Curious about DIR

[Foo2]

Ok I'm a diving newbie and on the boards I see a lot about DIR. I'm not really sure what the heck it's all about. I know that the DIR folks have a reputation for being a little close minded, but I'm not sure why. I've almost gotten the impression that DIR is a diving mafia. Can somebody clue me in?

[BSea]

I'm probably not the best to respond to this because I'm not DIR. I'm sure I'll get a few corrections from what I'm about to say. But that's OK.

DIR stands for "Do It Right". They get their reputation as closed minded because they dive by a set of rules. Some outside the DIR community see that as saying "If your doing it right, then you must think I'm doing it wrong." I'm sure there are some that think that way, but like all groups you have your fringe areas.

DIR divers have basically the same gear configuration. Basically a BP/W with a Hog harness. A D-ring on each side of their chest. A D-ring on the left side, and a scooter ring on their crotch strap. They typically have a 7 ft primary hose that is routed around their can light then around their neck. Their alternate is on a shorter hose & is bungied around their neck.

There are many other "rules", but what it boils down to if in an emergency, another DIR diver would know exactly where every piece of gear was located, even if it was pitch black.

Here's the web site that explains it in much greater detail.

[woody]

Yep, That's it. Excellent description!

[skdvr]

BSea pretty much said it. I too am not DIR but I do like some of their ideas. Alot of it makes sense to me and then again I do not think that ONLY one way is the right way. They have their reasons for doing it like they do, and for those that want to follow all the rules then they can call themselves DIR. I think that there are a lot of divers out there that take a little from them for their gear configuration and a little from their budy down the street and just put together what makes them comfortable and safe in the water.

Hopefully you will get a few answers from some DIR divers that can make any corrections to what has been said already...

Phil

[Foo2]

Thanks guys! The link that Bsea gave looks to be a good one. From what I can see on that site, DIR all about safety. I dig on safety. It's interesting to read about thanks for the replies ya'll! (Of course any more are welcome!) Also, I just realized that I started this thread in the wrong forum...sorry! Just glad that the DIR guys didn't flame me for it... :ROFL:

[skdvr]

Foo2, when my wife saw the reg necklace that I put on the backup 2nd stage she decided that she wanted to go with the shorter hose and with the necklace. To me that is one of the things that just makes sense for just about everyone to use...

Phil

[No Misses]

Afer you have researched the proper sites for DIR information, it will be even more fun to read the sites that poke fun at DIR. Here is an excerpt from one of them. http://www.keithl.org.uk/diving/dirfun/

Disclaimer: DIR is a valuable resource for making your diving better. I have posted this joke in response to their dogmatic insistance that there is only one way to Do It Right.

DIR For Life

DIR Fun Index

I converted to DIR about 6 months ago and I have found that the philosophy extends way beyond diving. I think most people tend to view DIR as a gear configuration or diving objective type of thing but it really is a philosophy that you can use in other parts of your life. For instance, below are just some of the ways I've extended the DIR way of doing things into other areas of my life.
Last week some of my buddies came over to my house. Now, not all of them are divers but they do understand the DIR philosophy. So, first off, we all drink the same beer. This avoids any situations where you might be enjoying a lager and accidentally pick up an ale (or the other way around). That can be very uncool. That could quickly lead to a panic situation so we avoid it all together.

We also drink only from cans, no bottles. And we never put the beer in the refrigerator. It always goes in the ice chest in my living room. 47% of Drinking Related Incidents (DRI) occur when someone is going to the fridge for another beer so better to be safe than sorry. Of course, this is all rigged up while we're still 100% sober so there's no impaired judgment once things get cooking.

All of us wear a bungee necklace with a full beer on it just in case someone experiences an Out Of Beer (OOB) emergency. I can offer my already opened beer to my buddy and simply reach down and grab the backup off my beer necklace. And, without exception, we always use the 7-foot hose on the beer bong.

Of course, we don't stay in every night so when we do decide to go out we make sure we're still DIR. All of us wear exactly the same clothing:

Levi's 501 Jeans (button hole, straight leg)
Gap Black T-shirt
Haynes boxer shorts, black
Gold Toe socks, black
Kenneth Cole shoes, Brad Bitt style
G-Shock watch, black band
Nylon belt, black, with military buckle
Black Leather Jacket (optional, depending on weather conditions)

This may sound a bit silly or overdone but believe me, when you're penetrating a night club, knowing exactly what you buddies are dressed like can make all the difference in the world if you're hoping to snag some hottie. Let's say I see some cutie and just before I get up to go talk to her a waitress spills a drink in my lap? No problem, because I can always swap pants with my buddy. I don't have to worry if they match, because I know he's wearing Levi's 501's. Bam, swap pants and I can still complete my objective.

One thing to keep in mind about nightclubs is that you seldom want to penetrate a club on beer. I know, some of the macho jerks do this and brag to all of their buddies. Believe me, it's not DIR. You have to do it on mixed drinks. Obviously the mix will be different on different nights but a good vodka tonic mix is pretty standard.

Again, there's a right way and a wrong way to do this. You can't just order any old vodka or depend on some bartender to get the mix right. That's what the strokes do. No, you order Stoli vodka, which has an excellent reputation in the DIR partying community. The correct blend is 2oz Stoli with tonic water poured over ice in a highball glass (lemon or lime optional). I always bring a testing kit with me and if the blend is off, I send it back. It's just not worth the risk and it's not DIR.

So you penetrate the nightclub and you've got a good mix, now it's time to meet the ladies. I should have said this earlier but watch your drink consumption. It's a well-known fact that women look 25% - 30% better in a nightclub and if you get all narced up on vodka tonic, it increases your chances of a coyote ugly blackout. You have to keep your wits about you.

If it's early, you probably have pretty good viz. Later in the evening when the smoke silts up the room it'll be harder to make out the women on the other side of the club so get your headings early. On a few occasions I've had to bust out the wreck reel just to get to the bathroom and back.

If you are lucky enough to hook up with a nice hottie, this is when doing it right really can pay off. Now, let's face it, there's a certain degree of danger involved here that I don't want to downplay. You need to minimize your risks by using the proper equipment. I carry 2 condoms. One I put on . . . well you know, and the second I put on a bungee that goes around my waist. If there's a malfunction on my primary, I can quickly go to my backup without skipping a beat.

So, as you can see from these pretty basic examples, DIR is not just for diving. It's something you can use in all areas of your life.

Author unknown - believed to be from a UseNet post

[No Misses]

bump. come on that is funny stuff :-)

[BSea]

Originally Posted by No Misses

bump. come on that is funny stuff :-)

It is funny. I've seen it before, but not the link. I went through most of it, and it's pretty funny stuff. I liked the bungied condom

[thesmoothdome]

It's pretty funny...not extremely funny though, only because I'm sure there are some DIR folks who actually act this way.