Posted by Wayne on December 29, 2000 at 11:08:08:
In Reply to: Re: If a stroke is one with an unsafe attitude, what is DIR? posted by MHK on December 29, 2000 at 10:37:24:
Your response is appropriate and shows a helpful attitude.
It is the guys like Stroke - Buster that have the dangerous attitude. What I am advocating is that you and others who freely spend your time, share your gear, and generally elevate the awareness of what DIR has to offer, find a way to control the perception of DIR. The other guys are harming you by their association.
As far as newbies being put into a position of doing dumb things, it is not through the board that I think this will happen. While a DIR diver will be comfortable calling a dive, it will not happen very often because they are fully prepared before the go-nogo decision is made at the water's edge.
It is the attitude of other divers on the boat that will affect the newbie's ability to ask "dumb" questions, openly discuss their real experience level, and seek guidance on if their experience level is appropriate for the dive and conditions. In over 25 years of diving, I had never heard the term "Jon Line" until it was asked here on the board. I never knew it had a name. Does this make me feel stupid, not really because I am fairly comfortable and always try to learn more. But what if I was on a boat and asked it and someone gave me the gruff response that Frank just got? How is the newbie next to me going to feel about asking if he has too much weight, or if his inflator should be hissing like that, or what to do if he needs to do a safety stop and cannot find the anchor line and there is a bit of a current running? Here is where the helpful approachable attitude is needed. We divers of age need to seek opportunities to assist the newer ones coming along.
And you are exactly right that us non-DIR types want to piecemeal our way around DIR. I think the evolution will be slow, but the best of DIR will find its way into more and more "recreational" diving.
And last but not least, this kind of exchange of ideas and approaches is exactly what I enjoy about this board! We are civil and explain exactly where we agree and disagree without trying to ridicule. Long live discussion.
Wayne