What is, and what isn't DIR?

[amtrosie]

Warmwaterdiver,

All very good questions!! I have completed the GUE-Fund. class, and when I approached my instructor regarding some of your very questions. I had read the GUE literature and saw how adamant they were about specific gear. My Instructors response? Come to the class with the gear you have (I had a PB/W). There is NO stipulation for a specific color. New products coming on to the market are usually one color until the manufacturers see the demand for that particular product.

The fins I will address specifically. During my class I was using Mares Quattros, and I loved them. During class I was diving steel 95's and was over-weighted. My instructor asked me to dump my wings and SWIM to the surface (from 12', 4 meter pool bottom). I kicked and kicked and kicked and finally resorted to using my arms and hands to struggle to the surface. My Instructor simply said "your fins were folding over while you were kicking". Why use stiff "old" style fins? Because they work while all others fail. Is all diving that extreme? No, but it only takes one time to rethink my fins. I do not want to be in a situation that requires me to kick hard and not have the fin to support my requirerment.

The fundamentals class is a foundational class. It is meant to provide the diver with the basics for all other diving. If you chose to take other classes (tech or cave) then you have a GOOD start. If you chose to go no further, then you will find yourself a FAR SUPERIOR and accomplished diver. What is the down side of that?

Finally, the class itself. As you indicated, the fundie class is not a joke like a AOW class. I had been diving for years and had already been certified as a full cave diver when I took my Fundie class. That first day in the water was THE WORST day I have ever experienced with a regulator in my mouth. Why? Simple, I was no where near the accomplished diver I thought I was and the "crow" that I ate was bitter. It was all my doing, not a thing that the instructor said, for he said very little. Just said the technique is this, now lets do it. I improved and am a much better diver as a result, Oh yeh, I am safer and much better prepared as well.

[WarmWaterdiver]

Thank you amtrosie for a thorough answer.
This morning, I enrolled in the Feb 23 Fundamentals course at High Springs. I am going off this afternoon to buy a Halyson Eclipse BP/W rig with a Hogarthian harness. A good benefit is that I can try it out in a 16 foot deep pool before buying so I get a free dive.
I have XS Scuba Power fins and hope they are satisfactory.
The thing that kills me is that I will not be allowed to use my SmartCom computer. I hate to give that up for a simple SPG.
I will not have the same problem as you, amtrosie, I know I am not a good diver and if I perform poorly, I will be frustrated but know I have a long way to go.
I hope to get out of this class with skills I now lack and the knowledge to be safer, better and more aware of how to improve.

[BamaCaveDiver]

While I am definitely not DIR (I do consider myself a staunch advocate of the Hogarthian method though from which DIR sprang) there are some merits to the gear configuration they prescribe. The BP/W combo has the advantage of making it easier to maintain a horizontal trim in the water column as opposed to the jacket style BC's. The trade off is that the BP/W will not float you head up at the surface. The BP also aloows you to move weight from your hips up onto your back, again making it easier for most to maintain a more desirable trim in the water column by better focusing your center of gravity. It is not a one size fits all thing, you must still take into consideration the cylinders you will be using as well as your exposure protection. You can get a BP made of very lightweight plastic or AL (typically weighing 2 lbs or less) or you can opt for an SS plate in varying thicknesses that will see the weight range from 6lbs (standard SS plate) to well beyond 10 lbs. The idea is to find the plate that best suits your style of diving. AL cylinders which tend to be bouyant at lower pressures will require a heavier plate as opposed to stell cylinders which typically remain slightly negative to neutral at lower pressures.

Split fins are very inefficient for the wide range of finning techniques one should be able to perform effortlessly. They excell in providing forward thrust with a full flutter kick, but really suck for anything else. Some people have been able to master other finning styles in these, but they are rare exceptions. The manner in which split fins channel thrust also brings to light the issue of stirring up silt and sediments if you are close to the bottom.

Despite the disadvantages some equipment may have, I still advocate that a diver should make use of that which best suits his or her individual needs for the environment in whuch they will be diving. The GUE classes are no different from any other agency's in that the most important factor regarding the quality of the outcome is the instructor, not the agency.