[Mal Bridgeman]

Originally Posted by JamieG

Just a genuine question as I'm wondering what is it about DIR that attracted you to the system and what is it that made you stay with it?

When I stopped diving a few years back DIR was still pretty much a 'fringe' thing but now I've returned I notice its very popular and pretty mainstream.

I like the non clutter approach and I'm glad I am starting from scratch kit wise (I used to have some right old tat) Don't think the DIR thing is me but I certianly like some of ideas (From what I have read - not seen a DIR diver in the flesh) Like Jet fins, wings and fitness.

Like I say what is it that makes you a DIR diver?

So you seems to have asked a couple of things there.

I think it is stretching the Internet popularity too far to suggest it's mainstream but the more the ideas are being discussed and adopted, the better AFAIAC. If you ever get the chance to talk to the top guys at GUE you will soon realise their altruistic nature towards diving safety is genuine. Of course they would like people to take GUE training but the organisation is not set up to scale to the mass market in the way other agencies have done. GUE Instructors have to go diving for their own ends as a for instance.

So the fact that more poeple are discussing it in the context of dive safety then I think that can only be a good thing.

I had been diving for about 13years before I even heard of GUE or DIR. When I started diving regularly in this country I knew I needed more than I had from all those warmwater dives I had done. So I started with the DIR/Hogarthian kit config, learned off 'tinternet.

Did a TDI course which increased my confidence and ability and gave me more of a taste for the UK.

By taking this route, though, I completely missed the bit about teamwork and procedures which set GUE apart.

I then went diving with some GUE trained divers who impressed me no end with their procedures, their comms, their awareness, precision in buoyancy and trim. I then did a trimix course with Al & Clare of this parish which showed me more of what I was missing.

A year later I did fundamentals then a bit later did Cave 1 and will do Tech 1 soon. Given I was really sold on the system from early on, I think I would have progressed quicker, had I gone for Fundamentals earlier.

As to what makes a DIR diver.....well..... lots of people have the kit config, a lot have procedures, I think the thing which sets them GUE trained divers apart is the "known quantity" aspect. Rich Walker has this phrase "Shake hands, go diving" which was recently very well illustrated at the Discover DIR day I ran at Stoney.

Having demonstrated some skills to the "Discoverees" I indicated to NeilH that we would do an S drill.....which we then did. On the surface debrief Neil explained that was the very first time he and I had dived together and yet there we were, demoing skills. One of the guys said "It looked like you had practiced it 100's of times". Thing is, we had....just never together This translates into ocean diving too ..... I have done some deeper dives with guys I met properly for the first time on a boat .... I would never have done that without the confidence of knowing how they dived and confident of how they would react to a given situation. Knowing that your buddies are working hard to stay in contact with you so there's no stress as you are with them, ready to donate gas if you need it, as you are with them, running and modifying the dive plan in their heads as you are for them etc etc etc. [1]

That's very powerful I think, and as my diving has gone deeper and my awareness of the need for better skills and procedures has increased, I have found the GUE approach to training fits the bill perfectly.

Not only do the Instructors require you to perform the skills, drills and procedures with "finesse", they require you to enjoy what you are doing as well......that's pretty unique in my experience.

HTH
Mal

[1] Not sure why I always end up sending up the dSMB though