Posted by John Walker on October 02, 2001 at 21:48:22:
In Reply to: Re: Reply to John Walker's question re DIR posted by seahunt on October 02, 2001 at 15:23:48:
Lets see Mike,
DIR divers will adapt larger gloves, sometimes dry glove, and large bellow pockets in colder environments form the North West Coast of the United States all the way to the Baltic Sea. When diving any overhead environment DIR divers will wear doubles. One Staged decompression dives DIR diver will wear decompression bottles on their side with a variety of gas mixtures. On long cave dives a DIR diver might carry stage bottles to gain distance or even a semi closed circuit rebreather. In the tropics a DIR diver who dive shallow may choose to use a wet suit and a single tank with a smaller BC bladder. Dives in colder waters often combining longer duration a DIR diver will most likely use a drysuit. A DIR diver may choose NOT to swim on a dive to conserve on tissue gas loading and overall breathing gas consumption. A DIR diver who care to hunt lobster may choose to carry a goodie bag and in Florida maybe a snare.
Well, with that said I guess I would have to answer Yes to your question.
As far a Holistic goes, we use the term in reference to being “outside of mainstream”. This is because is different. DIR is not a marketing ploy which will stroke your ego just enough to get you to spend a few thousand in someone’s dive shop on useless gimmicks. DIR is not where you learn unrealistic techniques such as silly out of air singles simply because the instructor is worried about liability. DIR is not where you are brushed over with techniques that have proven to keep diver alive such a the team concept.
Being DIR is when you “DO it Right”. Where you stack all the odds of a safe return to the surface in your favor. Otherwise don’t do it at all.