LET THERE BE LIGHT ON YOUR DIVES: SOME THOUGHTS It’s always interesting—and informative—to read the questions new divers ask on popular online dive forums. It’s a constant reminder to those with experience and more than a few dives logged that some of the issues we take for granted can seem like a big deal for a newbie.’One common question that sometimes stumps novice divers concerns dive lights. Here’s our take on that issue.There are a few things associated with dive gear that have gone through a more dramatic sea change than batteries. Battery technology in use today makes what was current a generation ago look Neolithic. This has also affected the design and function of several pieces of equipment, particularly lighting for still or video cameras, as well as casual handheld flashlights/torches used by sport divers.You may be old enough (sorry, experienced enough) to remember underwater li

RAID’S POSITION ON DRYSUIT DIVING… As a matter of fact, we don’t really have one. We do think drysuits can make the difference between a comfortable dive and a rotten one. And we believe that in plenty of cases, but certainly not every case, diving dry is a better way to dive. But RAID doesn’t presume to have a ‘position’ regarding their use. Just like we don’t recommend students or instructors buy a specific brand. Those are decisions we leave to the folks pulling out their wallets and handing over the cash… or credit card. However, investing in a drysuit is a major investment and we want to help you get your money’s worth. So, we do have a handful of suggestions and tips. If you’re interested in those, read on… The majority of casual divers — the industry’s backbone — take one or two dive trips a year and log 20 to 30 dives in tropical or semi-tropical water. A good quality wetsuit worn ove

WITH THE HELP OF OUR OCTOBER SPECIAL, EASILY DONE Underwater video and photography have been radically changed by the march of technology: the action camera moved the goal posts and made the equipment side of the equation much easier to “get into.” Jeff Goodman’s Action Camera Specialty course focuses on the creative side. CLICK ON JEFF’S BOOK COVER TO GO TO THE RAID ACTION CAMERA COURSE

MAKING THAT PESKY PARTIAL PRESSURE FORMULA WORK FOR YOU Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures states that the total pressure of a mixture of non-reacting gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the individual component gases. In plain language, this translates into when we mix gases in a container, such as a scuba cylinder, they mix but their proportions don’t change. Liquids and gases behave the same way when we mix them. Twenty percent gin and 80 percent tonic water make a gin and tonic… and one fifth of it is gin and the rest is tonic. For those of us who studied chemistry and remember any of it, Dalton’s Law can be expressed as: PTotal = Pgas 1 + Pgas 2 + Pgas 3 + …  All this is good to know and was a core knowledge nugget in your nitrox class. And John Dalton’s Law remains an important piece of knowledge for a diver to have tucked away, but more important is being wise to how i

There is something about being part of a team that some people just don’t seem to understand. To everyone at RAID, it includes everyone at RAID… past, present, future.

RAID instructors deliver excellent, skills-based training in recreational, technical, and rebreather programs… and our freediving courses maintain that tradition of excellence. For us, the benefits of breath-hold diving are simply too many to ignore. Freediving is a wonderful activity on its own merits but are also a stand-out way to improve scuba and rebreather diving skills and physical preparations. Look Here >>>