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Ok I'm not an instructor, big time explorer, equipment vendor or board member of any organization. My background is I originally trained as a Navy diver which as we all know doesn't involve a whole lot of horizontal swimming (but a lot of walking around on the bottom) but does spend quite a bit of time "problem solving" and acquiring the necessary physical skills and mental skills to perform what can be a hard job. Although I was a Diving Medical Officer, I went through the same basic Second Class Dvier School as everyone else. Though the actual diving wasn't a thing of beauty, to complete the school you really had to learn how to take care of yourself and not panic. I started cave diving a little over 10 years ago. I had over 75 non-training dives by the time I finished my full cave and spent a lot of time in caverns and single tanks. The tech diving rush had not started at that time and I was fortunate to have thoughtful and competent instructors for my training. Neither taught a specific method, but we spent a lot of time talking about advantages and disadvantages of different configurations (the DREADED personal preference). Hogarthian rigging was certainly discussed though not preached as THE way. i don't live in Florida but still manage about 50 dives a year in Florida and Mexico. I have about 400 cave dives total. I work as an occupational and environmental medicine physician, which deals with risks of all kinds in the workplace and planning for those risks and mitigating them ie I spend a lot of time thinking about what could happen to people. WHo cares, right? Well I feel better letting people know where I'm coming from. It bothers me that there are INSTRUCTORS who have far fewer cave dives than I do and perhaps only cave dive once or twice a year. Apparently it is as easy to buy an instructor rating as it is to buy a cave cert card. It bothers me that the major training agencies actually look the other way when dealing with the training of one week wonders and certifying those of questionable ability. Of course 10 years ago we didn't have Tempting Death Incessantly or I Am Next To Die training a lot of cave divers, much less in quarries or sewers or whatever. It bothers me that people show up for their FIRST course bedecked with all the latest equipment, whether pure strokery or DIR recommended gear. Many are convinced that because they've spent a lot of money that they have all the answers. The equipment is absolutely useless and in fact dangerous without proper training, regardless of the configuration. DIR (or whatever) is not THE answer (heresy!!). Logging on the GUE website or following this list does not necessarily give you more common sense, make you smarter or more contemplative regarding your diving. You can still be stupid, though you are probably incredibly stupid if you're not open to listening to what DIR is about. DIR does offer an approach which has actually been tested under rigorous conditions and proven to be very safe, though there have been a few hiccups along the way (quickly remedied). To those who say it is some sort of autocratic tyranny out to ruin the "fun" of cave diving for all of us, get a life. This is a potentially fatal pursuit. DIR offers a simple streamlined and safe configuration. Of course, some dive shops and their affiliated riff raff like to sell lots of *expensive* equipment so this approach may be anathema to them. Many think the DIR approach is too extreme and is making a lot of fuss about nothing. They either haven't dove enough or are too stupid too notice when they are (or have been) in trouble. I've personally experienced most of the problems anticipated by DIR and am grateful someone else has taken the time to look at this stuff seriously and test it. I am not 100% DIR(I still don't like my SPG at my waist and I have an extra D ring) but the major points are things I arrived at independently over years of experimentation. Don't be DIR cause it's cool. Think about what you're doing and talk to people about what they do and why. Ask hard questions and pose "what ifs". If their methods can't withstand close scrutiny, don't listen to them. Most of all don't just get the equipment and assume you know what you're doing. You can still kill yourself without the proper training, drills and experience. Geoff Kelafant
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