“Is that climb a grade 3 or 4?”
DOES DIVING HAVE A COMPARABLE SCALE TO WHAT ROCK CLIMBERS USE TO GAUGE THE DIFFICULTY OF A CLIMB… The short answer is: ‘Nope!” Followed by a pause and: “Well, not really.” Then there is another pause, pursed lips and a finger pointing skyward: “Hummm, actually, to tell the truth, it’s a long story…” Okay. So, when one thinks about it, there is no short answer. The situation is way more complex and the only answer is a hybrid one. Any climber, or downhill skier, can tell a lot about a rock or ice climb, or a ski run, from the grade it’s given. These grades are published and shared within each respective community freely. For example, a double black diamond
There’s more to this than a cert card
CUSTOMERS WANT MORE THAN THEY ASK FOR… Perhaps not every new customer that walks into a dive store, but most, in fact have a sketchy idea about the certification process. All the nonsense about people wanting “Their ****…” (and accepting it as fact) is poor market research. Actually, it’s not even close to market research, poor or otherwise. Worse, it leads to a missed opportunity. Every sale starts slightly differently, but when someone walks into a dive centre for the first time and asks about learning to dive (or getting their ****) the typical and incorrect response is to say; “yes, we can do that”, followed by something along the lines of “we have an open water class starting next
Accident Analysis: a story of poor judgement and broken promises
A HYPOTHETICAL NEAR MISS THAT HAS A LOT TO TEACH US The difference between going home after a day of diving or being strapped onto a hospital gurney while being prepped for several hours in a recompression chamber, can be the result of an margin of error as thin as a human hair, or a lapse of judgement as wide as the Channel Tunnel. Perhaps related to that, a strange habit of divers, especially technical divers, is to engage in what’s called ‘accident analysis.’ This exercise may appear to be ghoulish to outsiders. An act of morbid voyeurism. But technical diving is a high-risk endeavour, and it’s better to learn from the mistakes of others rather than educating oneself firsthand.
Learning about Twinset diving
RECREATIONAL DIVERS ENJOY THE BENEFITS TOO Diving with two tanks on your back was once part of a sort of right-of-passage for anyone who thought of themself as a budding techdiver. Double tanks (joined by an isolation manifold) where once the exclusive kit configuration for cave and deep wreck divers. But times change and who doesn’t appreciate the extra safety, extra dive time, more stability, and convenience that a twimset can deliver? And with this specialty program, almost anyone can spice up their diving adventures and learn new, valuable skills from the experts. Diving with double tanks, also known as twinset diving was originally a convenient way to increase the breathing gas available to divers for longer dives in either
If you’re going to go sidemount…
YOU’RE BETTER OFF LEARNING FROM THE FOLKS WHO WROTE THE BOOK Trying new things is awesome. Learning new things that expand your horizons and add to your diving knowledge and fun, well that’s a bonus. And, what’s wonderful about diving is the adventure always has something new to offer! For example, have you tried diving sidemount? RAID offers comprehensive training in sidemount… and this simple recreational specialty could add a totally new perspective to your diving… check it out>>> You probably know that originally, moving scuba tanks from a diver’s back to their sides was a cave diver’s trick making it easier for them to wiggle their way through tight, low passages. And it stayed that way until recreational divers
Getting to know what makes RAID tick…
YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS ABOUT US AT THE VERY LEAST If you’ve ever wondered if it’s it just Corporate EGO that makes RAID tell people we’re bringing positive change to the dive industry? Or if The RAID Way™ is just a catchy slogan and nothing more, RAID’s owners… divers just like you… would like you to understand what being a leader with impact and influence means to us. Then, you can decide if we’re a good fit for you. READ OUT MORE ABOUT RAID>>> CONTACT DIVE RAID INTERNATIONAL HQ>>>