Hogarthian Configuration Explained

Before there was DIR, there was the Hogarthian rig: a way of setting up gear so that every item had one place, one reason and nothing extra. Today it's the equipment foundation of DIR and of the configurations taught by GUE and UTD.

Where does the name come from?

The configuration was named after cave diver William "Hogarth" Main and was refined through North Florida cave-diving teams. Jarrod Jablonski's firsthand history of DIR and GUE describes how Hogarthian equipment practices and the broader DIR system developed alongside WKPP exploration.

The name started as a joke. A fellow diver, John Zumrick, first called the streamlined rig "Hogarthian," and it stuck.

What are the rules?

There's no single rulebook, but the principles are consistent. Jarrod Jablonski described the style as having many minor variations while asserting "a policy of minimalism."

1. Minimalism. Take only what you need for the dive.
2. Streamlining. Nothing dangles, nothing snags, nothing adds drag.
3. Standardization. Every item in the same place, on every diver, on every dive.
4. A reason for everything. Each piece is placed where it is for a practical purpose.
5. Accessibility. Everything you need can be reached and used without looking.

UTD's covenants echo the same ideas: a minimalist approach, a holistic system where every component has a solid reason, and equipment that's streamlined yet accessible.

What does a Hogarthian rig look like?

Everything else is either in a pocket or left on the boat.

How does it work for singles and doubles?

Singles. A single cylinder on the backplate, with one first stage supplying the long hose, the necklace backup, the gauge and the wing inflator. It's the same layout as doubles, scaled down.

Doubles. Two cylinders joined by an isolator manifold. The right post supplies the long hose and wing inflator; the left supplies the necklace backup and gauge. The isolator lets you separate the two sides if one fails.

That scalability is the point. Divers learn the layout once, on a single cylinder, and the same habits carry to doubles, stages and decompression bottles.

How does Hogarthian relate to DIR?

Early on, the two terms were used almost interchangeably. Over time they separated: "Hogarthian" came to mean the equipment configuration, and DIR the holistic system built around it, adding fundamental skills, team diving, standard gases and gas planning.

UTD's standards describe its own roots the same way: grounded in the Hogarthian and DIR configuration and principles, then extended for consistency across backmount, sidemount and rebreathers. See GUE vs UTD vs Hogarthian.

Try it for yourself

For the full configuration piece by piece, see DIR Gear Configuration, Piece by Piece. To learn to dive it, start with Essentials of Recreational Diving.