DIR diving

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DIR, an acronym for "Doing It Right", is an holistic approach to scuba diving originally developed by members of the Woodville Karst Plain Project. Its classes are taught by Global Underwater Explorers. Some of the defining characteristics of DIR diving include an emphasis on fundamental skills, teamwork, environmental awareness, and the use of highly optimized and streamlined, yet simple and versatile, equipment configuration. The aim of the DIR approach is to improve safety by standardizing equipment configuration and procedures for preventing and dealing with emergencies, and out-of-air emergencies in particular. The DIR approach encompasses aspects of equipment choice and configuration, diving procedures and techniques, and diver fitness and preparedness. It was originally intended and designed as a cave diving (especially exploration of new cave systems) methodology and has since moved into other areas including open water and wreck diving.

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[edit] Rationale

It is suggested by DIR proponents that one of the challenges of scuba diving is that entry-level, recreational diving courses can tend to rush students through the training. This often results in divers who have not successfully mastered basic diving skills, such as buoyancy control. This in turn can make their dives more stressful and less enjoyable. DIR diving methodologies focus on improving the basic skills or fundamentals which allows divers to be far more comfortable in the water and have more fun. It is a system that also allowed divers to progress to more complex levels of diving with a higher level of safety.

DIR diving also emphasizes the concept of "muscle memory" in that frequent practice of critical skills will bring a reflex action to emergency situations.

DIR diving blends safety, preparedness, teamwork and a robust equipment configuration. DIR is often seen as an equipment system alone, but it also encompasses a general philosophy or attitude of how to approach scuba diving. Students of DIR work to master the fundamentals of diving. An example is the DIR approach to team diving, where the diver's buddy is actually a team member and more focus is placed on underwater communication. This makes separation much less likely, which in turn results in a less stressful, more enjoyable dive.

[edit] Controversy

DIR is often a source of heated discussion. Many feel that the name itself "Doing it Right" implies that if they are not utilizing DIR, then they are "doing it wrong". While many people see advantages in aspects of DIR's gear configuration, techniques and approach, others have challenged aspects of this approach, as well as the requirement that divers must go all-DIR and cannot pick-and-choose.

Proponents argue that the whole point of standardisation is the benefit of having a standard. This allows DIR divers to very easily dive with alternative buddies, swap damaged equipment and have less equipment stress. Those who disagree argue that the lack of choice and customisation means the one-size-fits-all means it isn't optimal for some environments.

One other area which causes friction is a few DIR advocates can be too enthusiastic (termed fundamentalists), criticizing, and antagonizing other divers. Those on the other end often end up very anti-DIR, criticizing and antagonizing DIR divers in turn. Some of the sources of the dispute stem from one of the vocal founders of the DIR system, George Irvine whose polemical internet style irritated many.

Another aspect of the dispute is that one of the rules of DIR diving is to not dive with anyone with a poor or unsafe attitude, sometimes referred to with the derogatory term "strokes". While the idea of only diving with safe buddies is very sensible, the internet fighting usually convolutes the message and can result in some people becoming very upset by what they perceive as an elitist attitude.

These days DIR diving is less controversial and many of the ideas suggested by DIR have become mainstream and adopted by various other training agencies.

[edit] Equipment

The use of a "backplate and wing" type buoyancy compensator is required in DIR diving. Makers of these BCs include Agir-Brokk, Dive Rite, Halcyon, OxyCheq, and Zeagle. Another piece of equipment involves an extended hose setup, the so called 'long hose', in which the primary 2nd stage regulator that one normally breathes from has a hose length of 5-7 feet (1.5-2.1 meters), with the backup 2nd stage regulator being affixed to a necklace. The reason for the longer hose is to allow breathing gas to be shared in narrow or otherwise constrained environments, such as in caves or wrecks, where there may not be adequate room for two divers to swim side by side to share breathing gas. Thus, in the event that a dive buddy runs out of breathing gas, one would hand him the primary 2nd stage regulator on the long hose that one is breathing from (which is always known to be functional) and immediately switch to the backup 2nd stage hanging around one's neck.

[edit] George Irvine

George Irvine was a member of the WKPP and subsequently became the project director of the group. His polemical style on the internet lead to many heated exchanges. George was certainly key to making DIR more widely known but he also put many people off the system.

[edit] External links

[edit] Training organizations

[edit] DIR info sites (non forums)

[edit] DIR dive forums and communities