Posted by MHK on January 03, 2001 at 13:52:39:
I have received a fair amount of e-mails recently and I also noticed a few DIR related posts that were started over the long holiday weekend. I was gone diving for the weekend and I think this is a good opportunity to clear up some of the confusion and/or misunderstandings that continue to exist with respect to DIR..
As I understand the objection to the system with some on this list and some in the local community the largest obstacles to accepting the DIR system is as follows:
1) It's all or nothing;
2) It applies only to technical diving;
3) It hasn't evolved or encompassed SoCal diving aspects;
4) We are a cult;
5) The DIR advocates are abusive on various scuba forums;
6) The name Doing It Right is offense;
There may well be some other's but from my sense it appears that the foregoing is the primary hurdles..
Let me explain the above and then I'll be happy to answer any follow up's and/or do a dive with anyone who still doesn't understand and desires an opportunity to witness first hand the DIR system. I'll provide the gear free of charge..
1) It's all or nothing-
The very reason for that is that the system itself is designed to operate at peak efficiency and everything within the system is added or omitted for a carefully thought out reason. By adding something you are cluttering a system that operates extremely efficently and can handle any dive you could imagine. With respect to hunter's and photographer's, you would obviously bring the equipment necessary to achieve your dive goal.. If you need the video camera, you bring it. If you need the game bag, you bring it.. etc. etc. etc.
The underlying phylosophy is if you don't need it you don't take it.. Obviously a photographer needs his/her camera.
But the temptation to basterdize the system by adding unncessary gear and/or violating established protocols jeopardizes the integrity of the system and when you find yourself needed something it may not be there. In that regard we often refer to the notion that DIR is balanced to take a minimalistic approach. So for example, as you know we build our buddy into our system, as such that allows us to carry much less redundant gear.. To the extent a diver desired to mirror a DIR dive but yet omitted the buddy, if he/she had a problem he/she would be left potentially unequipped to deal with it. So in this hypothetical, to compensate for the lack of a buddy, the diver would need to add additional redundancy and thus defeat the purpose of the minimalistic approach..
2) It applies only to technical diving -
I don't know how or why this myth continues on in perpituity but this is simply NOT factual.. DIR principles are equally applicable to recreational diving as well as technical diving. We don't deny the fact that DIR has it's roots within the technical and cave diving communities, but we are at odds to understand the resistance to the fact that DIR trancends the recreactional -v- technical borders..
I go back and forth between recreational and technical diving weekly, and in some cases do both on the same trip. I often go between warm water and cold water, fresh water and salt water and the only modification that I make to my rig is that I use an aluminum BP in fresh water versus a steel BP in salt water. And the obvious need for thermal protection in colder waters. Short of that, the rig stays the same, but more importantly the mindset and the approach to a dive transcends the rec -v- tech discussion. There simply is no rationale support to make the claim that DIR does not apply to recreation diving simply because it was founded by cave diver's.
3) It hasn't evolved or considered SoCal-
I noted to Seahunt that I would reserve comment to his analysis until he has had the opportunity to completely develop his position, but in short I see no evidence that DIR is inapplicable to SoCal. In fact, I dive every weekend ( as does several other DIR team members of mine ) and none of us believe that they way we dive is compromised by using the DIR principles. In fact, we are comforted in the notion that we dive DIR.
4) We are a cult-
We'll I guess I missed the last cult meeting because I was unaware I had joined a cult when I decided to look at my diving habits to try to further marginalize the inherint risks of diving.
For those that have followed my progress to DIR, it is well noted that I fought DIR tooth and nail and was as sceptical as any of you. But after I pulled my third body out of the water and had had my fair share of close calls I decided it was time to ignore the messenger ( ie; George Irvine ) and take a look at the message. John Walker and I went to Florida, checked our ego's at the dock and approached it with an open mind. The results are manifest...
There is no cult-like mentality other than a widely held desire to approach diving from as safe as a standpoint as possible..
5) The DIR advocates are abusive on various scuba forums-
Probably a point worthy of consideration, but I would also make mention of the fact that it is a two way street and I would argue that DIR shares a disproportionate amount of the blame. But, be- that-as-it-may it's an open issue that we need to confront. I would also add that we have done a fair amount of DIR demo's in and around the SoCal area, up north in Monterey and down south in San Diego in an attempt to share the information absent the flames.
By in large you'll find that DIR spokespersons generally don't take a hostile tone initially. We are happy to freely give advise and share the information, but what must be recognized in any well balanced discussion is that there are many with an anti-DIR agenda and after a while of having the same discussions, with the same nay sayer's flame often follow. Do I wish it were different???? Sure.. But user net forums have taken on a life of it's own and what could be hashed out in seconds face to face, becomes endless flame wars on the forums..
6) The name DIR is offensive and/or condescending-
It's hard for me to understand this arguement, but let me see if I can address it.. I've often been told that by tacit implication that if you are not DIR you are therefore DIW ( ie; Doing It Wrong) and that sets the tone for discourse.. So may I ask that if you aren't buying DiveRite gear are you buying Dive Wrong gear???
Would people feel better if we called it DIGW or DIJW ( Doing It George's Way or Doing It Jarrod's Way)????? Why the hang up on the name??
Why don't I see the same revolt to IANTD's DIC?????
Doing It Correctly has the same tacit implication that if you aren't doing it correctly you are doing it incorrectly.. I don't see the same dis-approval heaved towards IANTD..
But the acronym notwithstanding, I would urge everyone to look past the acronym and look to the information... The information is the key, not the name..
BTW, as a side note the name came about during a team dive at the WKPP, wherein George had a restrictive set of rules that must be adhered to be on the team. In a moment of extreme frustration with some of the newer members George yelled ( explotitives deleted for family content ;-) ) Do It Right or get the f*ck off the team, and thus the name stuck.. All the team memebers kept saying *Do It Right* or we're kicked off the team..
I believe that too much is made out of the name and not enough attention is paid to the information which has a proven track record of success and makes diving safer, more enjoyable and is much easier to implement than it appears..
If nothing else I hope the DIR -v- non-DIR debate has opened up a few people's eyes and made them take a fresher look at their diving habits.. While I would hope that more would accept DIR, the ultimate goal is to make sure that we all return from every dive that we make..
I'm open for follow up's both publicly and private e-mails..
Later