UnafRAID

UnafRAID
The official RAID Member Newsletter
RAID International
1st Edition



Welcome ..............................................................4
Getting Started..................................................................................................................4
NEW Training Program Releases .......................4
RAID DECO 40 AND 50 COURSE RELEASE.................................................................4 Deco 40 Diver ...................................................................................................................5 Deco 40 Instructor............................................................................................................6 Deco 40 Instructor Trainer...............................................................................................7 Deco 50 Diver....................................................................................................................7 Deco 50 Instructor............................................................................................................8 Deco 50 Instructor Trainer ..............................................................................................8 NEW - RAID Instructor Trainer Ratings.........................................................................8 Tech CCR ..........................................................................................................................9 RAID Core Rebreather Knowledge Course......................................................................9 RAID JJ-CCR Tech CCR Diver .......................................................................................12 RAID Hollis Prism 2 Tech CCR Diver ............................................................................13
Training Department Updates ..........................14
Conducting The RAID IE................................................................................................14 Technical Training Standards.........................................................................................16
Information Technology News ..........................16
News ................................................................................................................................16 RAID Regional Office Communication Forum...............................................................17


Moving Forward.................................................19
HQ Project Management ................................................................................................19 GLOBAL Marketing .......................................................................................................19
Thanks................................................................21 Chapter Name....................................................22
Chapter Subtitle ..................................................................22
Heading........................................................................................................................... 22
UnafRAID
RAID Member News


Welcome
Welcome to the first official member update. Within the pages of UnafRAID you will find news on new course releases, updates, standards changes and general business updates from RAID HQ.
This edition has a distinctly technical feel with releases for the Deco 40 and 50, Core Rebreather Knowledge, JJ-CCR and Prism 2 programs. So get ready as Quarter one of 2017 has been an incredible time for us at RAID. We have so much to tell you.
Getting Started
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NEW Training Program Releases
RAID DECO 40 AND 50 COURSE RELEASE
RAID is proud to announce the update of the RAID Deco 40 and 50 diver and instructor programs and the launch of the Deco 40 and 50 Instructor Trainer module.
We have taken a new approach to the development of all our new technical manuals where the bulk of the information is contained in the entry level programs, and then as divers progress, they are presented with only the information needed to make that progression. 



Therefore, the Deco 40 and 50 manuals vary only slightly since divers can enter at either the Deco 40 or 50 level, depending upon their experience, certification level and personal desire.




Deco 40 Diver

We decided that not only did the manuals need a revamp in terms of material content but we needed to create a ‘bridge’ program. A bridge between recreational and technical diving. The problem with technical diving is that it has marketed and positioned itself as unattainable for the average diver. Divers are led to believe they must have superhuman strength and mental agility to participate in a technical diving program. Of course, here at RAID we believe this is simply not the case, but believing and acting are two totally different things.
When RAID released the Deep 40 program it was unique in the market place. There are many 40m courses available, but the RAID Deep 40 course introduces divers to trimix as a deep gas, and divers are introduced to techreational equipment and skills.
The Deco 40 program is aimed squarely at the recreational market and not at the technical market. The program is ideally completed using modified recreational equipment. Deco 50 Instructors may teach the Deco 40 program using twinsets, and Deco 40 instructors certified as Sidemount Instructors may teach the program in sidemount configuration. The Deco 40 will make an ideal entry level decompression program, but it must be noted that it has been created with the recreational diver in mind.
The Deco 40 program awards divers multiple certifications in one. The program overview is as follows:
• Being aimed directly at the recreational diver, participants may complete the course using traditional recreational equipment. The only proviso is that the BCD or wing needs to have D-Rings capable of attaching a side slung cylinder.
• Divers must fit a 2 metre/7 foot primary regulator hose.
• Dive to a maximum depth of 40 metres / 130 feet.
• Complete a maximum of 10 minutes decompression.
o Whencompletingadecompressiondive,diversmustuseabailoutgas.
o Thisbailoutgasmustbesafetobreatheatthemaximumoperatingdepthofthedecompressiondive. o Ifthisgasisdifferentfromtheprimarybreathinggas,diversmustuseamulti-gasswitchcomputer.
• Certify to use up to 100% oxygen to extend their no decompression dive times by using multi-level gas switch dive procedures.
• Bottom or back gas maximum PO2 is 1.4 and 1.6 (1.4 to 1.5 recommended) for extended no stop diving.
• When divers are switching gases, they must use a multi-gas switch computer.
• Divers certify to use air, nitrox, oxygen and there is a trimix option with a maximum END/EAD of maximum 30 metres/100 foot.
• There are 6 manuals and quizzes. o Equipment
o Physics


o Physiology
o Management
o ConfinedWater o OpenWater
• There is a confined water skill session and 5 open water dives. o ThesedivesmaycredittowardstheDeco50program
In addition to RAID wanting to design the ultimate recreational diver program, we were also challenged to design a course that fulfilled rebreather manufacturers’ entry requirements for the NEW Tech Rebreather programs that will be released this week. More on that later.
All the manuals, quizzes, skills and quality assurance have been updated to follow new equipment designs and new training and diving ideologies.
PLEASE NOTE: THE DECO 40 PROGRAM IS NOT AN ACCELERATED DECOMPRESSION PROGRAM AND IT IS STRICTLY AGAINST STANDARDS TO TEACH ACCELERATED DECO AT THIS LEVEL. PLEASE ADVISE YOUR INSTRUCTORS AND TRAINERS AS THEY MAY BE VIOLATING TRAINING STANDARDS.

Deco 40 Instructor
Since the launch of the open circuit technical programs, only Deco 50 instructors could teach and certify Deco 40 divers, so we have developed and released the New Deco 40 Instructor program.
Divers dedicate huge amounts of time and effort to pursuing their passion only to find that after working through their entry level programs and achieving their Deep 40 and Nitrox ratings, they are still limited to a short dive in the 35 to 40 metre range. Every dive is a decompression dive, so with some added redundancy, why not extend the dive and allow some limited decompression. It seems logical that many keen recreational divers will find the Deco 40 course thrilling, exciting and enticing. Deco 40 will be the pinnacle of the recreational diver ladder.
With this in mind, RAID envisages a future where most, if not all active divers, instructors and trainers will be qualified at the Deco 40 level.
Certified Open Circuit Instructors can participate in the Deco 40 Diver program and with a small amount of experience, can sign up to become a Deco 40 Instructor.





Deco 40 Instructor Trainer
Since there will be a large demand for the Deco 40 diver and instructor programs, RAID has decided to implement Instructor Trainer ratings with specialised training across the board.** Certified RAID Instructor Trainers must follow the instructor pathway, and then after teaching several diver level programs, may enter a Deco 40 IT program. RAID Deco 40 IT programs will be run by HQ at regular intervals globally. Existing RAID Deco 50 Instructor Trainers will auto qualify for Deco 40 IT, but they must complete the Deco 40 Instructor quizzes and exams and view the RAID General Diving Standards.


Deco 50 Diver
The RAID Deco 50 program, although cutting edge when it was written, needed some modernisation. Because of changing equipment technology and new techniques in diving, we needed to address the whole program. 

The new manuals are consistent with the theme established across all other RAID manuals.
Deco 50 has been written with the new technical diver in mind. This means that divers wanting to participate in technical open circuit programs and who are certified in Deep 40, Master Rescue and Nitrox may bypass the Deco 40 program.
We have reduced the number of manuals, and the quizzes and exams have been updated. The skill set has been modified with emphasis on managing skill mastery while neutrally buoyant. The skills themselves have been updated as well with desire being that RAID divers will use a similar equipment configuration and perform the skills in a similar fashion. The manual also caters to the sidemount diver wanting to do the Deco 50 program.
The program overview is as follows:
• Dive to a maximum depth of 50 metres / 165 feet.
• Complete a maximum of 30 minutes accelerated decompression.
o Diversmayonlyutiliseasingledecompressiongas
o Diversmayuseupto100%oxygenforaccelerateddecompression. o Diversmustuseamulti-gasswitchcomputer.
• Certify to use air, nitrox, oxygen and there is a trimix option with a maximum END/EAD of maximum 30 metres/100 foot.
• Bottom or back gas maximum PO2 is 1.4 and 1.6 for accelerated decompression.
• There are 6 manuals and quizzes.


o Equipment
o Physics
o Physiology
o Management
o ConfinedWater o OpenWater
• There is a confined water skill session and 8 open water dives. Deco 50 Instructor
Certified Open Circuit Instructors can participate in the Deco 50 Diver program and once experience is gained, can sign up to become a Deco 50 Instructor. Much like the diver level, Instructors and Trainers may bypass the Deco 40 level and jump straight into Deco 50.
Deco 50 Instructor Trainer
Much like the Deco 40 program, we have added a new Deco 50 IT rating. ** 

Certified RAID Instructor Trainers must follow the instructor pathway, and then after teaching several diver level programs, may enter a Deco 40 IT program. RAID Deco 50 IT programs will be run by HQ at regular intervals globally.
*All the standards for Deco 40 and 50 Diver, Instructor and Instructor Trainer can be found in the Q2 version of the RAID General Diving Standards.



NEW - RAID Instructor Trainer Ratings


**Existing Instructors and Trainers wo already hold this rating will need to notify their local RRO or RAID HQ so that we can help them officially receive this rating. Since they are already certified at this level, we will open the materials for free. The same will apply to any New IT rating. Please ask your RRO or RAID HQ for assistance if there is any confusion. Cross over Instructors and Trainers will need to participate in a program, purchase materials and provide proof of equivalency to RAID HQ.


Tech CCR
At RAID, we have the most comprehensive range of recreational rebreather programs. Everything from open water to instructor trainer. However, most rebreather training is actually in the technical arena. With input from most of the major manufacturers we have developed a new pathway at RAID for experienced divers wishing to use technical rebreathers with all the features enabled.



With this in mind we have developed the Core Rebreather Knowledge Course and the new Tech CCR courses. We begin the release of this technical pathway with the JJ-CCR and Hollis Prism 2 rebreathers. Over the coming months, we will add to this list and we will be bringing some new rebreathers into the RAID rebreather menu.


RAID Core Rebreather Knowledge Course


Rebreather diving is becoming ever more popular and the need for a rebreather manual that delves deep into the workings of these units has never been more important.



At RAID we love rebreathers, we teach them, we dive them and we explore on them. We are fascinated with their design and how to get the best out of these incredible machines.

We are also committed to increasing the use of rebreathers and at the same time increasing their safety. We believe that training is at the heart of all safe rebreather diving and we are committed to bringing to our divers the latest, most current rebreather information.



This course is designed to present rebreather divers, both technical and recreational, with an advanced level of information.



The manuals are generic and not specific to one unit or even to one style of rebreather.

Within these pages you will find information on rebreather design, use, components and so much more.
We are seeing an increase in divers wanting to enter the technical arena using rebreathers, so we have
created a whole new pathway. Currently, divers purchase a Specialty CCR course (Poseidon, Inspiration...) and combine it with a core level (1,2,3...). This is fantastic for recreational rebreathers but since most technical CCR manufacturers have raised the entry level certification and experience prerequisites, we needed to design a new pathway to embrace their standards. You will see within this press release, releases for JJ-


CCR and the Hollis Prism 2 rebreathers. These programs have quite a high level of experience needed to enter the program, but they also yield a high-level certification. The NEW “Tech CCR” programs are no decompression programs that certify divers to dive to 40 metres / 130 feet using air as a diluent.
When participating in a technical entry level Tech CCR program with RAID, the Core Rebreather Knowledge manuals will automatically download with the rebreather program that has been selected. Divers completing an entry level program will be required to complete the quizzes and exam associated with the Core manuals before participating in any in water training.


RAID's intelligent online system will issue a participation completion e-card once the program has been completed. The RAID Instructor teaching the program is required to confirm this program has been completed and understood.



The beauty of creating these manuals is that they can also be purchased as a stand-alone. They are perfect for anyone wanting more rebreather knowledge, someone interested in rebreathers, a diver participating in entry level rebreather training or someone participating in advanced level rebreather diving like trimix or cave or wreck. They are perfect for all rebreather divers from any agency!!



There are 5 manuals within the module are:

Diving in General

Equipment

Physics and Physiology

Management

Rebreather Incident and Rescue



The 'Diving in General' manual provides a general overview of the terms and mnemonics used when rebreather diving.

The manual also discusses the increased responsibilities of rebreather diving.
 Topics include:

Abbreviations

Mnemonics

Responsibility

New skills and behaviours

Acknowledge and manage increased risk



The 'Equipment' manual provides a detailed overview of rebreathers equipment, design and use.





In this manual, the different styles and types of rebreathers are discussed. Everything from O2 rebreathers to eCCR units.


In addition to this the details regarding how a rebreather functions and performs is broken into easy to understand topics.



The 'Physics and Physiology' manual provides a detailed overview of the physical and physiological factors that influence rebreather diving.
 Topics include:

The laws relating to diving - Dalton, Boyle and Henry

Respiratory physiology

Hazards

The Three H's - Hypoxia, Hypercapnia and Hypoxia 

Gas narcosis

Argon

Decompression sickness

Decompression illness



The 'Rebreather Incident and Rescue' manual provides a detailed overview of the risks associated with rebreather diving, how to avoid them and suggestions for responding in the event of an emergency.

Topics include:

Increased incident & accident potential

Incident & accident response

Preservation of evidence

Rebreather caustic chemical burns

Oxygen administration



The 'Management' manual provides a detailed overview of all the steps needed to safely execute a rebreather dive.

Topics include:

Planning and preparation

The dive

Post dive

Transportation



We believe the RAID Core Rebreather Knowledge manuals are the very best rebreather information manuals on the market today.


RAID JJ-CCR Tech CCR Diver
It is with great excitement that we announce the launch of the RAID TECH REBREATHER JJ-CCR Diver and Instructor programs.
The RAID TECH REBREATHER JJ-CCR program heralds a new beginning at RAID as we launch our new technical rebreather only pathway.
In combination with the team at JJ-CCR, RAID has designed bespoke, specific manuals for the JJ-CCR. This is a relatively unique approach in the diving industry since few agencies offer manuals dedicated to specific rebreather models.
The JJ-CCR program contains 2 manuals which, when combined with the Core Rebreather Knowledge manuals, deliver all the academic information needed to safely dive the JJ-CCR rebreather.
The JJ-CCR is billed as the 4x4 of rebreather and the RAID TECH JJ-CCR REBREATHER program is just as robust.
The JJ is ready to fly right out of the box, user friendly, robust, versatile and adaptable in numerous configurations depending on the divers’ needs. It has industry low work of breathing, state of the art electronics with redundant power supply, a user-friendly design and heavy duty construction. A slim, robust and simple construction allows the diver to easily place bailout, light canister or gas for buoyancy needs directly on the scrubber housing.
To become a JJ-CCR diver, participants simply purchase the online program and complete all quizzes and exams, then download the latest version of the JJ-CCR user manual from the JJ-CCR website. Then select a certified RAID JJ-CCR Instructor and begin training. 



The PREREQUISITES for beginning JJ-CCR training with RAID are:

Minimum age of 18 years

Certified Master Rescue Diver or equivalent

The minimum certification level is RAID Deco 40 (Advanced Nitrox) or equivalent, with 50 logged dives.



Divers already certified as rebreather divers may participate in the JJ-CCR Cross Over Diver program only as they are already proficient in rebreather diving and only need specific knowledge, skills and time on the JJ-CCR.
Once certified, divers will be capable of diving to 40 metres/130 feet using air diluent. This program is not a decompression course however the CCR Deco 40 program may be bolted on if the participant meets the prerequisites.
To increase safety, Instructors and Instructor Trainers will need to seek permission from both RAID and JJ-CCR to become a JJ Instructor or Trainer. Once approved they will need to complete a training program with an approved RAID JJ-CCR Instructor Trainer.


RAID Hollis Prism 2 Tech CCR Diver
It is with great excitement that we announce the launch of the RAID TECH REBREATHER Hollis Prism 2 Diver and Instructor programs.
In combination with the team at Hollis, RAID has designed bespoke, specific manuals for the JJ-CCR. This is a relatively unique approach in the diving industry since few agencies offer manuals dedicated to specific rebreather models.
The Prism 2 is a fully closed circuit Rebreather, ideal for exploring open ocean, cave, or wrecks. This unit can be electronically or manually controlled which means you choose how you want the loop PO2 maintained.



The HOLLIS PRISM 2 program contains 3 manuals which, when combined with the 5 Generic Rebreather Diver manuals, deliver all the academic information you will need to safely dive your rebreather.
To become a Prism 2 diver, participants simply purchase the online program and complete all quizzes and exams, then download the latest version of the Prism 2 user manual from the Hollis website. Then select a certified RAID Prism Instructor and begin training.


The PREREQUISITES for beginning Prism 2 training with RAID are:

Minimum age of 18 years.

Certified Master Rescue Diver or equivalent.

The minimum certification level is RAID Deco 40 or equivalent, with 50 logged dives.



Divers already certified as rebreather divers may participate in the Prism 2 (Cross Over) Diver program only as they are already proficient in rebreather diving and only need specific knowledge, skills and time on the Prism.
Once certified, divers will be capable of diving to 40 metres/130 feet using air diluent. This program is not a decompression course however the CCR Deco 40 program may be bolted on if the participant meets the prerequisites.
To increase safety, Instructors and Instructor Trainers will need to seek permission from both RAID and Hollis to become a Prism 2 Instructor or Trainer. Once approved they will


need to complete a training program with an approved RAID Prism 2 Instructor Trainer.
Training Department Updates
Conducting The RAID IE
It has come to our attention that the RAID Instructor Examination, is being conducted slightly differently around the world. While this has not been, a major issue considering the size of RAID, we are maturing fast and are conducting numerous IEs around the globe. In the interest of global consistency and to fall in line with RSTC and ISO Standards, all RAID Examiners need to follow the format below when conducting an IE. This update is with immediate effect and the IE guidelines will be published in the RAID General Training Standards document.
The IE is conducted as follows:
• Opening welcome conducted by RAID Examiner
• Presentations are assigned – Class, Confined and Open water and Rescue
Module 1 - Class Presentation
• The examiner should select a section or objective from a core level program or assign a missed quiz question.
• Examiner should take the time to overview the material that will be presented as information on various topics can be found in many
different core level programs.
• One make up allowed

Module 2 - Pool/Confined Water
• The Examiner should select skills from a core level program
• The Examiner should take the time to overview the objectives that will be presented as information on various topics can be found in
many different core level programs
• 2 skills are assigned but must be presented as two individual skills
• one failed skill make up is allowed

Module 3 - Open water presentation
• Examiner should select skills from a core level program


• Examiner should take the time to overview the objectives that will be presented as information on various topics can be found in many different core level programs
• 2 skill combined into one presentation
• No make-up allowed

Module 4 - Rescue in open water – mouth to mouth or pocket mask
• Since the rescue presentation must be in real time, the instructor candidate cannot do a true rescue demonstration. The candidate must balance completing a rescue while making it appear easy with smooth execution of the required steps. Certain steps can be voiced by the candidate to aid in balancing demonstration with real time. Examples are when the candidate voices steps like “Establishing positive buoyancy, removing weight belt, removing divers’ mask, removing rescuers mask.......”
• The full skill is defined as “Unconscious diver underwater”.
• Steps for a successful rescue demonstration
o Approach
o Controlledlift
o Regulatormustbesecuredinthevictimsmouth
o Buoyancycontrolled
o Establishbuoyancyonsurfaceforbothvictimandrescuer
o WeightsMUSTberemoved
o Callforhelp
o Removemasks
o Removeregulator
o Look,listenandfeel
o LASTCHANCETOCALLFORHELP
o Tworescuebreaths
o Onebreathevery5seconds
o Theairwaymustbeprotectedduringtheentireexercise.Breathsmustbesimulated.Rescuerblowsclosetothemouthonthesideof
their hand or pocket mask
o Theevaluatorshouldtimethesebreathsandallowsomelatitude.Breathsmustbedeliveredinthe3to7secondrange o De-kitvictimandrescuerwhileswimming
o Therescuerorvictimcanbede-kittedfirstorlast.

Note: Considering local logistics, the IE Modules (1 to 4) may be completed in any order


Note: The RAID IE is a modular program. In the event a candidate should fail a module or modules, they can re-sit only the sections they have failed. This of course may be chargeable.
Considering this, the candidate should be encouraged to complete all sections even if they fail one section.
Note: Instructor Trainers may attend the opening and closing ceremony of the IE, but may not be present during ANY evaluation phase.
 

Technical Training Standards
In the pursuit of simplicity, we have started migrating training standards from the diver, instructor and trainer manuals into the RAID General Diving Standards document. Rather than having to reference several documents, we believe that our members should be able to reference one document for standards relating to programs being conducted.



The philosophy behind this move is that the RGDS will contain all ratios, depths, prerequisites etc., and the manuals will have information pertinent to running the program. This will entail dive details, skill, descriptions, planning and logistics.
The planned release for all new training standards is April 1st 2017.
 

Note: Standards in the RGDS supersede all standards within the training manuals with immediate effect.
Information Technology News
News
The Course Report in the Distributor Login is still under development and will be finished soon. The changes will be as already mentioned and we have now divided the sections further so it will be easier to identify the various speciality courses in groups.
The RAID Learning Management System LMS was developed in ASP.classic which at the time was the latest and greatest, today this code is old. In the last few years we have extended the capacity of the code to the limits, pushing us to the point where we are today when we now must up- grade to ASP.net.


What does this mean? The engine that drives the code is ASP.classic (old) and ASP.net (new) and like anything there are technological advances that make the two worlds apart today. The advantages for ASP.net are too many to explain now in this newsletter, but there are many, to be assured.
For us to upgrade to ASP.net other than the financial expense, will take us some months to complete and during this time there will be no further upgrades or changes to the existing code. In view of this we ask each of you to please list, if you have, what you believe is essential to be done before we start with the upgrade. It must be something which is a ‘show stopper’ for your region.
Please note however, that many of the items which we know about such as but not limited to Reports etc. will be far easier to produce once we have upgraded to ASP.net along with other projects we have planned.
Please e-mail [email protected] with your “Show Stopper” if you have.
Course sign off and E-cards: With the fantastic development of the RAIDaptive course we will be offering the dive centre at the time of sign off the opportunity to choose the appropriate certification E-card Level that matches the qualification which the diver has met. The diver will complete the one course online and dependent on the skills that diver was able to reach will determine the E-card that will be presented.
To begin with this will be quite simple as choosing a relevant E-card and the sign off certification will subject to the level on the E-card for the RAIDaptive programme only.
In the future with ASP.net code we intend to extend this with more features into our other courses such as OW diver and Scuba Diver for example.
RAID Regional Office Communication Forum
To ensure that all communications between HQ and our partner RROs are received and understood, not only will we email details of updates and releases, but we will be placing major focus on our RRO forum.
We have invited all key staff from all our Raid Regional Offices to register on our new communications forum. If you have not added yourself to the forum, please do so as quickly as possible. We are already seeing huge benefits from this forum.

The forum can be found at rro.diveraid.com. (There is no www. before the forum address.)




The beauty of the forum is that not only can you ask questions, seek answers, source information that is categorised but all unread posts will flag up in a red colour making new information gathering easy.
Please can you register within the next immediately as we are already using the forum heavily. The Facebook RRO page has now been removed. For those who have not registered, please follow these guidelines.
Note: Please use a username where we can easily identify you when you are participating in discussions. For Example, Paul Toomer has chosen Paultoomer13 and not xyz3459B. To change your username is possible but quite difficult and we all have better things to be doing with our valuable time.
The forum has topics set out and we would like your input as to how we increase/decrease and populate these topics.
There is a section on the forum called “How to” which explains briefly how to use the forum and post pictures, videos, etc.
Any queries, please contact the team at HQ and we will make sure it gets answered. It is a standard forum so you should all get on easily with it.

We cannot guarantee immediate responses from RAID HQ, simply due to the workload we are under but we will login to the site regularly and answer any queries. For this reason, we encourage you to help each other since we have a huge database of knowledge between our RROs.
There are some rules to using the page and they are as follows:
• No discussions regarding financial matters.
• No disparaging other members of the forum.
• Arguments and offensive language will not be tolerated.
• RAID HQ reserves the right to delete posts it finds non-productive or that fit into any of the categories above.
RAID HQ would like to thank Bert Wallaert from our RAID Belgian Office for taking the time to set this, much-needed, forum up. 
 

We hope this meets with your approval.


Moving Forward
HQ Project Management
Since we formed our partnership with RAID’s original owner, Barry Coleman, we have managed to show the diving industry what can be accomplished when a group of talented, highly trained, enthusiastic partners can do. There is no way for any of us (Jim, Paul, Barry) to thank you, our staff and Regional Office owners enough, for your constant support and of course the occasional kick up the backside.



As you can see, we have been quietly working away and now have an incredible amount new program and project releases.
When it comes to developing new programs, we are quite simply, the fastest in the diving industry. However, we certainly have no need to be reminded that our release schedule is incredibly poor. There is no point giving excuses, we understand your frustration and we KNOW that you understand ours.



With that said, we have researched several online project management systems, where every aspect of what we do at RAID HQ can be planned, mapped and controlled.



At the beginning of February we started to run test cases using “dapulse” online project management. All the different departments at RAID will work within this system. We have already seen significant time savings and once we have set the program up entirely, we will be able to update you, our partners as to how far a program has been developed, perhaps where we are ‘stuck’ (where you, our partners, may be able to help) and most importantly, program releases dates.



This has got to make you happy.
GLOBAL Marketing
Many of you have asked about ways we can improve Dive RAID’s brand recognition in the market.
Until now, we have concentrated all our efforts on finalizing core training programs and addressing changes to our IT platform. We look forward to sharing some of these massive improvements with you over the next three months.


Our attention now focusses on improving our global recognition and driving new customers to our Dive RAID dealers.
Competitor analysis’ show that PADI now does over 1.2 million certifications a year, translating into 1.2 million PADI card carriers who are continuously pushing the PADI brand onto family and friends.
PADI’s marketing spend remains minimal, as they rely heavily on word-of-mouth marketing and getting dealers to promote the PADI brand in their various regions. The only marketing PADI does is to reinforce the myth that new dive customer numbers will suffer if PADI courses are not offered.
That being said, it is a proven fact that new diver numbers will not decrease if a store switches agencies, meaning customers will stick to the dive stores they have a relationship with.
A key aspect to growing our business and our brand is to find a way to drive customers towards our dealers. Growing the industry and in particular our dealers will give stores a very powerful motivation to join Dive RAID.
So if PADI does not drive customers to their dealers with all their resources, the question remains what can we do to raise our brand profile, generate income for our dealers and ultimately grow our dealer base?
In order for our strategy to work, a great amount of coordinated effort and investment is needed – and professional help.
As a result, we are very pleased to say we have found a very creative, results-driven advertising agency that offers great value for money.
Jointly we have developed a communication strategy that will work towards expanding Dive RAID as a global brand whilst also providing assistance on a regional basis with communication tools to help our dealers.
In the attached document you will find an introduction of our new communication strategy going forward, outlining our new “MASTER THE ELEMENTS” campaign.
Your participation will ensure that we can compete against our much larger competitors, by combining our resources in order to maximize our marketing budget.
With this in mind we would like to propose the following. Each RRO commits to investment as follows: - Large RRO $600 a quarter;
- Medium RRO $400 a quarter;
- Small RRO $250 a quarter.




This will cover global strategic communications, which you can use on a regional level. Based on our current estimate this will cover half of the marketing budget spend.
This level of investment may be questioned by many when compared to current returns, but at Dive RAID we believe that to become the number one brand we need to invest in order to grow.
We cannot make an impact against the big players with a fractured approach and therefore ask that you share in this collectively.
We are very confident in this plan and would like you to commit to just two quarters, and if you feel it's not working you will be free to withdraw. Can you please give us your feedback as soon as possible?
Thanks
Thank you to all our global partners, 2017 is OUR year.
 

Paul, Jim, Barry, Mark, Brendon and Zoe.



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Use the Chapter Name style to clearly label each chapter or section in your book. Chapter names are displayed in the Table of Contents. The Chapter Subtitle style is useful for adding more descriptive information underneath the chapter name.
Heading




Use the Heading style to break each chapter up into unique subsections. In the Table of Contents, headings are indented underneath chapter names with a distinctive look. They make it easy for readers to find and jump to specific content.
Use the Block Quote style for longer quotes. The Block Quote style will indent your text on both sides of the quote. When you’re finished typing the quote, press Return on your keyboard, then choose a different style from the Text pane of the Format inspector.
Subheading
Use the Subheading style to break a Heading style topic into smaller parts. Paragraphs that use the Subheading style aren’t displayed in the Table of Contents.
Tables
Tables look best when you create them in Pages, rather than add them as images. Your readers will be able to enlarge the content and get definitions even in table cells.
Table Style 3
Use the Caption style to describe images, charts, tables, and other visuals in your document.
Table Style 1 Table Style 1
Table Style 2
Table Style 2
Table Style 3