Posted by mike on June 20, 2001 at 22:31:06:
In Reply to: Why Shouldn't I Attend? posted by CarolB on June 20, 2001 at 21:49:34:
i went ahead and took the DIR fundamentals course, after patching together a homemade SS BP and harness, & adding the long hose. Based on my experience, i can emphatically say: THERE IS MORE TO DIR THAN BP & WINGS & LONG HOSES! The GUE folks and their local proponents (which i guess includes little old moi now) are chock full of good ideas, which i started adopting nearly a year ago. Everything from tossing the suicide clips in the recycle bin, to mounting the gauges on the wrist or backup light on the right harness strap has worked much better for me than i ever would have imagined. Even lugging along a stage bottle or diving doubles or moving around in the kelp /w/ a 7 foot hose has proven easy and hassle free (again, based on my experience). Believe me, prior to the experience, i was NOT fond of the idea of having a set of doubles slosh around on my back or getting clocked in the chin as i giant stride into the water with a stage bottle(none of which has happened)
Even if you are not ready to purchase the BP, wings, long hoses etc, there is still much in the way of valuable hints, pointers, philosophy, and background info that will prove well worthwhile, and may be in part, adaptable to whatever config you currently dive with.
If MHK and buddies bring DIR rigs to try out, then by all means GO FOR IT! You will likely as not, come away very pleasantly surprised. And no local DIR proponents are as ferrocious in person, as they may appear on this list (except the Lobster Liberaton Front...they're terrorists : ).