Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Hawk
Doing it right, or GUE.......... Globle Underwater explorers
Maybe Jag will give a better explanation 
Ken |
"The "Doing It Right" (DIR) system evolved out of the exacting demands of the world's most extreme exploration diving, yet the approach is rapidly gaining favor among all levels of divers. Everyone benefits from a system that makes the underwater experience safer and more comfortable. The DIR system is much more than an equipment configuration. It is a diving style that ensures every aspect of each dive represents safety, fun and efficiency.
Leading explorers long ago realized that a confused or delayed response to emergency situations creates an unacceptable risk. DIR attempts to bring the practical solutions to safety and productivity honed in the world of exploration into the classroom for entry and advanced divers. Risk is managed by streamlining and minimizing gear configuration. Buddy communication skills are refined to heighten awareness of the dive environment. Taken together, rethinking your gear configuration and your approach to teamwork puts you back in the middle of the dive.
Unfortunately, there is a prevailing assumption that standardized equipment, clean configurations and attention to detail are only for "technical" or other rigorous diving conditions. In reality, clean and simple universal configurations are even more beneficial for divers with limited experience. GUE representatives have discovered that training all divers with standardized equipment has been highly successful."
Further info:
What GUE has always been about | Global Underwater Explorers
Whilst many aspects of my diving and kit configuration are geared towards this holistic approach I can't fully embrace it. In the UK, several of the DIR divers I have dived with, or know of and once were friends, perceive themselves to be elitist and quite closed minded, no matter how much they profess to the contrary. My level of qualification and training permits me to plan dives up to 45m whilst carrying out substantial decompression. To be told that myself and countless others are Doing It Wrong, and dangerous, I find a massive insult to myself and my instructors. I have never had a "
bend" despite god knows how many dives, the majority of which involve compulsory decompression stops, yet I know of several "DIR" divers that have got bent whilst doing 20m bounce dives and another that had a rapid ascent from 40m up to 5m before he controlled his ascent missing 20mins of deco! The twenty meter bounce dives were passed off as "undeserved" and the rapid ascent never got to become public knowledge. Rigid training methods and guidelines were clearly not adhered to and the closing ranks so as not to look like muppets smacks of hypocrasy.
It's this insulting attitude that will prevent me from having nothing other than a passing interest in GUE, which is a shame as the ethos is sound. Most of the more experienced DIR divers are great and don't suffer from the same brainwashing, it's the recent intakes that still give GUE a tarnished reputation. For God's sake, even the name "Doing It Right", implying that everyone else is doing it wrong, smacks of elitism!
I could go on with other episodes, one in particular that I witnessed first hand that nearly had fatal consequences for one of my best friends, due to and elitist diver ignoring training, making a poor decision and having an ego that nearly cost the life of a friend. Suffice to say I no longer dive with that person.
I kinda guess Ken knew what reaction this was going to get out of me
but I apologise for the rant
