Posted by Wayne on January 04, 2001 at 12:56:16:
In Reply to: Re: The Cosmology of DIR on the West Coast - Part 3. posted by MHK on January 04, 2001 at 10:35:29:
As I read Seahunt's thoughts and your response, it occurs to me that the biggest issue comes down to the "all or nothing" aspect of DIR.
As was pointed out, DIR fits the bill for extreme diving, and it therefore also suitable for non-extreme conditions. This makes perfect sense.
It even carries over that normal "recreational" practices are not suitable for certain extreme diving situations. But this does not necessarily mean that these recreational practises are WRONG for their intended purposes (recreational diving such as sightseeing, hunting, photography, etc.).
I think this is what gives guys like me the most heartburn. Because I am not outfitted for cave diving when I am sloshing around in the surf zone looking for bugs, I am DIW. Because I like to poke around a reef at depths determined only by the reef life, air consupmtion and nitrogen absorption (unplanned fun dives as opposed to highly planned regimented task based missions) I am DIW.
It is the notion that there in only ONE way to dive in all dive environments that I object to. I really think there are good points of DIR that will find their way into mainstream recreational diving. But I do not think that all of DIR will be adopted as I do not think it is 100% applicable to 100% of the diving done. And rather than have all of us change why we dive, it is easier to adapt dive gear and protocols to match what we dive.
Another problem I have in the "You are either all DIR or you are DIW", is that this gives rise to ego based cult status. We all have uniforms that we respect when we see them. I respect wearers of wet suits that have patches and beat up knees and call them 'brother'. I see people with gear from different ages and call them 'brother'. I see people hanging just outside the surf zone counting sets of waves, and call them "my brothers", too. I esteem these divers because of their outward appearances. I do not necessarily esteem divers because of their new SS backplate and bungie wings. It takes more than this to make me want to swap sea stories and share the catch. I belong to a different cult.
The DIR folks do not like the word "cult" but they have one as much as I do. They look down on us and we look ascance at them. I suspect that neither of our groups are ever right. But I like my cult better because I enjoy the variety. I enjoy adapting to the specifics of the dive. And dangit, I like the diving.
Anyway that is how I see it over here. Mike and Seahunt, thanks for helping us to all understand each other's viewpoints!
Now then, lets dive,
Wayne