Posted by Green_Manelishi on January 05, 2001 at 14:41:14:
In Reply to: DIR: a personal dilemma posted by AADIVER on January 05, 2001 at 12:14:33:
greetings from the "Live Free or Die" state.
I thought for entertainment purposes i'd
say hello and tell you what I think.
I've been reading your DIR threads for some time
now and I must say this to everyone who believes
it to be an "all or nothing only tech divers on MIX mix at 300 feet deep or way too far back in a cave need apply"
BULLSHIT !!!
it is more than "just gear" and it does not say "NO RECREATIONAL DIVING". it is attitude,
gear, configuration, choice of buddy, physical
fitness, etc applicable to ALL diving.
you can work-toward DIR by taking it one step at a time.
attitude costs you NOTHING. (seems to me that
some of you have more attitude than necessary ;-)
physical fitness is relatively inexpensive and
your fitness level needs to be appropriate for
the dives you are planning and any "worst case scenarios" that could occur (remember, it's called DIVE PLANNING)
as for the gear, start now and replace/build
as $$$ allows. you can "DIR" on air or EAN using
a wet suit just as nicely, and a heck of a lot less expensively, than MIX and a dry-suit with
an argon bottle for warmth. Again, the gear needs
to be thought out and carried with an overall plan of what are your dives and what if the shit really hits the fan? Is my gear OPTIMAL to the task?
cripes, most of us have used (and likely still own because we hesitate to sell it) less-than-optimal gear but that is no reason to say "ah, to hell with it. i can't afford ALL of it so why bother with ANY of it".
me? still working on it but so far noone has said "Yo, G_M, you don't have all of it DIR so
get the hell away from me". Perhaps I will never be COMPLETLEY "DIR" but I will be a much better
and safer diver for working toward DIR-standards.
(heck, i remember my first backplate dive ... love
at first feel)
More and more divers out this way are embracing the idea of DIR (regardless of dive profiles) and seeking answers. Too frequently they have the same mis-placed notion; that if you can't afford to replace or buy everything "DIR" now, then why bother. As I said, NOT TRUE ... we all had to start someplace and it's the fortunate ones that start DIR before spending a shitload of $$$ on gear that sooner or later they will wish they never bought.
as for my attitude that depends on to whom you speak .. ;-)
thank-you-very-much and have a HAPPY New Year.