SELLING NITROX TO THE DIVERS WHO NEED IT MOST… We should start by saying that subheading contains a misleading statement; every diver needs nitrox. Air is good for pumping up bike tires, but the correct breathing gas for the majority of diving is nitrox or trimix. Of course, there are no absolutes in scuba diving and there are exceptions to every ‘rule.’ For instance, there are spots across the RAID network where nitrox is simply unavailable. If that’s your case, accept our apologies; we do understand that diving without nitrox is better than not diving. By now most dive operations, dive pros, and dive agencies have promoted the advantages of breathing nitrox clear and bold: Reduced Nitrogen Absorption: Because it contains less nitrogen, divers using nitrox can experience less nitrogen buildup in their bodies. This can help decrease the risk of decompression sickness (the bends) on every dive

THOSE WERE NOT REALLY THE GOOD OLD DAYS AT ALL Someone brought an old travel brochure into the DRI office last week. It was about scuba diving in the ‘British Caribbean’ and was a classic piece of pre-internet marketing; definitely from a different era. It would be pretty easy to totally right it off dismissing it as irrelevant in today’s market, but — as old and completely out-dated as it is — it does have something interesting to tell us. Namely, there are so many more options for us to take advantage of now compared to when this antique was printed. You may be a little antique yourself and remember that back in the early 1990s, when it was printed, about the only option for a dive shop was to print flyers like this one, hand them out or snail-mail them to hundreds of customers — at a considerable cost per unit — and hope a significant few signed up for a trip. Worth remembering, or learnin

ISN’T THE RAID WATCHWORD TRUE OF ALL AGENCIES? One of our shareholders was recently asked to respond to a dive instructor who questioned our call to join Dive RAID International because it’s an agency built by divers for divers. He claimed that statement is “verbose and a claim to exclusivity that needs some validation and verification.” Challenge accepted! Our shareholder wrote back: “Thanks for your question! While it’s true that many agencies have been founded by divers, what makes RAID different is that our philosophy and operations are driven entirely by divers, for the benefit of divers. “Unlike some agencies where business or corporate interests tend to influence decisions, at RAID, everything from course development to instructor support is shaped by active, experienced divers who understand the needs of the community firsthand. “Our goal isn’t just to certify divers; it’s to enhance

Part of the adventure is getting a chance to look at what’s called “industrial archeology.” For many of us, that translates into simply taking a look at what’s down there!