The short answer is no, but we understand the confusion. Dive RAID International, RAID for short, takes training open water divers—beginners—seriously. Our instructors are top-drawer professionals who teach new divers skills from day one, that other agencies think are advanced! And that confuses some. Our opinion is that buoyancy control, knowing a few extra tricks to swim with the least effort, how to be a confident and helpful buddy, the advantages of breathing from a long-hose, and proper gas planning and dive management are necessary and shouldn’t be extra bolt-on courses (costing the student extra bolt-on fees by the way): we feel these things are basic. And in RAID’s basic courses is when student are introduced to them. Before RAID came along, breathing gases (like trimix and nitrox), and kit configurations we introduce early on, were considered “technical.” So, some people think that’s

Dive RAID International has developed a Public Safety Diver (PSD) Entry-Level program which is due for release in mid-September 2023. It is the first offering from RAID into this type of diving. Although the agency is a “new” vendor in the PSD market, we recognised it as a special case and the SMEs (subject matter experts) who created this program have extensive experience in the PSD field. To give you a better idea of the scope of this new program, follow this link>>>. For more details please contact the regional office for your area (look here) or RAID HQ. If you’d like to be kept up-to-date with news from RAID via our mailing list, sign-up here>>>

As an instructor, it’s always a treat to hear from students after their course telling you how much they appreciate the help you’ve given them, and how valuable that help has been. It’s particularly neat when the most important event post training, is that nothing happened… when it really could have! Caleb and his boisterous buddy Jimmy Henderson, one of the RAID instructors at Dino’s Diving, recently got one of those messages thanking him for “drilling us in the basics.” A while back he worked with a father and son team before their Bahamas dive trip. The trip sounds like a fun time, but the highlight was when a shark did a crazy U-turn bumping into Caleb (the son) knocking the reg from his mouth and the business end of his mask around to his ear. Kevin (dad) writes: “If you panic here and flail your arm about you could lose a finger: anything moving is viewed as food.” But Caleb, calmly rea

RAID IS COMMITTED TO STATE-OF-THE-ART INSTRUCTION USING STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT RAID is proud to offer instruction on Ocean Reef revolutionary IDM equipment. The design and function is superior; a remarkable improvement on old-school full-face masks. And an Ocean Reef IDM has several advantages over a traditional scuba mask… field of vision, warmth and comfort, voice communications, etc. They are available in several models, colours, and built-in design features to suit divers at all levels, from beginner to professional. Ocean Reef IDMs are comfortable, perform faultlessly in any environment. Especially great for diving in colder water, and wonderful when coupled with the communications package for teaching in the pool or open water. If you are unfamiliar with Ocean Reef products and would like to find out how you can join the underwater revolution, contact your local RAID Dive Centre. Th

Swim gear, a towel, a mask and snorkel: what could be simpler? And there’s a lot to be seen from the surface, so that sometimes, breaking out the scuba gear isn’t necessary. Did you know that RAID now has a swimmer-friendly snorkelling program? Perfect for hassle-free exploring for any diver, and a great alternative for anyone in the family who isn’t crazy about scuba. This program has its official launch in late September 2023. To check out more about the program and to sign up with your local RAID dive centre, why not take a look at the official course page here>>> .