Posted by mike on October 08, 2001 at 23:16:34:
In Reply to: Which is better... (food for thought) posted by Bill Johnson on October 08, 2001 at 21:23:53:
whether its photography, climbing, shooting, metallic cartridge reloading, paintball or whatever, all other things being equal, it generally seems to be the man and his mindset rather than the equipment(toys) that makes a skilled and capable practitioner. A PADI puppy in a Hogarthian setup will be just as much the novice as the newbie in a traditional rig. Experience in cold murky water will winnow the chaff and leave those with a good mental attitude towards safety, risk, comfort level, watersmanship etc.
Still, the DIR config/mindset seems to resonate with divers who have been around a while. It seems that those who have spent the time in the water with all sorts of scuba stuff are the ones that are investigating DIR more intensively, so it obviously appeals to many serious divers who perhaps, having a mindset that comes from experience, near misses, ruined dives, splitting CO2 headaches etc.. are receptive to an alternate gear config that may offer more than the gear configs they have had in the past.