DIR Fundamentals class

[FMT]

Okay, good that the info is out there now.
Does anyone know this Claudia person?
And how about which LDS is helping if any?
T

[JoelW]

After doing a bit of digging I found



Look under calender

The class has become more expensive since the last time it was here. Last time it worked out to approx. $275 per person total by the time everything was done.

JoelW

[Chris]

Wow, there's actually something happening on my end of the state!? I've been there a number of times. It's right off of Hwy 52 in the Miracle Mile Mall.

[FMT]

If the class is in Rochester then it should have been advertised that way, not as being in Mpls. >
T

[shellfish]

I got the below answers from MDC's Claudia. My questions are in black. I can't do Rochester. (I wrote to Fifth Dimension and told them that Minneapolis is NOT near Rochester >. You lucked out, Chris! )

I'm very interested in taking the GUE DIR Fundamentals course that's being offered in Minneapolis on May 16-18, 2003. I'm glad to hear of your interest. I just took this course myself in Georgia a couple of weekends ago to see whether I thought this course was worth taking. And it definitely is!

We, (MDC Sports in Rochester, MN) are hosting this DIR Fundamentals course, but are not the instructors. I will be the person to handle payment and answer the logistical questions you have. Sonya from Fifth Dimension, who referred you to me, and Michael Kane are the GUE instructors who will come to teach the couse. They will be able to answer any specific DIR Fundamentals course questions you might have.

...What do you recommend I do to prepare for the course? Based on what I saw in my course, the more comfortable you are in the water, the more you can get out of the course. I would suggest planning as many sessions in the pool over the next few months as possible. If you come to us (MDC Sports) here in Rochester, I could help get you pointed in the right direction as you are brushing up on your skills. My guys down here are trying to get a jump on the DIR training and you are welcome to join them in their practices in the pool on the weekends.

What gear configuration is required? Gear configuration is part of their training and philosophy, but not everything. I was able to take the training in the type of setup they encourage and I was grateful for it. My buddy in the course just rented standard equipment from the dive shop at the quarry for the first day. He had a lot of problems, not all of them equipment related, so for the second day at the quarry, the GUE staff worked it out so he could use the equipment they preferred. He did do better, although still needed a lot of work. I strongly recommend going to a 5' or 7' hose on your primary regulator.

For a better answer on the equipment issue, I urge you to contact Michael Kane. (One of the instructors in the May course.) His email is mhkane@prodigy.net . Also, there is a slight chance we might be able to scrape up some rental equipment for you. but I won't know for sure until April.

Do you know where the dives will take place? This course is not in Minneapolis. MDC Sports is located in Rochester, MN. The lake portion of the course will take place at Lake Wazee by Black River Falls, WI. (Lake Wazee is a great quarry about 2-1/2 hours east of Rochester.) Depending on where the students come from, either our Friday night classroom session will be in Rochester or at a motel near Lake Wazee.

You will be doing two dives on two days. The quarry temperature in mid May last year was 45 degrees. Even though most of the course takes place in 28' of water, a drysuit would be preferrable, otherwise a 6-7mm wetsuit, hood, boots and gloves are necessary.

[JoelW]

I recently came across a discussion headed by Mike Kane that GUE was considering making DIRF a certification course later this year. To get into any of the other GUE courses DIRF is a requirement.

What that has me wondering is how the certification works. There wasn't anyone who passed the course that was here last year even though there wasn't a pass criteria other than the individuals take on how they did. Now I wonder what the pass criteria will be and if the class isn't passed how does someone do a re-test, especially since a lot of these are travelling classes.

Below is the statement from Mike

Clarification of the new DIR-F class
I had no idea that the respone to the other thread would get so lengthy, and somewhat off track.. What I hope doesn't get lost in the other thread is the following:

1) The change is not effective until June 1, 2003;

2) Any classes that have been previously organized we will honor the previous commitments in terms of the previous standards;

3) There will be the possibility to "audit" the DIR-F class on a non-certification basis after the new effective date and changes to the Standards. This option will be at the discretion of each individual instructor. However please note:

4) That the DIR-F class will be a pre-requisite for any advanced GUE classes;

5) Still undecided, but will be announced shortly, is the concept of if you've previously taken the class under the "old" format will that apply towards future GUE classes. The initial thoughts have been that if the instructor provides a positive recommendation it's likely that your previous class will count. But at this point the BOD is still undecided.

I try to be responsive and if you have any questions I'll do what I can to respond.

Hope that summarizes the issues, but I'm confident if I missed something you'll let me know ;-)

Regards

Michael Kane

Here is a post by someone else

I just go off the phone with GUE's training director and he alleviated me concerns about the change in the status of the Fundamentals class. I was concerned about the fact that a person would take the class, not pass, and then what?

Well, _generally_ speaking it would work like a college class. If you fail the entire course you would have to pay to take the entire course over again. If you grasp some concepts and need more then 3 days to finish up then you can. Depending on the instructor (and this is something you should ask when choosing a DIR-F instructor) you can show up when they are teaching another class and demonstrate that section you needed work on to earn your pass-rating.




So anyone who took the class last year who isn't remembered well by the instructor plan on possibly taking the course again before moving on to any of the other classes.

Joel

[freedivernd]

man oh man... all these classes and certifications..
I'm sure glad I'm into free diving. I hope freediving never becomes so regulated..(I know you're talking instruction here and not regulation) We've had the discussion on other boards.. uhh.. no, you can't buy these long fins unless you're certified AOWFD and have a card to prove it..
Fred

[DiverDude]

This was posted on the Inspiration list and has some good humor. Don't know the original author.


"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.

Keep it real."

[DRE]

Diverdude,

mayba you want to check the archives before posting...

[DiverDude]

I would love to check the archives. Problem is I can’t find them. Could you please help me out? Sorry for the repeat.

tks

Jere