Posted by nate on August 22, 2001 at 18:36:20:
Since everyone else has weighed in with their usual lopsided responses, I'll add mine to the mix. I used to dive mostly "stroke" gear and have recently moved over to a mostly DIR rig (DIR-like). Eventually I'm going to finish off the job, but I'm not too unhappy with where I am right now.
Pluses to DIR:
1. The gear configuration is rock solid. Everything is amazingly ergonomic underwater. The backplate trims you out, the wing doesn't move around. There's no puzzling about where to put things because once they get to the standard location, things get easier. Most of what GI^3 and the rest preach about the gear actually pans out 100% when you get it in the water.
2. The gear configuration emphasizes safety and redundancy. I like that. 'nuff said.
3. The non-gear aspects are a collection of best practices. Pretty hard to argue against being aware, diving with a good buddy, staying in good shape, diving less narcotic gases, etc. Sure, you can dive without following this stuff, but it is hard to argue that you are doing the best you can if you don't.
Minuses to DIR:
1. The holistic nature makes it easy to write off accidents or mis-steps as "not DIR". One could argue the same about any standards, since they almost always include "don't kill yourself" and "don't screw up", but the DIR proponents are more insistent on this fact (see minus #3). As such, any possible drawbacks to the standard DIR configuration are rarely debated publically with any rigor. Instead people suffer in silence with annoying argon configurations, single tank hose lengths and so on until someone on high sees the problem and blesses a new alternate configuration.
2. The gear is intolerant of non-DIR gear being near it and expensive to boot. Without the backplate and harness you are pretty much sunk as far as figuring out how to assemble a sane rig with other DIR equipment pieces. This can make the upgrade from another rig a painful and expensive proposition. Suck it up and give your SO a story about safety ;-). Even when you think you've 90% of it all, you're just getting started in terms of the purchases if you want to get to 100% DIR gear.
3. DIR suffers from association with a large contingent of hangers-on, wannabes, "experts", and "characters" who are overly excited about DIR and make wild statements about it. Some of these are technical divers who have forgotten about how easy recreational diving realy is. The others think DIR gear is going to give them a fast track to being bigshot technical divers themselves. Figuring out who is for real and who is just a blowhard is pretty tricky. Suffice it to say that there are a lot of "pro DIR" people out there who clearly lack a clue. Prepare to spend weeks searching through list archives to figure out who really knows what they are talking about and who is incorrectly parroting something they once overheard.
Where does that put me? Slowly making the transition to a DIR rig because I can and like it so far. I think my OW1 instructor covered much of the "DIR mindset" in his class. Took half of fundamentals with Walker, with the real stuff to come this weekend. May try to take Tech I a year or two from now if I can come up with some compelling reason to, but that's another 100-200 dives from now.
As far as recommending it to new divers.... Well, the gear is darn expensive compared to the deals you can occasionally find at Sport Chalet when they are blowing out last year's inventory. If you don't dive frequently and are diving within recreational limits, the performance advantages may not be worth the additional cost. Money no object, I'd buy it every time. Personal decision there. The mindset is common sense, if you don't get it on reading about it the first time, you probably never will.
And with that, I must go.