CHECK OUT RAID‘s INDEPENDENT DIVER PROGRAM Photograph: Lee Smallwood Cassar Since RAID first opened its doors, the agency and its instructor core have promoted diving at every level as a team endeavour. Scuba diving is something done with a buddy. However, the buddy system is based on a each of the team being equals and equal to the task. And all that centers on two or three divers with more of less equal experience, training, and ability. A group of peers each being capable and willing to lend a hand when needed without putting their buddy or themselves at risk And yet we all know that there are plenty of occasions when we may be obliged to dive with a fellow diver who is not a peer. He or she may have less experience, may be counting on us to guide them. When we dive with a youngster, can we really expect them to offer a high-level of support, and get us and themselves safely back to the su

INFORMATION SHEET FOR RROs AND PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS Description: This course teaches certified RAID divers with at least 100 logged dives, three main additional skills so they are competent and confident diving without the guaranteed support of a buddy. These skills are managing a ‘stage’ or bailout bottle; deploying a DSMB; safely and effectively managing several pieces of backup equipment. Public Release date: April 2, 2024 Type of credit needed:                   Diver – Specialty CreditInstructor – Specialty Instructor CreditInstructor Trainer – None needed, see standards Who can teach this course?Active RAID Independent Diver Instructor – information for being certified as an instructor is at the end of the document. INDEPENDENT DIVER (STANDARDS)NOTA BENE: RAID’s Independent Diver course is a recreational no decompression program for open-circuit divers… nothing more. I. Purpose This cou

ONE OF THE MOST FUN RAID SPECIALTIES In many parts of world, the real fun starts when the sun goes down… so, if you dive but never at night, you need to see your diving in a whole new light. Scuba is a thrilling and unique experience; Scuba diving at night is like that but way more so. It’s fantastic! Marine life behaves differently at night. It undergoes a dramatic transformation, and night diving opens up encounters with the most fascinating creatures not typically seen during ‘regular diving hours.’ Many marine animals are nocturnal —octopuses, lobsters, moray eels, and certain types of bony fish — so divers can only witness their active behavior firsthand when the sun has gone for the day. Coral reefs are one environment that is way more active at night. The coral itself wakes up at night, and tonnes of fish venture out of their hiding spots to hunt for prey under the veil of darkness. Th

OPEN WATER FREEDIVER + FOUNDATION FREEDIVER It starts here with a solid basic course in the art and challenge of freediving. There are many incredible aspects to freediving. One of the most amazing things is the feeling of freedom and connection to the underwater world that comes with diving without the constraints of scuba or rebreather equipment. Freedivers often describe a sense of tranquility and oneness with the ocean that is truly unique. Additionally, the challenge of pushing personal limits, the focus required to hold your breath and dive deeper, and the opportunity to observe marine life up close in their natural habitat all contribute to the allure of freediving. It’s a beautiful and immersive experience that can be both meditative and exhilarating. Learning to freedive also offers several benefits to scuba divers, complementing their underwater experience in various ways: Improved

BUT ITS JOB IS KEEPING DIVERS SAFE When it’s time to fill cylinders to go diving, Nitrox is king. Oxygen Enriched Air, nitrox, EANx, whatever we want to call it, is totally mainstream and the default diving gas for SCUBA divers around the globe. Odd to think that when first introduced the established training agencies (the biggest ones), campaigned against nitrox suggesting it was way too complicated for the average diver. Promoting its use, they said, would result in dead divers stacked like cordwood at the water’s edge. WRONG! Luckily, folks like Dick Rutkowski (then the Deputy Diving Officer at NOAA), and newly formed “technical” training agencies kept pushing it as a great alternative to compressed air, and after a lot of heavy breathing (forgive the pun)… well, here we are. Nitrox is quite normal and standard fare, and certainly not technical at all. Some divers even opt to use it during

RAID MAKES BREATHING THE GOOD STUFF EASY More bottom time very quickly adds up to more fun, so what’s stopping you from making it happen for you? We know that nitrox is not available to divers in some spots around the world, but if it is available locally (and certainly when you travel to go diving), you really must add it to your diving toolbax. Diving with nitrox (enriched air) instead of compressed air offers a tonne of benefits that make it well worth earning a certification. And we make certifying through RAID easy and fun. Your first step is to read more about it at our FREe-Learning storefront. Then choose a RAID Dive Centre and start breathing the good stuff. You will not regret it. Just a reminder of some of the most obvious benefits of Nitrox. Extended Bottom Time: Nitrox has a higher oxygen content than compressed air, which can allow for longer no-decompression limits compared to