Equipment Advice
Scuba diving equipment can be expensive, such as BCD’s or regulators; so if you don`t dive very often renting may be the most cost-effective option. However, having your own personal equipment you are comfortable in, will improve your diving (buoyancy, air consumption, etc)
Generally speaking, you will always be able to borrow equipment for a specific course; the only exceptions for this could be Drysuits or maybe side-mount harnesses.
Training Advice
PADI is just a dive agency (certification issuer), just like RAID. Our RAID certifications are recognized worldwide, so you will never have a problem diving.
RAID operates as low a carbon footprint as possible, as such they do not encourage the issuing of plastic C-Cards. They use E-Cards (electronic C-Cards), they can be downloaded to your mobile phone of viewed through any browser on your Diveraid.com profile.
Diabetes can cause issues during diving, and you are using energy and need to carefully maintain your sugar levels. For the best advice, refer to your doctor to get approval for scuba diving.
All RAID certifications are recognized worldwide and will allow you to dive with any dive center irrespective of the agency they are affiliated with.
Diving with flu or sinus problems is never advised, it significantly affects your ability to equalize your ears. Equalization problems on the descent are less of an issue, as your likely to abort the dive; what’s more of an issue is if you have a reverse block during ascent. Having to ascend with a reverse block can result in bursting your eardrum!
The use of flu medicine to control the symptoms during diving is also not recommended, as these can often have side effects of drowsiness or can wear off during a dive causing problems.
Travel Advice
Your regulator is an expensive and obviously critical piece of equipment, if possible it is recommended to hand carry it onto flights to avoid damage. If you do not have any hand carry allowance, it can be checked in; but make sure it is well protected. Such as wrapping it in your wetsuit, and placing inside you BCD.
When traveling overseas to dive, especially to destinations you haven`t been before; they will almost certainly ask to see your C-Card and logbook (as proof of training and experience). However, if you are trained through RAID all our E-Cards are accessible online (in your diveraid.com profile) or via the app and there is an online dive logbook too. That way you can never forget to pack them, or lose them!
Got a question, not covered here? No problem, drop us a message and we`ll be happy to try and help.