RAID Divemasters Make a Difference
THEIR PRIMARY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES Across the scuba diving industry, a divemaster (DM) is the first professional certification level. Among the seven major and better-known dive agencies, there are subtle differences. For example, with additional training, RAID certifies DMs to teach some courses that do not involve in-water work, Action Camera for example. However, their primary role and what they’re certified and called to do is very similar across all major RSTC-member dive organisations. What’s not as well-known is exactly what that means in practice. A RAID DM is trained to lead and supervise certified divers. An example would be to accompany them on a recreational-level wreck or reef dive. A RAID DM can assist instructors in the classroom, confined
You Read the Funniest Things on the Web
SOME ARE CRAZY, SOME ARE DOWNRIGHT WRONG-HEADED… And, of course, there’s a lot of good information available online, but when it comes to dealing with an OOA situation, be careful. Perhaps the biggest issue is SPEED: specifically, how fast to surface after an out-of-air event. If you find yourself with nothing to breathe, then your options are severely limited. However, what was troubling about a recent thread in one of the online diving forums wasn’t so much the heated debate about how much contingency gas to carry. Carrying contingency gas in a bailout or buddy bottle, in addition to what’s in your buddy’s tank, is a wonderful idea, of course. The disturbing issue was the talk about how fast to
AUGUST SPECIAL
A Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV), commonly known as an underwater scooter, allows divers to travel greater distances and depths with far less effort than when swimming. DPVs offer lots of benefits, including increased range, reduced exertion, and the ability to explore larger areas, making them valuable tools for both recreational and technical diving. So, if you want to explore larger areas, like expansive reefs or shipwrecks, in a shorter amount of time. Or if you want to access areas that might be too far to swim to comfortably, or within the time constraints of a dive. Well, a DPV might be the answer. RAID has programs for recreational and technical divers (Basic and Advanced). We have you covered completely, opening up all the
Another Reason to Dive with a Long-hose regulator
WE DON’T INSIST BUT SEVERAL DIVERS DO ONCE THEY TRY IT Dive RAID International does not mandate the use of a ‘long hose’ for recreational open water divers. That’s to say. a regulator second state on a longer than standard LP hose is not a piece of kit required in a RAID OW-20 class, for instance. It’s simply a recommendation. There are many reasons for our recommendation, and a few for not insisting on its use at that level. But first, let’s discuss what a long hose is and why it’s out there and available at all.
Why We Think and Act Differently
IT SETS RAID APART FROM THE COMPETITION There are dozens of diver training agencies: at last count, more than one hundred. And while it’d be easy to say we’re the best of the bunch, that would come across as marketing BS and be difficult to prove at the best of times. Every organisation has its fans and its critics. Everyone has their own opinion. What we can say is that we don’t follow the fast track. Some agencies promise open water certification on a schedule we refuse to match. That’s not because instructors teaching The RAID Way are slow; it’s because their approach is that learning to dive skilfully, comfortably, and safely takes time. While some pick it up quickly,
Gas Management 101
A SIMPLE ALTERNATIVE TO WHAT TECHNICAL DIVERS DO… Most of us are aware of the basic technical diving gas management “Rule of Thirds.” It ‘dictates’ one-third of a diver’s starting volume to begin the dive and reach the ‘destination,’ one-third to swim back to the starting point, and one-third in reserve as contingency gas. It’s a simple rule based on a team diving in an overhead environment: a cave. It works for diving in caves, mines, inside wrecks, or any environment where direct access to the surface is either impossible (because of the overhead) or impractical (such as being a long a swim away from a safe exit point such as a mooring line). It is the go-to solution for