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One man will say he's(GI)despised and the other will say feared, and it all
depends on who you're siding with as to which you say.

I'd like to say that I believe after sifting through some of the crap being
flung back and forth, that there are some very good point to DIR, but I will
probably never be 100% DIR.  Does that mean you don't even want me learning
what  I can because I won't go all the way??

HeliumDiver hit on one specific point that your reply showed the folks at
DIR still haven't got yet.  Presentation is everything.  You should realize
that as truth because of the current status quo.  How do you think the
recreational agencies got so embedded??  It's how they present that service
that makes them so popular and strong.  They could never have acheived their
current strength if it wasn't for the manner in which they presented their
service.

Please note that I keep referring to the "service" provided.  That's all it
is.  So let's look at the difference in which this "service" is provided:

Rec Agency: Friendly, come learn to dive, travel to exotic places, advance
your education.

DIR: Arrogant, If you're not DIR you're a stroke, and we don't dive with
strokes, cause strokes are gonna die and that's what we carry these body
bags for.

Now, I can see that you also promote exploration and advancing education,
but when I first started reading the posts on rec.scuba and even here, I
only saw the above description.  It's taken a while and a few good
informative posts from some of your members to keep me interested.


Let's be honest...you guys think you're better than everyone else.  Admit
it..it's okay..we all do occassionally.  It's healthy to have an ego and
think you're better, or to even know it...  It's when you start trying to
convince others that you'd better be ready for resistance.  Anyone who
stands on a platform and cries out "I'm holier than thou" is going to get it
from every angle, and that's what DIR is getting right now.

If DIR were to change its apparent attitude from "we're better than everyone
else, and you're all strokes" to "we're no better than you guys.  It's a
safer way of diving that enables us to perform the way we do and we'd love
to teach it to you", it would take off like you never imagined.

BTW, my only "incident" with DIR to date:

Monterey DIR demo.  Was going to attend, got into fracas with DIR
evangelists on rec.scuba and basically decided not to go....Scott(DIR),
emailed me and said "don't listen to them, come to the demo and check it
out, we'd love to have you".  This was 2 weeks before the demo, I called and
left 3 voice messages and 2 emails to the shop hosting the event trying to
get a slot and get on the boat.  Never received a word back.  Scott
announced about 2-3 days prior to demo that there were spots still available
on boat, I called and left 2 more messages and emailed 3 times......no
response.  I later found out(according to another person who wanted to go),
that personnel from competitive dive shops were blackballed.  None were
allowed to attend, at least certain ones.  This doesn't sound any different
from your OzTek fiasco, other than it was inter-shop instead of
inter-agency.  Regardless, I, as an individual diver, interested in seeing
your demo was not allowed to hop on your boat, because I work for a
competitive shop.  I couldn't make it Saturday, because I had to work.

I'm sure you guys have heard the old saying "perception is reality".  If you
get a large group of people saying you're arrogant and assholes.... then
maybe that's how they're seeing the presentation of your service.  I'm
talking about your obvious detractors, but the normal guys who's just
interested in hearing what you have to say on the ng's.

well, that's enough rambling for now. (Steps off soapbox and puts on Flame
retardant wetsuit)



Chris Ward
"Success does not bring happiness, Happiness brings success!" - Chris Ward
(Copyright)2000

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