Press Release
Received from: Buddy Dive

Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire Welcomes New Course Director

Buddy Dive

The new course director, Rosie Alvelais Crocker, brings international teaching experience and a strong passion for professional dive training to the island.

Rosie’s journey into scuba diving began far from the ocean. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and raised in El Paso, Texas, she developed an early fascination with marine life during family beach trips. 

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Shoot Down This Myth

A routine dive trip ended in tragedy for a newly certified, inexperienced diver. The novice did not die from illness or extreme conditions, but from a series of preventable oversights, misplaced assurances and long-standing assumptions about what beginners can safely manage. Simon Pridmore debunks these myths and offers practical advice on how to avoid such casual negligence.

Words:
Simon Pridmore
Images:
Simon Pridmore
➥ Download the full article as pdf ⬅︎
Op'eds and commentaries

I have chosen to dedicate a column to this story, not because it is particularly dramatic, but because it is so mundane. A diver died, not through illness or because they did something wrong, and not as the result of a freak weather event, but simply due to a sequence of instances of casual negligence and the perpetuation of a myth about what new divers are qualified to do that needs to be debunked.

Press Release
Received from: NAUI

NAUI Launches Automated DAN Student Membership Program

NAUI

The National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) is proud to announce a groundbreaking advancement in diver safety: the launch of the DAN Student Membership Program automation, an initiative that streamlines the process of protecting student divers through free, automatic access to DAN Student Dive Accident Insurance.

Press Release
Received from: Buddy Dive

Buddy Dive Resort Academy IDC Program

Buddy Dive

Buddy Dive Resort, one of Bonaire's premier diving destinations, continues to offer its IDC, a comprehensive and internationally recognized program that trains aspiring scuba instructors to the highest professional standards. Held year-round in the idyllic setting of Bonaire, the IDC at Buddy Dive has become the go-to course for divers looking to advance their careers and gain PADI Instructor certification.

Are you an aspiring diver looking to go professional? Buddy Dive academy offers the chance and resources for you to become an instructor.

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Converted! Jacket to Wing BCD

What are the pros and cons of using a wing BCD system compared to a jacket-style BCD? Simon Pridmore and one of his readers share their views, experience and insights to help you decide which one is best for you.

Words:
Simon Pridmore
Images:
Andrey Bizyukin
➥ Download the full article as pdf ⬅︎
Tech and Training

I write frequently about the merits of harness and wing BCD systems, not because I want to persuade all divers to use them, but because most people learn to dive using jacket-style BCDs, and I want to let divers—especially new divers—know that there are other options, so they are fully informed before they choose what to buy.

Press Release
Received from: NITDS

NAUI Worldwide Announces 2025 NAUI International Technical Diving Summit

NAUI

NAUI Worldwide is proud to extend a global invitation to the international diving community for the 2025 NAUI International Technical Diving Summit (NITDS), hosted by NAUI Affiliate North Florida Cave Training, taking place Friday, October 31 through Thursday, November 6, 2025, in Fort White, Florida.

Discover Florida Cave Diving

For divers worldwide, Florida is more than just shore and boat dives; it’s also home to some of the most legendary freshwater cave systems on the planet.

Controlled Ascent, Hidden Risk

CESA training under scrutiny as study reveals potential for silent lung stress 

Tech and Training

Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascents (CESA) are a fundamental component of diver training, simulating ascent without a gas supply. Now, a new study led by Olivier Castagna and colleagues at the French Military Diving School has raised questions about whether this vital drill might be more taxing on the lungs than previously assumed.

X-RAY MAGAZINE FEATURE

Learning To Dive Back in the Day

Scuba training has come a long way since its early days. Simon Pridmore takes an entertaining look back at what was required of students just a few decades ago.

Words:
Simon Pridmore
Images:
Simon Pridmore
➥ Download the full article as pdf ⬅︎
Tech and Training

A friend of mine recently sent me a copy of the diving logbook he used when he did his first diver training with what was then the Malayan Sub Aqua Club. As my friend guessed, this is the same logbook I was given when I signed up for my first dive course. My original logbook is long gone, and seeing this brought back a flood of long-lost memories. I thought you might be entertained by a quick rundown of what we had to go through and the skills we needed to master to become sport divers in those days.

Let’s first turn back the clock to 1981…

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