Who disagrees with DIR and why?

[VintageDiverMN]

I believe in keeping it simple, no BC, no pressure gage, no second regulator, just an old double hose reg., steel tank with J valve and back pack. Anyone want to dive with me.

[Freedive WI]

Well, when your ready to cut down your gear a bit more- just mask, snorkel and fins/monofin- let Fred and I know and we'll dive with ya'.


Jon

[VintageDiverMN]

Any of you guys have a fifteen foot snorkel, then I could leave my SCUBA on shore.

[Art]

I am a rookie diver with 15 dives under my belt. I dont want to sound stupid but I want to learn. What is DIR? ?

[Kirk]

Some guy built a BCD that he really liked, then he started a cult to sell it (they are nice BCDs, I have a couple of them, they also sell a nice reel).

Pick up a copy of the book "Doing It Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving". You can buy it online at a site called Global Underwater Explorers. They also have a little retail store on Main Street in High Springs, Florida called Exteme Exposure (I'm actually heading down there in about 10 days to crawl into some caves). The book is pretty good. It has a lot of good info (though some are kind of silly ideas).

If you like what you read, take a DIR Fundamentals Class. It is a pretty good class (though my teacher was pretty annoying). It's kind of like what an "Advanced Open Water" class ought to be. I learned a fair amount when I took it. DIR: Don't really like it ("Doing it Right", the name in and of itself seems a bit up tight, but then again Dive Rite is also a pretty bad name). This sport is like a buffet. Pick and chose what you want, so long as it works for you. Just be safe and have fun.

[tpscuba]

Lonny I agree with some of their ideas, I think they are really good and some is a little over kill. The long alternate raped around the neck where when some one is out of air you give them your primary and then you take the one from around the neck and breath off it. On a trip with 18 hardcore DIR divers and 3 passive Dir divers I asked about this and they said that in an out of air the person is more likely to grab the reg from your mouth and this way the alt. is close to your mouth to obtain. I discussed this with my son-in-law at christmas, he was a dive master on boats and resorts for 8 years and had people that were on his guided tours that he had to share air with and never did they take the reg from his mouth they either showed him their SPG than he gave them the alt. but the majority just took the alt from him. In the few cases I ran into on trips people just grabbed my alternate and none of these were my buddy.
DIR as I understand it is diving safely staying with your buddy or group of buddies plan the dive and dive the plan This group I was with did good planning but once in the water they were all over leaving buddies and coming up after their dive seeing if the buddy was up too. (1/2 an hour or more later)  I don't know the fitness part of it but there were 3 in the group from this shop along with the instructor that was so out of shape they worried me.
Lastly as a group with the exception of one or two if you weren't DIR you were just a second class diver. As far as equipment over all we all have what we like but I watched and helped a few (even though I was 2nd class) get into their BCD. Myself with the injuries I have my body won't let me contort it to get into these harnesses. The way I see it we are all out there to have fun and as long as you are having fun keep on and I will still be happy self and help if I can (they did say thank you when I helped them with their gear)

[jleech]

I'm far from a DIR proponent, but I have read the book, and agree with a lot of the philosophy.  As for whether breathing off your alternate is better, that has been discussed at all levels of training, with or without the long hose.  For most, it is simply a matter of personal preference.  DIR believes it's the best way to insure that a functioning regulator is given to a potentially stressed diver.  Also, if diving a long hose, it is a good way to stow the hose so that it can be used, and replaced after use.  One of the other options when using a long hose is to store it via bungies to the side of your tank.  This configuration is VERY hard to put back on your own (I know, I dove this way in the beginning of my cave classes)  As whether you use a long hose or not, DIR believes that you need to dive the same gear configuration (or nearly so) for all dives, this is simply familiarity of configuration.  I cave dive and wreck dive where the long hose is a necessity.  I prefer to dive a long hose at other times, so I have practice with it, and in a situation where it is needed, I don't have to think about what my gear configuration is today.

Jeff