What event made you head toward/away from DIR?

[Chris H]

A good diver is always learning.  An open mind is how I got here in the first place.

However, like Matt just stated, I am set in the ways that my buddies and I are currently diving.  Call it whatever you want, but I don't think there is a better way at this time to safely complete the dives that we are doing.  For practicality, we'll call our system DIR.  Like I said earlier, we can nit-pick all day about whether an o-ring or cave line should be used to attach the SS clip to your long hose, but we are beyond that and focusing on the system as whole.  Your views on using what works for you seem a bit closed minded, not to mention selfish, as well.  Like I asked before, what is your opposition to having no metal to metal connections?  Because you have never been entangled in something you needed to cut, do you think that you are home free and it can't happen? 

If you think that efficient gear configuration, lots of diving and good team skills are going to kill us, I guess you are entitled to that opinion but I sincerely hope you are wrong. 

There is a rebreather forum on the Mnscuba site.  I can appreciate the technology, but I have no desire to dive one at this point in time.  I'm not meticulous enough with my equipment, and I don't have $15,000 lying around right now.  Case in point.  Last weekend my buddy and I made a staged deco dive with a 75 or so minute run time in OC.  A practice dive for dives we will be doing next week.    At the time we were entering the water, 4 of the Inspiration guys were putting their bailout bottles at the water's edge.  When we completed our dive, the four of them were completing their pre-dive check for their dive.  That is a huge amount of preparation that I am not ready to commit to.    I know the dive they were doing was a monster in preparation for the Carl Bradley that they are diving this week, but my point is that I don't have the time, money or patience to be diving a rebreather right now.  I'm not going to go into all of the Yellow box of Death crap or anything like that.  There is no question that someday rebreathers will have their place, but for right now, that place is on somebody else's back.   

As far as being set in your ways, let me get back to recommending the DIR-F class.  I think EVERY diver can take something positive from that course.  Your opinion of GUE may vary depending on the instructor, but I guarantee you will take something valuable from the class.  Unless, of course you go in with a bunch of questions about rebreathers and don't have an open mind  .