DIR divers are quite easily spotted on a dive boat or dive site. Their kit is standard, and even small deviations from the norm are unusual in those who adhere strictly to the system. Why is this?

There is a lot to be said for diving with the same system as other people PROVIDED this system has been painstakingly thought out and extensively tested. The main advantage of standard kit is the ability to interchange/swap between your own equipment. An example would be having the same size and type of direct feed on all your gear. The ability to interchange and swap between yours and someone else’s equipment is very helpful. Being able to borrow kit from a friend if they are not diving can be very helpful indeed. In an emergency situation, you will know their gear as well as your own. “Buddy checks” will never make you as familiar with their set-up as you are with yours.

Most divers start to put their own kit together when they start diving, based on the advice of dive shops, instructors, internet forums, or just what happens to be available at the right place at the right cost. If many experienced divers, diving as a team for many years on thousands of demanding dives (under different conditions and in different environments) have put their heads together and adapted/chosen their gear based on their experiences and collective thought, it is unlikely that a diver who is only starting out will be able to come up with a configuration which is better.

The DIR configuration is designed to work in all situations and to ensure safety and promote a diver's efforts, not undermine them. Streamlined and minimalist in nature, the DIR configuration was designed to maximize a diver's efficiency while minimizing his/her risk. Items should not hang free or protrude from the diver's body, increase drag or cause entanglements.