A TWO-TANK PROGRAM FROM RAID THAT PUNCHES ABOVE ITS WEIGHT
Let’s talk about RAID’s Nitrox Plus program… and try to answer two questions: what it’s about and where it fits in the RAID curriculum. It’s a relatively new course, and people have been asking those questions… even a few of our pro-members…
So, let’s start with what it’s all about.
The stated purpose of Nitrox Plus, the looking down from the clouds overview, is this: it’s been designed to bridge the gap between advanced recreational diving and technical diving. But there’s more to recommend it than that. It is an exceptionally well-thought-out program, and it does do that bridging job, but it also offers a skillset and a view through the lens of risk management for divers who have zero interest in getting into technical diving… And those are important points to get across.
So, the obvious first point is that Nitrox Plus is a two-tank course. In recreational mode, that second tank’s primary role is “bailout gas” rather than optimized decompression gas. The course allows students to use up to 50 percent nitrox, so breathing it when one gets shallower than 21 metres does have that benefit: it optimises off-gassing on any dive. But rather than the course focusing on heavy decompression diving, Nitrox Plus is designed with different objectives in mind
- Managing a secondary gas supply and the cylinder it’s in
- How to plan for and handle a primary life-support system failure at depth
- Kit management and the effective ways to deal with backup mask, DSMB, etc.
- Safe gas/switching and valve management protocols
- Developing advanced gas sharing skills
- Developing a deeper understanding of PDC contingency settings
There is really nothing in the course that is not useful and informative for a recreational diver looking to develop better skills and a deeper understanding of risk management… and in doing so, becoming more confident in the water.
The course includes confined-water skills development plus at least four open-water dives (with a fifth optional), and practice holding a ten-minute safety stop/contingency deco stop and deploying a DSMB from depth.
Ultimately, Nitrox Plus is a risk-management upgrade for ambitious recreational divers who want the safety net of an independent gas supply and a taste of technical procedures without jumping straight into a heavy-duty technical curriculum.
By keeping the door open on dive below 30 and down to 40 metres, Nitrox Plus addresses a very real gap in the recreational diving continuum. Recreational divers often find themselves in situations where a single cylinder and a standard octo leave zero margin for error. Yet, they aren’t ready to strap on doubles or rebreathers quite yet.
This course, Nitrox Plus, is the answer for many, many reasons.
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL RAID Dive Centre FOR DETAILS…