DIR F - when....

Beth · December 1st, 2005, 05:25 PM

I've seen people say on here that you should practice before you go and others who say you shouldn't.

There are a group (Wilbo and his freinds) who are working together to take the course - should I look to find someone locally to take it with me?

I have someone in mind who is interested but he has only done 60 dives and may not be ready to do this (I don't feel ready myself having read Sterny's report). Does he have to have nitrox to come on the course?

Sorry for the questions.

*Rich Walker* · December 1st, 2005, 05:34 PM

Hi Beth,

You don't need to have practiced as a team to do DIRF at all. It will make it easier, but then I just make it harder anyway

I've had divers with 20 dives do DIRF and get on fine, just as I've had those with 1000 struggle...

A nitrox certification is not necessary, and in any case, the new DIRF course will include nitrox training anyway, so this will be covered.

Rich

wilbo · December 1st, 2005, 05:35 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Beth)

I've seen people say on here that you should practice before you go and others who say you shouldn't.

There are a group (Wilbo and his freinds) who are working together to take the course - should I look to find someone locally to take it with me?

I have someone in mind who is interested but he has only done 60 dives and may not be ready to do this (I don't feel ready myself having read Sterny's report). Does he have to have nitrox to come on the course?

Sorry for the questions.

from Al's post on preparing for fundies.. the prereqs bit:

Quote: (Originally Posted by Alastair)

Forms here - once you submit you need to print out the pages it brings up:

Quote: (Originally Posted by Alastair)

https://www.gue.com/cgi-bin/reg

Straight from the standards:

2.1.2.2 Prerequisites

1. Must meet GUE General Course Prerequisites as outlined in Section 1.6
2. Must be a minimum of 16 years of age
3. Must be a certified open water diver from a recognized training agency
4. Must be able to swim a distance of at least 50 feet/15 meters on a breath hold
5. Must be able to swim at least 300 yards/275 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping. This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal protection.

No mention of rescue or First aid for fundies. Although I would recommend having both as both being very useful.

HTH
Al

nothing in there about number of dives or nitrox ticket.. get him involved if you are happy with the way he dives..

Just my humble oppinion..

(edit): beaten to it by a much more qualified person

Vie · December 1st, 2005, 05:39 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Beth)

I've seen people say on here that you should practice before you go and others who say you shouldn't.

There are a group (Wilbo and his freinds) who are working together to take the course - should I look to find someone locally to take it with me?

I have someone in mind who is interested but he has only done 60 dives and may not be ready to do this (I don't feel ready myself having read Sterny's report). Does he have to have nitrox to come on the course?

I would at least get used to diving with your rig, especially if you have not used a bp/wing before. You don't want to feel totally uncomfortable during the dives - don't practice the skills and confuse yourself/teach yourself bad habits that would have to be unlearnt. It would be nice to team up with someone you have already been diving with but when I showed up for Fundies I was on my own and did not know anyone in my class. My DIR-F buddy had less than 30 dives when he went through Fundies - I think the sooner one goes through DIR-F the better. One need not to be EANx certified for DIR-F; using EANx 32 would be ideal but is not a requirement.

Beth · December 1st, 2005, 05:44 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Vie)

My DIR-F buddy had less than 30 dives when he went through Fundies

How did he get on...

I don't want to encourage Phil to come on the course if he is not going to be able to cope. But I like the idea of doing it with someone I know - especially as it is now 4 (?) days long.

This is the first thing I will have done away from the school I learned with (apart from a holiday last Christmas) and it would be nice to have a freindly face there.

Vie · December 1st, 2005, 05:52 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Beth)

How did he get on...

He initially had some buoyancy/trim problems (he received a provisional) - we ended the course as friends and we started diving together. Two months later, I teamed up with him during another Fundies and he passed.

Andy C · December 2nd, 2005, 11:53 AM

Beth,

The first dive of Fundies was my 40th, my first in a BP/Wing setup & my fifth in a dry-suit - I certainly like making life difficult for myself.
The first dive I found really frustrating as I was heavily over-weighted (during the course I dropped 4Kg

) but after that it wasn't too bad & I ended up with a provisional.

I wouldn't advise any-one to try too many new things at DIR-F, especially not twins (eh Al ?) or a dry-suit. It definately helps if you're comfortable in your gear & have your weighting approximately right but part of my objectives for the course were to try a BP/Wing & see if I liked it.

The best approach, IMHO is to go with an open mind, treat it as an opportuninty to learn techniques or to try new kit & not be too bothered if you pass or not. AS Rich said, it doesn't make a great deal of dfference how many dives you've done, I sometimesd think that those with Trimix certs & hundereds of dives find it harder.

Hope that helps

Andy

Mark Chase · December 2nd, 2005, 12:34 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Beth)

I've seen people say on here that you should practice before you go and others who say you shouldn't.

There are a group (Wilbo and his freinds) who are working together to take the course - should I look to find someone locally to take it with me?

I have someone in mind who is interested but he has only done 60 dives and may not be ready to do this (I don't feel ready myself having read Sterny's report). Does he have to have nitrox to come on the course?

Sorry for the questions.

Hi Beth,

I will be looking for buddies to practice dive with in Wrysbury or Layborn Lakes as I am on the course at the end of Jan. Unfortunately Wends are a problem but pretty much any time mid week can do.

I have been diving for years but the DIRF stuff is all fairly new to me as well but on the up side I can control buoyancy and I know what we need to acheive :D

My main goals during the practice dives will be weighting trimming out the wing, finning, shut downs and air sharing drills. I dive a CCR normaly and only have 9 dives on my DIR rig so I have works to do.

If your interested let me know. I will be looking at week of the 19th Dec and first two weeks in Jan.

ATB

Mark Chase

**neilh** · December 3rd, 2005, 01:44 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Vie)

My DIR-F buddy had less than 30 dives when he went through Fundies - I think the sooner one goes through DIR-F the better.

DIR-F dive 1 for me was dive #32 (dive #1 was first PADI OW dive). Dive #31 was the day before with Rich and a new wing. Most of my dives up to then had been in a drysuit so although I did the course in a wing that I'd only ever had 1 dive in, I stuck with a single cylinder so wasn't a huge change!

It was tough though and I did struggle with trim and bouyancy - but none of my diving skills had developed into second nature so it hasn't been too hard to adapt. When I took the course I didn't think my bouyancy control was too bad - I knew it wasn't great. However seeing Rich in the water just made me realise just how much control it was possible to have and just how far off I was (and still am!).

I'd thoroughly recommend doing the course as soon as you can if you're interested. As Rich has said he'll adjust how much he expects from you based on what you can do anyway. No matter how much practice you've done the course will be tough

I still haven't passed - but the major obstacle for me at the moment is reaching my valve.

Bogwoppit · December 3rd, 2005, 07:22 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Mark Chase)

Hi Beth,

I will be looking for buddies to practice dive with in Wrysbury or Layborn Lakes as I am on the course at the end of Jan. Unfortunately Wends are a problem but pretty much any time mid week can do.

I have been diving for years but the DIRF stuff is all fairly new to me as well but on the up side I can control buoyancy and I know what we need to acheive :D

My main goals during the practice dives will be weighting trimming out the wing, finning, shut downs and air sharing drills. I dive a CCR normaly and only have 9 dives on my DIR rig so I have works to do.

If your interested let me know. I will be looking at week of the 19th Dec and first two weeks in Jan.

ATB

Mark Chase

Mark I'm doing hte same course so let me know when you have some dates etc. Wraysbury is fine for me. I'll prod Garf as well he'll want to tag along.

December 1st, 2005, 05:25 PM	#1 (permalink)
Beth(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Surrey Posts: 26	DIR F - when.... I've seen people say on here that you should practice before you go and others who say you shouldn't. There are a group (Wilbo and his freinds) who are working together to take the course - should I look to find someone locally to take it with me? I have someone in mind who is interested but he has only done 60 dives and may not be ready to do this (I don't feel ready myself having read Sterny's report). Does he have to have nitrox to come on the course? Sorry for the questions. __________________ Beth

December 1st, 2005, 05:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
wilbo (Online) Chimp 4 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Swindon, UK Posts: 878	Quote: (Originally Posted by Beth) I've seen people say on here that you should practice before you go and others who say you shouldn't. There are a group (Wilbo and his freinds) who are working together to take the course - should I look to find someone locally to take it with me? I have someone in mind who is interested but he has only done 60 dives and may not be ready to do this (I don't feel ready myself having read Sterny's report). Does he have to have nitrox to come on the course? Sorry for the questions. from Al's post on preparing for fundies.. the prereqs bit: Quote: (Originally Posted by Alastair) Forms here - once you submit you need to print out the pages it brings up: Quote: (Originally Posted by Alastair) https://www.gue.com/cgi-bin/reg Straight from the standards: *2.1.2.2 Prerequisites* 1. Must meet GUE General Course Prerequisites as outlined in Section 1.6 2. Must be a minimum of 16 years of age 3. Must be a certified open water diver from a recognized training agency 4. Must be able to swim a distance of at least 50 feet/15 meters on a breath hold 5. Must be able to swim at least 300 yards/275 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping. This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal protection. No mention of rescue or First aid for fundies. Although I would recommend having both as both being very useful. HTH Al nothing in there about number of dives or nitrox ticket.. get him involved if you are happy with the way he dives.. Just my humble oppinion.. (edit): beaten to it by a much more qualified person __________________ Cheers! Wilbo DIR explorers: DIR Yorkshire Divers: YorkshireDivers One of the Foxturd chimps Last edited by wilbo; December 1st, 2005 at 05:37 PM.

December 1st, 2005, 05:39 PM	#4 (permalink)
Vie(Offline) Loner at the ball... Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Krung Thep, Siam, mostly Posts: 191	Quote: (Originally Posted by Beth) I've seen people say on here that you should practice before you go and others who say you shouldn't. There are a group (Wilbo and his freinds) who are working together to take the course - should I look to find someone locally to take it with me? I have someone in mind who is interested but he has only done 60 dives and may not be ready to do this (I don't feel ready myself having read Sterny's report). Does he have to have nitrox to come on the course? I would at least get used to diving with your rig, especially if you have not used a bp/wing before. You don't want to feel totally uncomfortable during the dives - don't practice the skills and confuse yourself/teach yourself bad habits that would have to be unlearnt. It would be nice to team up with someone you have already been diving with but when I showed up for Fundies I was on my own and did not know anyone in my class. My DIR-F buddy had less than 30 dives when he went through Fundies - I think the sooner one goes through DIR-F the better. One need not to be EANx certified for DIR-F; using EANx 32 would be ideal but is not a requirement. Last edited by Vie; December 1st, 2005 at 05:41 PM.

December 1st, 2005, 05:44 PM	#5 (permalink)
Beth(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Surrey Posts: 26	Quote: (Originally Posted by Vie) My DIR-F buddy had less than 30 dives when he went through Fundies How did he get on... I don't want to encourage Phil to come on the course if he is not going to be able to cope. But I like the idea of doing it with someone I know - especially as it is now 4 (?) days long. This is the first thing I will have done away from the school I learned with (apart from a holiday last Christmas) and it would be nice to have a freindly face there. __________________ Beth

December 1st, 2005, 05:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rich Walker(Offline) GUE Instructor Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sheffield Posts: 300	Hi Beth, You don't need to have practiced as a team to do DIRF at all. It will make it easier, but then I just make it harder anyway I've had divers with 20 dives do DIRF and get on fine, just as I've had those with 1000 struggle... A nitrox certification is not necessary, and in any case, the new DIRF course will include nitrox training anyway, so this will be covered. Rich

December 1st, 2005, 05:52 PM	#6 (permalink)
Vie(Offline) Loner at the ball... Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Krung Thep, Siam, mostly Posts: 191	Quote: (Originally Posted by Beth) How did he get on... He initially had some buoyancy/trim problems (he received a provisional) - we ended the course as friends and we started diving together. Two months later, I teamed up with him during another Fundies and he passed.

December 2nd, 2005, 11:53 AM	#7 (permalink)
Andy C(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Harby, Leicestershire, working in Leeds Posts: 142	Beth, The first dive of Fundies was my 40th, my first in a BP/Wing setup & my fifth in a dry-suit - I certainly like making life difficult for myself. The first dive I found really frustrating as I was heavily over-weighted (during the course I dropped 4Kg ) but after that it wasn't too bad & I ended up with a provisional. I wouldn't advise any-one to try too many new things at DIR-F, especially not twins (eh Al ?) or a dry-suit. It definately helps if you're comfortable in your gear & have your weighting approximately right but part of my objectives for the course were to try a BP/Wing & see if I liked it. The best approach, IMHO is to go with an open mind, treat it as an opportuninty to learn techniques or to try new kit & not be too bothered if you pass or not. AS Rich said, it doesn't make a great deal of dfference how many dives you've done, I sometimesd think that those with Trimix certs & hundereds of dives find it harder. Hope that helps Andy

December 2nd, 2005, 12:34 PM	#8 (permalink)
Mark Chase(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kent England Posts: 905	Quote: (Originally Posted by Beth) I've seen people say on here that you should practice before you go and others who say you shouldn't. There are a group (Wilbo and his freinds) who are working together to take the course - should I look to find someone locally to take it with me? I have someone in mind who is interested but he has only done 60 dives and may not be ready to do this (I don't feel ready myself having read Sterny's report). Does he have to have nitrox to come on the course? Sorry for the questions. Hi Beth, I will be looking for buddies to practice dive with in Wrysbury or Layborn Lakes as I am on the course at the end of Jan. Unfortunately Wends are a problem but pretty much any time mid week can do. I have been diving for years but the DIRF stuff is all fairly new to me as well but on the up side I can control buoyancy and I know what we need to acheive :D My main goals during the practice dives will be weighting trimming out the wing, finning, shut downs and air sharing drills. I dive a CCR normaly and only have 9 dives on my DIR rig so I have works to do. If your interested let me know. I will be looking at week of the 19th Dec and first two weeks in Jan. ATB Mark Chase

December 3rd, 2005, 01:44 PM	#9 (permalink)
neilh(Offline) Haemoglobin on the bus... Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Barnsley, UK Posts: 1,900	Quote: (Originally Posted by Vie) My DIR-F buddy had less than 30 dives when he went through Fundies - I think the sooner one goes through DIR-F the better. DIR-F dive 1 for me was dive #32 (dive #1 was first PADI OW dive). Dive #31 was the day before with Rich and a new wing. Most of my dives up to then had been in a drysuit so although I did the course in a wing that I'd only ever had 1 dive in, I stuck with a single cylinder so wasn't a huge change! It was tough though and I did struggle with trim and bouyancy - but none of my diving skills had developed into second nature so it hasn't been too hard to adapt. When I took the course I didn't think my bouyancy control was too bad - I knew it wasn't great. However seeing Rich in the water just made me realise just how much control it was possible to have and just how far off I was (and still am!). I'd thoroughly recommend doing the course as soon as you can if you're interested. As Rich has said he'll adjust how much he expects from you based on what you can do anyway. No matter how much practice you've done the course will be tough I still haven't passed - but the major obstacle for me at the moment is reaching my valve.

December 3rd, 2005, 07:22 PM	#10 (permalink)
Bogwoppit(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nr Brighton Posts: 75	Quote: (Originally Posted by Mark Chase) Hi Beth, I will be looking for buddies to practice dive with in Wrysbury or Layborn Lakes as I am on the course at the end of Jan. Unfortunately Wends are a problem but pretty much any time mid week can do. I have been diving for years but the DIRF stuff is all fairly new to me as well but on the up side I can control buoyancy and I know what we need to acheive :D My main goals during the practice dives will be weighting trimming out the wing, finning, shut downs and air sharing drills. I dive a CCR normaly and only have 9 dives on my DIR rig so I have works to do. If your interested let me know. I will be looking at week of the 19th Dec and first two weeks in Jan. ATB Mark Chase Mark I'm doing hte same course so let me know when you have some dates etc. Wraysbury is fine for me. I'll prod Garf as well he'll want to tag along.