing before i took it on your boat and my spg is now once agine tied with a zip tie. no worries about me going to the dark side... i am to confused from being stroaked out.

[FMT]

You make some interesting points. Let me counter with my opinion which may or may not work for your diving situation but may provide you with some points to ponder.

I give away my primary because it is on a long hose for ease of transit while exiting the dive in an OOG situation and is known to be working as I am breathing off it. I always know where my backup is because it is on a bungie around my neck. My backup should be working because I switch to it just to chcek it during several points in the dive. I am not worried about the time it takes me to switch to my backup as I can handle being without gas for 10 seconds or so while I get that reg to my mouth. My team member may not have that luxury so I am more concerned about getting him a gas source straight away. I adjust all my second stages for top performance and use adjustable second stages so I can detune them on the fly when necessary to prevent freeflow. I use both of my second stages at least sometime during the dive (in particular as part of my safety checks at the beginning of the dive) so I know they are working. As part of my team I want my buddy to be thinking of my welfare as I think of his. That to me is the way team diving is. If either of us has a problem we know that the other will help get us home to where "the grass is greener and the sky is bluer." DIR or not DIR I tow a flag unless I am diving from a boat in which case the boat has my flag. I do carry a surface marker buoy which I can use in many ways such as surfacing away from the boat or if I were to lose my towed flag or as an accessory buoyancy device. I think a number of DIR people carry a whistle when they think it appropriate but it is clipped inside a pocket not strapped to their harness so you wouldn't see it unless they needed it.
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