PADI Member Blog - Nordic Region

2012-02-17T09:21:00.002+01:00

PADI is running a series of two-day seminars early in 2012, designed and written specifically to assist our centers re-focus their businesses, and re-engage their staff where necessary, toward achieving greater success and a real competitive edge. With welcome support from some of our forward-thinking Industry colleagues in the manufacturing sector, we are aiming to help you grasp some important tools any business will need for transforming and advancing your business in 2012.

Through eight hands-on workshops, you'll explore the latest business techniques and walk away from the two-day program armed with tools to implement strategies most valuable to your business. And these events are intended as far more than simplistic " how to" seminars; each module has been written specifically to allow maximum time for networking and discussion, and attendee numbers at each event are also limited for the same reason. As well as exploring key ideas, center owners, managers and staff will distil the key points and actions they will need to take away with them - including specific milestones to ensure their path to achievement can be followed once the seminars are over. Following the completion of Business Academy, PADI Staff will also follow-up throughout the year to help attendees reach the business goals they chose during the program.

Remember, some key manufacturers are also sponsoring a Business Academy tuition credit for their dealers, so if you're an authorized dealer for forward-thinking sponsors Aqua Lung, Mares, Oceanic or SCUBAPRO, you and your staff will each receive €500 Euro* credit toward PADI Business Academy - so you could be benefiting from this program for just €250 Euro* each including this Show Offer (€100 reduction). To take advantage of this initiative and boost your success in 2012, please complete the registration form before the 5.2.2012 and return it to PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa, Oberwilerstrasse 3, CH-8442 Hettlingen, Switzerland, Fax +41 52 304 14 99, eMail: prra.emea@padi.com.

Here you'll find detailed information about the various workshops and a schedule of events. The PADI Business Academy program is filling up quickly, as a matter of fact, both the Rancho Santa Margarita, California and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida programs are already oversubscribed, and there are limited places left for the UK event. So don't delay - contact your PADI Regional Manager or complete the registration form to enroll in the PADI Business Academy program and prepare to transform your business for success in 2012.

Warm regards,

Simon R. Chance
Executive, PADI Resort and Retailer Associations
PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa

* Plus VAT, where applicable

PADI Member Forum Vildmarksmässan, Stockholm

2012-02-16T16:11:00.001+01:00

Please go to "Undanlagda biljett kassan" at the main entrance, show your PADI Card.

Stockholm, Sweden — Vildmarksmässan
•Sunday, 11.03.2012, 13.00 — 16.00h
•Venue: Stockholmsmässan, Älvsjö, Room, K24

PADI Nordic Industry awards 2011.

2012-02-16T15:40:00.000+01:00

Background:Since 2005 PADI Nordic recognize a few certain PADI dive centers or/and members with”Excellent achievements award”.
To achieve this prestigious award all of the Dive centers and PADI members did something extra or exceptional, in or for the Nordic diving industry.

For more information, contact:Mikael Mox Moberg, Regional Manager PADI EMEA.mikael.moberg@padi.com

2011 Awards are given to:Individual Members.

Denmark
Kjell Evensen, PADI Course Director #501402.
For long time determination and a consistent work towards better trained divers.

Finland
Antti Nissinen, PADI IDC Staff Instructor #75815.
For determination and a good job with excellent results in 2011.

Norway
Christine Hopland, PADI Master Instructor #505228
A role model for many Instructors and PADI Members.

Sweden
Mikaela Sjölin, PADI Course Director #73506
With a high degree of energy and enthusiasm increased the customer base.

Finland
Tiina Puhakainen, PADI Open Water Instructor #506892
Always deliver new and fantastic results.

Sweden
PADI Dive Center, H2O Lund, PADI 5 Star IDC, TecRec Center #31121
An excellent example of how Goal setting and Staff involvement can do for the result.

PADI eLearning in Nordic area.

2012-02-16T11:44:00.000+01:00

2011 and earlier.
Since January 1st 2012 former PADI Nordic activities is a part of PADI EMEA Ltd and the PADI Nordic AB company is to close as a formal Swedish company during 2012.

Kick back on eLearning.To receive your accumulated eLearning kick back money on eLearning registered before December 31st 2011, please contact PADI Nordic office in order for you to produce a proper invoice on the outstanding amount of your eLearning money.

Kontakt:
Berit Henriksson or Marie Daun.
PADI Nordic ABGullbergs Strandgata 36E
SE-411 04 GöteborgSweden

marie.daun@padi.seMarie Daun +46 31 80 88 41

berit.henriksson@padi.seBerit Henriksson +46 31 80 88 45

For PADI eLearning after December 31st 2011.NEW- PADI eLearning and PayPal®PADI has simplified the reimbursement for eLearning. No long waiting periods. Hence,the payout over the online transaction process PayPal® is recommended.
The reimbursement using PayPal® takes effect as from the 07 July 2010.
Advantages PayPal®:• With the PayPal® account, you receive your money from PADI America within7 working days after eLearning signup or Gift Pass redemption
• Quick and safe online-payment process
• No more invoicing to PADI
• The payment is carried out in USD. An added feature, you can keep your creditand select a favourable exchange rate for your pay out. This feature is availablewhen viewing his PayPal® account.

Important:To receive payments via a PayPal® account, it is imperative to select a premier orbusiness account, a basic personal account does not suffice. To receive or makepayments a service charge is due, these can be viewed at www.paypal.com and areto be carried by the member.

Follow these simple steps:

• Set up your PayPal® account www.paypal.com. Member can choose countryand language and is directed through the registering process. Set up a premieror business account, or upgrade your personal account to premier.

• On the PADI eLearning Access Zone on the PADI ProSitewww.padimembers.com please enter your e-Mail PayPal account address

• Under the option My Account you also have the opportunity to insert yourPaypal e-Mail address.

• As soon as a PADI eLearner registers and selects the dive center, the paymentprocess will automatically be generated. The Member does not have to notifyPADI separately and does not have to send an invoice either.

We hope that this has made PADI eLearning more attractive!

PADI EMEA Contacts

2012-02-16T11:41:00.000+01:00

Please find the following useful information:

• Payment of EMEA invoices, dated after January 1, 2012.Please use the following bank details:
Barclays Bank
IBAN: GB40BARC20134262034866SWIFT: BARCGB22

If you need a copy of an invoice or have other questions about payments or invoices, please contact suzie.peters@padi.com. Phone +44 117 300 7301
If you have a question about products, orders, deliveries or wants to place an order, please contact fredrik.waldegren@padi.com. Office phone number: +44 117 300 7320 or Mobile phone: +44 7866 976 571 or Skype at Fredrick_padi.Fredrik speaks Swedish.

Other sales reps that you can contact are:
tracey.lansdale@padi.com
barry.fudge@padi.com or
sales.emea@padi.com

Phone number to the switch board: +44 117 300 7234.
Problems with PIC Online or logging in to the Pro site, please contact: eva.stevenson@padi.com. Phone: +44 117 300 7281 (Eva speaks Swedish) or customerservices.emea@padi.com.

eLearning
1) Customers with an account (30 days net): The commission will be paid to your account with PADI EMEA, you will be able to see this on your monthly statements, as a credit on the top of the page.
2) Customers with Direct Payment (credit card): The same procedure as above, except you will not receive monthly statements. You can ask the sales rep when you place an order, to deduct any eLearning commission, you currently might have, from the amount you should pay to settle your order.

If you need documentation of what e-learning commission you are receiving, please contact simon.philips@padi.com, he can then send you an email every time he pays your commission to your account.You can also register a Pay-Pal account to have the commission being paid out this way, please contact Alicia.escalante@padi.com to let her know your Name, PADI number and Pay-Pal account, and you will have your commission straight to your account and not being sent via Emea.

Questions about renewal for 2012, please contact renewal@padi.com.
Please note that if you are not renewed after January 31, you will not be able to access the Pro site or use PICs online.

Business with PADI NordicPlease pay any unpaid invoices (dated in 2011), to PADI Nordic a.s.a.p. All unpaid invoices will shortly be handed over to Intrum Justitia for collection. This will cause added costs as well as extra charge of interest.
If you have any e-learning commission earned before Dec 31, 2011. Please make sure to invoice the amount to PADI Nordic a.s.a.p or you might risk losing the commission.

DC seeking partner

2012-01-02T16:58:00.002+01:00

Amager Dykkercenter søger en eller flere partnere
Amager Dykkercenter skal blive bedre til at servicere og udbyde et bredre kursus, og rejseprogram.
Derfor søger jeg en eller flere partnere til at hjælpe mig med at drive et dykkercenter i vækst.
Amager Dykkercenter ligger tæt på Kastrup havn og uddanner ca. 200 elever om året. Går du rundt med lysten til at være med til at gøre en forskel, og har overskud i hverdagen til at hjælpe med at drive et dykkercenter, så har du/i chancen her.
Amager Dykkercenters primære opgaver er:
Kurser, dykkerture både som hverdags ture, og weekend ture. Dykkerrejser til Egypten
Amager Dykkercenter består af et stort teori lokale, grejrum med ca.15 komplette sæt, med kompressor, samt egen stor lækker dykkerbåd.
Kontakt venligst Amager Dykkercenter for yderligere info. På mail eller tlf.
venlig hilsen/kind regards
Michael Kahr
Amager Dykkercenter
Saltværksvej 12
2770 kastrup
tlf. 40 58 09 05 mail: info@amagerdykkercenter.dk

PADI Member Forums at the Nordic shows

2011-12-30T10:52:00.001+01:00

What’s new at PADI — what has changed?

Get first-hand information on standard changes, new products and programs, the last risk management news and also local insights. At our Member Forums you get the latest updates and have the chance to exchange ideas with other PADI members and PADI staff.

Please note the dates of these events for 2012. Exclusive for PADI Members.

Copenhagen Ferie — Bella Sky Hotel
•Sunday, 22.01.2012, 14.00 — 17.00h
•Venue: Room 173

Helsinki, Finland — Vene Bat
•Saturday, 11.02.2012, 13.00 — 15.00h
•Venue: Helsingin Messukeskus, Ballroom 2

Stockholm, Sweden — Vildmarksmässan
•Sunday, 11.03.2012, 13.00 — 16.00h
•Venue: Stockholmsmässan, Älvsjö, Room, K24

Vrak Foto Seminarium 2011-11-19

2011-11-17T12:40:00.001+01:00

INBJUDAN
Vrakfotoseminarium lördag 2011-11-19
Föreningen P2-Svenskt Vrakskydd och det marinarkeologiska forskningsinstitutet MARIS
bjuder in till seminarium i undervattensfotografering med tema vrakfotografering lördag den
19:e november vid Södertörns Högskola i Flemingsberg söder som Stockholm.
Syftet med tillställningen är en inspirationsdag, där besökarna kan ta del av kunskap och
erfarenheter, samt skapa kontakt och få vägledning i den egna utvecklingen.
Tillställningen genomförs som non-profit och är gratis för besökare.
Seminariet är öppet för alla, men målgruppen är främst sportdykare med intresse i
undervattensfotografering.
I samband med seminariet så arrangeras också en miniexpo i pauserna där man kan mingla
med likasinnade och träffa talare som visar upp sin verksamhet. Det kommer även presenteras
vinnare i fototävlingen "Vrak i bild", som arrangeras tillsammans med Svenska
Sportdykarförbundets uv-fotokommitté.
På grund av att platserna är begränsade, så kräver vi anmälan via epost av besökare.
Läs mer på www.vrakskydd.se
FAKTA OM SEMINARIET:
Plats: Södertörns Högskola i Flemingsberg / Stockholm Syd
Datum: Lördag den 19:e november
Tid: kl 9-17
Målgrupp: undervattensfotografer, både nybörjare och erfarna
Inträde: gratis, föranmälan krävs dock
Anmälan: genom att mejla för- och efternamn till vrakfoto@hotmail.com
PROGRAMMET I KORTHET:
09:00-09:05 Välkomnande och uppstart
09:05-09:30 Fototermer för nybörjare (Pär Ahlgren, P2-Svenskt Vrakskydd)
09:30-10:00 Utrustning för uv-foto (Micael Blume, Waterhouse)
10:00-10:30 Kaffepaus
10:30-11:00 UV-fotografering inom SSDF (Ingvar Eliasson, SSDF uv-fotokommitté)
11:00-11:30 Temaresor uv-foto (Mikael Eriksson, Dyk & Resespecialisten)
11:30-12:00 Vrakfotografering i mörka vatten (Stefan Hogeborn, Oceanic Tech)
10:00-10:30 Lunchpaus
13:30-14:00 Motiv och miljöer (Torbjörn Gylleus, amatörfotograf)
14:00-14:30 Vrak i Östersjön (Johan Rönnby, MARIS)
14:30-15:00 Filmning på Spökskeppet med ROV (Eric Börjeson, FSF filmfotograf)
10:00-10:30 Kaffepaus
15:30-16:00 Börja filma i HD med GoPro (Magnus Keijser, undervattensfotograf)
16:00-16:30 Vilka bilder fungerar i en dyktidning? (Marko Wramén, DYK)
16:30-17:00 Presentation vinnarna i fototävlingen och avslut
Program för vrakfotoseminariet lördag 2011-11-19
09:00-09:05 Välkomnande och uppstart
09:05-09:30 Fototermer för nybörjare
Talare: Pär Ahlgren (P2-Svenskt Vrakskydd)
Beskrivning: Undrar du över olika begrepp och termer inom uv-foto och foto generellt? Pär reder
ut och förklarar en del begrepp som kan vara till hjälp för dig inte har koll på vad allt är och
innebär.
09:30-10:00 Utrustning för uv-foto
Talare: Micael Blume (Waterhouse)
Beskrivning: Lär dig grunderna om utrustning för uv-foto avseende både kompaktkameror och
systemkameror (SLR). Micael pratar om blixtar, blixtarmar, linser och UV-hus. Det förklaras även
vad som krävs för att få de bilder man önskar, och skillnaden att ta steget från kompakt- till
systemkamera
10:00-10:30 Kaffepaus
10:30-11:00 UV-fotografering inom SSDF
Talare: Ingvar Eliasson (ordförande SSDF:s UV-fotokommitté)
Beskrivning: Ordföranden i Svenska Sportdykarförbundets uv-fotokommitté berättar om
kommitténs aktiviteter och om UV-fototävlingar i Sverige, Norden och på VM-nivå.
11:00-11:30 Temaresor uv-foto
Talare: Mikael Eriksson (Dyk & Resespecialisten)
Beskrivning: Via researrangörer kan man åka på specialla dykresor med tema uv-foto som passar
både natur- och vrakfotografer. Där får man tillfälle att träffa likasinnade och en möjlighet att
utvecklas som fotograf. Som exempel kan vi nämna tema resor 2 ggr / år med Ekolog Bent
Christensen som är både ekolog och duktig fotograf. Mikael berättar om upplägg och vad man kan
förvänta sig som resenär.
11:30-12:00 Vrakfotografering i mörka vatten
Talare: Stefan Hogeborn (Oceanic Tech)
Beskrivning: Ett foto består av infångat ljus och hur gör man då när det inte finns så mycket ljus.
Vad väljer man för utrustning och hur använder man den i bland annat Östersjöns fantastiska men
mörka vatten? Stefan har erfarenheter från djup vrakdykning och grottdykning, miljöer där det
finns lite eller inget ljus.
10:00-10:30 Lunchpaus
13:30-14:00 Motiv och miljöer
Talare: Torbjörn Gylleus (amatörfotograf)
Beskrivning: Förhållanden, miljöer och vrakens storlek samt skick avgör vilken typ av motiv som
lämpar sig bäst för vrakfotografering i olika situationer. Efter en kort tillbakablick på några motiv
från sportdykningens barndom presenteras egna lärdomar och motiv från några av våra idag mest
fotograferade vrak.
14:00-14:30 Vrak i Östersjön
Talare: Johan Rönnby (professor i marinarkeologi, MARIS)
Beskrivning: Föredraget är en marinarkeologisk tidsresa från vikingatid till 1800-tal med
tyngpunkt på skeppsvrak i Östersjön och vad de kan berätta.
14:30-15:00 Filmning på Spökskeppet med ROV
Talare: Eric Börjeson (FSF filmfotograf, från bland annat "Oceans")
Beskrivning: När Spökskeppet skulle dokumenteras var djup på 125 m för stort för att dykare
skulle få tillräckligt med dyktid för uppgiften. Deep Sea Productions löste det genom att använda
fjärrstyrd undervattensrobot (ROV) för att filma i HD och ta bilder. Eric berättar om arbetet som
bland annat inkluderade stora ljusriggar för att lysa upp vraket.
10:00-10:30 Kaffepaus
15:30-16:00 Börja filma i HD med GoPro
Talare: Magnus Keijser (undervattensfotograf)
Beskrivning: GoPro kameran har blivit väldigt populär hos dykare, men hur får man ut det där
extra. Kombinera fotografering (t.ex. med DSLR) med filmning med GoPro, eller bygg en rigg för
mjuka filmsvep och bra belysning. Magnus berättar om sina erfarenheter och de anspassningar
han har gjort för att få ut det lilla extra, och hur han kombinerar vrakfoto med vrakvideo.
16:00-16:30 Vilka bilder fungerar i en dyktidning?
Talare: Marko Wramén (chefredaktör DYK & redaktör Dive The World)
Beskrivning: Marko Wramén som själv är fotograf sedan många år, diskuterar vad man ska tänka
på om man vill få sina bilder publicerade i en tidning. Det handlar bland annat om typ av motiv,
variation och komposition.
16:00-16:30 Presentation vinnarna i fototävlingen och avslut

DIVERS NIGHT

2011-10-31T15:51:00.003+01:00

On Thursday, November 3rd at 20.11 o’clock (local time), a worldwide attempt will be made for a new world record in night diving. Night dives will take place in many corners of the world. New countries are participating each year, and this year will probably be no different.

Approximately 3000 divers from all over the world are expected to be underwater at 20:11 (8:11 pm) this first Thursday in November.

Tone Svee Dahl (33) from Fredrikstad, Norway, is the initiator of the world record attempt. She is the woman behind Diversnight and has created a voluntary organisation which now coordinates the efforts of local Diversnight event organizers all over the world.

Diversnight started in 2005, as an result of Tone serving cakes, and inviting divers to social dive trips. The purpose of Diversnight is to promote the sport of scuba diving, to bring together scuba diving communities from all over the world, and to show how exciting and adventurous the sport is - during any season and any time of day.

Previous Diversnight arrangements:
1.2005: 351 divers in Norway.
2.2006: 889 divers in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
3.2007: 1859 divers in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and also Svalbard.
4.2008: 2183 divers in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Egypt, Indonesia, France, Spain, Faroe Islands and also Belgium
5.2009: 2749 divers, 218 divesites and 20 countries
6.2010: 1700 divers, 175 dive sites and 22 countries
7. We are going for a new record! In 2011 the gods of weather were against us covering most of the Nordic dive sites with ice.

During the past years both local and national medias have shown a great deal of interest in this. We hope that this will continue with this year’s Diversnight. We would appreciate an article or feature prior to the event, as well as some coverage of the actual world record attempt itself.

There is more information available at our website www.diversnight.com

You may also contact us at: info(at)diversnight.com

The Diversnight Team

Advanced Rescue Training

2011-10-31T15:34:00.002+01:00

Advanced rescue training – When weather turns against us

Instructors and Divemasters at Nemo Classic Diving in Bergen, Norway, wanted to see what they were able to do in case of emergency, and under rough conditions. Some of the instructors are also working at a safety center for the offshore industry, Nosefo Bergen (Norwegian Senter for Offshore-training). Nosefo has a wave pool that is being used for offshore sea-survival training, and instructors and divemasters at Nemo were lucky enough to get to use this pool for a night of very realistic, but controlled practice. The pool can make waves of 90 cm height, and wind reaching a speed of 30 m/s. Temperature of the water were 6 degrees Celsius. Staff at Nemo were in for a big reality check.

Conditions in the pool were quite similar to what we can get at some of the most used dive sites in Bergen, and instructors and divemasters were looking forward to test them selves.

The group was devided into victim and rescuer, not very different from a regular rescue course. The victim was lying at 2 meters depth, and the rescuer had to swim about 15 meters to get to the victim. After surfacing the victim, the rescuer were to tow the victim 25 meters to shore, and get them onto the dock. The dock was about 40 cm high. Waves were breaking, and 90 cm high.

The rescue training a diver recieves during the Rescue Course, Divemaster Course and also during the Instructor Course is useually given in an area with little or no waves at all, because we have to learn the techniques first. Now we moved from ”driving in the streets, to driving in a rally slope”, and instructors and divemasters found out first hand that doing a rescue in rough conditions was very difficult, and extreamly exhausting.

It didn´t take long before the rescuer concluded that the mask was an item worth keeping, both for the rescuer and for the victim. The waves was constantly breaking and both rescuer and victim felt that drowning could be the result if the mask were lost. Routine steps like getting the dry-suit hose off suddenly was a challenge itself, because protecting the airways and preventing the victim from drowning took all of the rescuers attention. The same could also be said about getting the victim back on land. With the waves splashing around, it took a lot of strength, technique and stamina to get the victim out of the water.

Luckily, every victim was breathing in this case, but if they had not – ventilation in the water would be really difficult under such conditions. All the participating instructors and divemasters felt that in a situation with a lot of wind, low temperature and heavy waves – giving ventilations would not only be very difficult, but would also delay getting the victim out of the water to start CPR.

One of the most important lessons learned this night was that the limits for what instructors and divemasters find acceptable has to be lowerd. Even small waves may be to much in some circumstances. Another point that was reinforced this night was the importance of knowing the equipment we are using – not only your own, but your buddy´s as well. With waves splashing over your head, it is practicly impossible to get a good look at clips and releases, so you have to know where to find them, and how to release them. One of the biggest challenges was actually to get all the equipment of at the same time as the rescuer shold secure the victim in a safe position. And last but not least, if there is an emergency – it is all about choices, what to do in different circumstances, and that every rescuer must find the solution that works for him/her. There is no singel right way to do this…

The instructors and divemasters that took part in this ”advanced” rescue training got a new perspective of what a rescue situation like this means, and they all agreed that this was a very valuable experience. Skills and techniques that are easily done in calm water is a completely different scenario when the elements turn against us. After this experience – they are all able to make better decisions if they ever find them selves in a situastion like that.

Christine Hopeland.

INSTRUCTOR JOB

2011-10-31T15:30:00.002+01:00

Colona Divers is looking for a Swedish speaking Instructor with the following characteristics;

• Service minded
• Knowledge in sales and marketing
• Nitrox instructor
• Aqua-Lung service technician
• Knowledge in Marine biology, and tropical marine life • Available from now until end of April

Best Regards

Niklas Funk

Colona Dive Center
Red Sea, Egypt
Mobile: (+2) 012-245 04 96
E-mail: niklas.funk@colona.com
www.colona.com

BIG SHARK SHOUT OUT OCTOBER 15 - 23

2011-10-05T18:05:00.003+02:00

It’s time to pull out all the stops for sharks!
During Big Shark Shout Out week, Project AWARE Foundation, volunteer divers and shark supporters around the world will rally to protect sharks before it’s too late. PADI Pros and their student divers form a unique, collective voice that can help change the fate of vulnerable shark species.
Coinciding with Shark Alliance’s fifth annual European Shark Week and Project AWARE’s Give Sharks a Fighting Chance signature campaign – we’re calling on European Union (EU) fisheries ministers and parties to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to protect sharks from overexploitation.
What will you do during the Big Shark Shout Out?

1. Collect signatures for two vital petition efforts: the UnFinished Business petition to close loopholes in the EU Finning Ban and the Give Sharks a Chance petition to protect vulnerable shark species worldwide.

2. Teach the new AWARE Shark Conservation Diver Distinctive Specialty course.

3. Fundraise for sharks and create a local wall of support. Be the first of 10 to raise 200 ($, €, £) for shark protection and receive an AWARE shirt!
Organizing for the Big Shark Shout Out is easy with the organizer kit. It has everything you'll need to make your shark support something to shout about
　
NO SHOUT TOO LOUD FOR SHARKS!

Changes to EANx Standards

2011-09-29T12:17:00.003+02:00

Use changes to Enriched Air Diver standards to enhance your business!

Are you missing a marketing opportunity following recent changes to the Enriched Air Diver standards?

The minimum age for the PADI Enriched Air Diver course has been revised and amended to 12 years old. This standards change took place in the third quarter 2011 Training Bulletin and is effective immediately.

With the proliferation of effective, economical dive computers on the market, an increasing number of divers are using dive computers to plan their dives. The Enriched Air Diver Specialty course has been updated and revised to now allow instructors to teach the use of nitrox using dive computers, ensuring this popular course remains updated and cutting edge.

As part of this update, the minimum age for students enrolling into the PADI Enriched Air Diver course has been amended to 12 years old, making it a training option for many more families of divers, on holiday or at home.

Recruting New divers - Finnish version

2011-09-06T10:27:00.002+02:00

Planning to learn to dive abroad?

2011-08-23T15:00:00.005+02:00

Dear PADI Professional In the video clip you will find interesting statistics and information. It is showing that we have a huge potential in the Nordic area and miss opportunities for an increased business. We know historically that a lot of individuals with a Nordic address get certified abroad on vacation etc.

The presentation shows what potential we have and how many entry level students that are certified abroad coming from the Nordic countries.
More information included is:
• Background and history
• Where and how many persons that are certified abroad
• Worldwide certification per capita, all Nordic countries in top and that shows the potential
• How many entry level certification lost 2010 for the countries in Nordic and what is the potential
• Important tips and ideas easy to implement The Power Point presentation is with English text and Norwegian speech.

Posters are sent to all PADI Dive Center/Resorts in the Nordic area. Digital files can be ordered for free if you want to print your own or in another formats.

We can of course not attract them all. But we can increase the business with those holiday makers to be more regular customers. This by showing them clearly and display in the shop at web sites etc, that we can be a source for them to invest in. We can offer a full course, eLearning and referrals, or just some information about training and diving.
If we inform them about what we can offer them many of those customers will seek our services.
Wish you the best of success with the campaign!

PADI’s Tec Revolution Starts Here!

2011-08-15T08:57:00.002+02:00

Prepare yourself to teach PADI’s Recreational Rebreather Courses which are due to launch imminently. Whatever your current rebreather credentials you are welcome to take part. Make your life less complicated by becoming 100% PADI!

How can you prepare?

The first step is to attend one of the global events that PADI Staff will be conducting especially for Instructors and Instructor Trainers to become PADI Rebreather Instructors or PADI Instructor Trainers for these courses. There’s also time to prepare by building your number of hours on your selected unit in order to meet the course pre-requisites.

Whether you’re planning to be a PADI Rebreather Instructor or Instructor Trainer you will have the opportunity, as part of the global events, to familiarize yourself with the PADI rebreather courses and how to apply the PADI system to rebreather diving, plus the opportunity to network with industry experts and other rebreather users.

Simply view the initial schedule below of recreational rebreather programs that PADI Pros’ can attend. Spaces will be limited so make sure you register early!

Download the registration forms here, contact your local PADI office, or visit the Pros’ site for further details.

Recreational Rebreather Instructor, Instructor Trainer and Instructor Crossover Global Course Dates

Dates

Location

Program

PADI Office

7-8 September 2011

Gothenburg, Sweden

Instructor Crossover

EMEA

7-8 September 2011

Gothenburg, Sweden

Instructor Trainer

EMEA

9-10 September 2011

Gothenburg, Sweden

Instructor Course

EMEA

12-14 September 2011

Bristol, UK

Instructor Course

EMEA

15-16 September 2011

Bristol, UK

Instructor Crossover

EMEA

15-16 September 2011

Bristol, UK

Instructor Trainer

EMEA

1-2 October 2011

Rancho Santa Margarita, USA

Instructor Crossover

Americas

1-2 October 2011

Rancho Santa Margarita, USA

Instructor Trainer

Americas

10-12 October 2011

Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

Instructor Course

EMEA

13-14 October 2011

Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

Instructor Crossover

EMEA

13-14 October 2011

Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

Instructor Trainer

EMEA

24-26 October 2011

Sydney, Australia

Instructor Crossover

Asia Pacific

27-28 October 2011

Sydney, Australia

Instructor Trainer

Asia Pacific

27-28 October 2011

Sydney, Australia

Instructor Course

Asia Pacific

7-9 November 2011

Orlando, USA

Instructor Crossover

Americas

7-9 November 2011

Orlando, USA

Instructor Trainer

Americas

10-12 November 2011

Orlando, USA

Instructor Course

Americas

14-16 November 2011

Germany

Instructor Course

EMEA

17-18 November 2011

Germany

Instructor Crossover

EMEA

17-18 November 2011

Germany

Instructor Trainer

EMEA

5-7 December 2011

Maldives

Instructor Course

EMEA

8-9 December 2011

Maldives

Instructor Crossover

EMEA

8-9 December 2011

Maldives

Instructor Trainer

EMEA

13-15 February 2012

Philippines

Instructor Course

Asia Pacific

16-17 February 2012

Philippines

Instructor Crossover

Asia Pacific

16-17 February 2012

Philippines

Instructor Trainer

Asia Pacific

20-22 February 2012

Sydney, Australia

Instructor Course

Asia Pacific

23-24 February 2012

Sydney, Australia

Instructor Crossover

Asia Pacific

23-24 February 2012

Sydney, Australia

Instructor Trainer

Asia Pacific

26-28 March 2012

Malta

Instructor Course

EMEA

29-30 March 2012

Malta

Instructor Crossover

EMEA

29-30 March 2012

Malta

Instructor Trainer

EMEA

13-14 May 2012

Orlando, USA

Instructor Course

Americas

15-17 May 2012

Orlando, USA

Instructor Crossover

Americas

15-17 May 2012

Orlando, USA

Instructor Trainer

Americas

For signing up!! Please go to the TecRec blog (see link) or PADI Pro Site.

Details of how to become a Tec Closed Circuit Rebreather Instructor and Tec Instructor Trainer will be announced shortly.

PADI Tribe Now 20 Million Certifications Strong and Growing

2011-08-05T23:04:00.002+02:00

Countdown to 20 million diver certifications is celebrated with a trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef aboard the MV Spirit of Freedom.

The PADI organization expects to reach a major milestone before the end of third quarter 2011 - its 20 millionth diver certification. To celebrate this occasion, PADI Regional Headquarters around the world are sponsoring the “Countdown to 20 Million” campaign, which will award the diver who earns the 20 millionth certification with a trip to dive Australia’s Great Barrier Reef aboard the MV Spirit of Freedom. The PADI Instructor issuing the 20 millionth certification, as well as the affiliated dive centre or resort, will each also receive a trip to this natural wonder of the world.

“In 1966, Ralph Erickson and John Cronin had an idea about a better way for people to learn to dive. That the PADI organization has grown from the two of them to more than 20 million testifies to the power and wisdom of their vision” says PADI Worldwide Chief Executive Officer Brian Cronin. “It also shows how a mutual passion for diving unites the PADI family around the world. Twenty million certifications only happen because PADI professionals lead diving. I salute their achievement.”

The Countdown to 20 Million campaign includes a comprehensive public relations effort coupled with promotion in PADI digital media outlets and a daily, updated countdown counter at padi.com.

Tourism Queensland has graciously provided the land and air portion of the prize packages to the Great Barrier Reef – the world’s largest reef system and one of the natural wonders of the world – including roundtrip airfare to Cairns, Queensland, Australia, four nights accommodations and excursions to explore the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest, a Cuddle a Koala Experience and an Aboriginal Cultural Experience. The MV Spirit of Freedom is generously sponsoring the dive portion of the prize package, which includes a three-day, three-night liveaboard adventure to iconic dive sites like Cod Hole and the Ribbon Reefs, plus a low-level reef flight between Lizard Island and Cairns. The diver receiving the 20 millionth certification will receive a prize package for two and the certifying instructor and affiliated dive centre or resort will each win a trip for one.

“Each of the 135,000 PADI Members around the world not only share a passion for diving and the underwater world, but influence and lead diving in the local community,” says PADI President and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Drew Richardson. “It’s this leadership, backed by passions, interests and convictions, that magnified John and Ralph’s concepts in to a global movement of literally millions of people who identify with PADI. As PADI Divers travel locally and internationally, they look for PADI Dive Centres, Resorts and Professionals because they are reassured by the common connection that unifies us as a family or tribe.”

Visit padi.com for details regarding the Countdown to 20 Million Diver Certifications contest. For additional information, email marketing@padi.co.uk

PADI - The Way the World Learns to Dive®

Ocean Conservation at Play! Project AWARE Launches Global Diver Scavenger Hunt to Aid Marine Debris Crisis

2011-07-04T15:32:00.004+02:00

Project AWARE kicks-off its first-ever Global Underwater Scavenger hunt for divers as part of its new Dive Against Debris ocean protection programme.
The year-round programme asks scuba divers to collect underwater debris and log information online in a global effort to prevent marine debris in the future.
The Global Scavenger Hunt adds a game component that runs till August 1st and is a fun way to introduce divers to the activity of submitting data from underwater environments – anytime and anywhere.

"Together with scuba volunteers worldwide, Project AWARE has been organizing clean up dives for 18 years," said Jenny Miller Garmendia, Project AWARE Executive Director. "But the new Dive Against Debris effort strengthens and centralizes underwater data collection efforts globally. This underwater scavenger hunt is a way to introduce that concept and also reward individual divers for their important conservation work."

From now till August 1st 2011, divers anywhere in the world can play Project AWARE's Global Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win a Scubapro Diver Duffle Bag packed with fins, mask, snorkel, boots and gloves from Scubapro's new SUB GEAR line, valued at $420. Other prizes include the latest IC14 Intova digital camera with waterproof housing and Project AWARE goodie bags. Any diver who logs debris data using Project AWARE's new online submission form is automatically entered into the scavenger hunt contest. Divers can even track their progress to see if they're in running for top prize on Project AWARE's scavenger hunt leader board.

"The debris data divers collect and report will play a key role in informing, persuading and empowering policy makers to establish and improve integrated solid waste management practices. Our combined data will support policies and strategies for the reduction and management of marine debris," said Garmendia.

For more information about how to get started playing the Project AWARE Global Scavenger hunt or Dive Against Debris program visit http://www.projectaware.org/project/hunt.

For further press information, an interview or images, please contact:
Tiffany Leite, Associate Director Communications & Outreach
Tel: +1949 858 7657 Ext. 2448 – Email: tiffany.leite@projectaware.org.uk
Domino Albert, PR & Communications coordinator
Tel: +44 (0)117 300 7313 - Email: domino.albert@projectaware.org.uk
Joanne Marston, Associate Director, Diver Engagement
Tel: +011 61 2 9454 2890 Ext. 891 – Email: joanne.marston@projectaware.org.au

Project AWARE Foundation is a global movement of scuba divers protecting the ocean planet - one dive at a time. Focused on the critical issues of Sharks in Peril and Marine Debris, Project AWARE empowers thousands of divers in more than 180 countries to work together for a clean, healthy and abundant ocean planet. Project AWARE Foundations is a registered non-profit organization.
www.projectaware.org

Teaching the new PPB Course

2011-06-22T12:14:00.001+02:00

PADI's Peak Performance Buoyancy course is PADI's second most popular specialty after Enriched Air. The recently-updated materials incorporate advances in technology (such as the the unique buoyancy control demands of technical diving / CCRs) - as well as cosmetic changes.

Teaching Tips for Peak Performance Buoyancy

Use the new PPB Instructor outline (part no. 70236 rev. 2011) to offer three buoyancy training options:

a buoyancy clinic in the pool
an adventure dive
the two-dive specialty course.

Begin by dialing in the student's weight at the surface. The student should float at eye level while holding a normal breath and having an empty, or near-empty BC. Be sure to have a variety of weights nearby to make adjustments. It's important to repeat this exercise at the end of the dive when the student has 750-500 psi.

The next step is to have the diver fine-tune weighting by positioning and distributing weights for different applications, for example:

A wall dive: head-up, feet-down position (weights placed towards the middle of the back).

Taking photos: slightly head-down, feet-up position (position weights towards the chest away from the hips and/or adjust tank position tank higher or lower in the BCD).

Using a CCR: rebreathers should be at minimal loop volume and the top of the diver’s head should float level with the surface.
Have divers try different weight configurations while performing simple skill challenges. Some supplies you may find helpful to have on hand:

Hula hoop(s)
Ankle weights
Rope
Toypedo
Small plastic toy
Underwater camera

Suspend the hula hoop in the water using the rope and weights and have divers swim through it. Or, suspend a plastic toy in the water and have divers hover next to it / take photos of it. Challenge divers to throw the toypedo around without touching the bottom (while hovering or swimming).

Don't forget to repeat the buoyancy check at the surface (described above) at the end of your confined water session.

We recently published a PPB teaching tips article in the Surface Interval e-newsletter. Read the complete Surface Interval article. Additional game and skill practice ideas are included in the new instructor guide (product no. 70236 version 2.0 from 2011)

Did You Know...?

You can integrate the PPB specialty into the Open Water course. It requires some additional skills and one extra dive.* See page 33 of the 2011 PADI Instructor manual for details. Please note, you may only integrate one specialty course with Open Water.

2011 instructor manual page 33
You can also introduce the PPB adventure dive after dive four of Open Water.* Most new divers need a little extra buoyancy practice and you can start them on the path to adventures in diving. In a recent reader survey, PPB ranked as one of the top four adventure dives.

* There is a limit of three training dives per day. You can only add the PPB dive if the student completed (at least) OW dives one and two on the previous day.

New Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty

2011-06-22T12:07:00.003+02:00

The Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty provides a trifecta of benefits for the diver: conserve air, lose weight, and protect the marine environment. "PPB" is also PADI's second most popular specialty after Enriched Air. Email subscribers may need to click through to padiinstructorinfo.com to view the images below.

PPB crewpak - product no. 60177
(now with 50% less neon)
It's been more than ten years since we added PPB to the PADI specialty roster, and the new materials include some useful updates. There is a new student manual (we only had a booklet before) and an completely updated DVD (now with 50% less neon in the wetsuits).

New PPB instructor guide - product no. 70236

There is a new instructor guide (product no. 70236). It's not mandatory to switch to the new guide, but there are two sets of knowledge reviews in the new student manual and only the new guide has both sets of knowledge review answers. Similarly, you may continue using the prior version of the student materials.

About the PPB Knowledge Reviews
Knowledge Review Part I is the same as the Peak Performance Buoyancy section of the Adventures in Diving manual. The answers can be found in the PPB instructor guide or downloaded from the PADI Pro's Site (Curriculum - Exams and Assessments - Adventures in Diving)

There is a second set of knowledge reviews in the new student manual. The answers are only available in the new instructor guide.

What Else is New?
The new student materials and instructor guide include useful information about buoyancy training for students using rebreathers.

The new materials are available starting today. Contact your PADI Sales Rep or order online from the PADI Pro's Site. Here are some useful part numbers:

Revised PPB instructor guide: part no. 70236

New student crewpak: 60177. Includes:

New PPB student manual: 79315
Revised PPB student DVD: 70858

PADI Member of The Month-June 2011

2011-06-16T18:44:00.002+02:00

We have our winners for the month of June.

The Retail & Resort winner is:
Barra Lodge s32377 /PADI EMEA

Honorable mentioned for Retail & Resort
Crystal Dive Resort s6467/ PADI Asia Pacific
A-Dykk Kristiansand s5212 / PADI Nordic/EMEA
Test the Waters s19915 / PADI Americas
Dive Post Zoetermeer s799235 / PADI Europe

The Individual member winner:
Luca Giongo #492136 / PADI Asia Pacific

Honorable mentioned for Individual Member
Patrick Keller #91673 / PADI Americas
Olav Bro #503533 / PADI Nordic
Mauritza de klerk #640815 / PADI EMEA

Gratulations to A-Dykk Kristinsand, Noway and Olav Bro in Aalborg, Denmark.

PADI Announce the soon to be launched eCard

2011-06-14T21:16:00.002+02:00

As a 2012 membership renewal benefit all PADI Members will receive a free PADI eCard for their highest core level (including Course Director and IDC Staff). The PADI eCard is an electronic version of the PADI certification card.

The eCard will be available for diver replacement cards in fourth quarter 2011. Initially, the eCard will be available through Replacement Card Online only. Divers obtaining a replacement card will have the choice of an eCard, a plastic card or both. In addition, PADI Members can use PIC Online credits to sell eCards to existing PADI Divers through the Online Processing Center on the PADI Pros’ Site. PADI Members can then utilize the power of smartphone technology when certifying divers.

PADI eCard is hosted, managed and displayed using the PADI App, initially accessible on Apple, Android and Blackberry smartphones, but development for other operating systems will follow. Security of the eCard is a primary concern, so PADI has integrated features such as QR coding (a specific, two-dimensional code) to make authentication straightforward and easy.

PADI eCard development demonstrates PADI’s commitment to positive identification certification cards and sets a new bar for delivery, embracing environmental stewardship by reducing the amount of plastics, paper and transportation used to deliver certifications to divers, for those who choose to use it.

Groupons "How To"

2011-06-13T15:29:00.002+02:00

Use Group Voucher Websites as an Effective Marketing Strategy

Are you familiar with websites such as “Groupon” (group coupon), “Living Social”, and “Spreets” (spread the word on the streets)? These are deal-of-the-day websites, offering great discounts to customers based on a minimum number of sign-ups for each deal. Maybe you’ve even bought vouchers yourself?

This is one of the fastest growing online shopping markets, and is estimated to be worth millions of dollars in revenue each month. Many PADI Dive Centres have advertised on these websites and following their experiences, we would like you to consider some key points, before you dive in. This is a rapidly developing marketplace and this article is now in its 3rd revision, to reflect the changes that have taken place over the last few months, specifically with regard to Groupon.

It’s crucial for your business to get this right first time!
Although any advertising that gets customers through your door is great, it’s important to recognise that the web-savvy consumer these sites attract can be your ally or your enemy. Give them a really positive experience and they’ll advertise you for free via social media like Twitter and Facebook etc. Give them a bad experience or poor customer service and they’ll tell ten times as many people! A discount deal must never result in a sub-standard course!

What is the Real Marketing Value of this for a Dive Centre?

The obvious and immediate value is bringing large numbers of new customers into your store – but this does not automatically generate income. The percentage discount you have to give and the substantial cut taken by the websites means that you will not make a profit from the voucher sale alone, some centres have in fact made a loss. Minimise the risk to your business by planning your strategy in advance. The real long term value comes from converting voucher customers into regular divers, up-selling courses, merchandise and dive trips to them, and retaining their business in your club.

It’s essential that you do your homework first, and have a very clear understanding of your overheads, before you advertise a discount voucher. There are costs in time, effort and resources that must be planned for. Work backwards - start with what you can deliver and let that dictate what you offer!

Initially, most dive centres were advertising DSD experiences only, however since Groupon stopped supporting DSD offers in the UK in March 2011 some centres have successfully run vouchers for Scuba Diver and Open Water Referrals. While offering more expensive courses at a discount presents a higher risk, with careful planning it can be very successful, and the crucial considerations are the same. During May 2011 Groupon has re-introduced the DSD option, but only as a “sidebar” promotion, in association with higher value course offers.

The essential areas to consider are as follows:
1.) Customer Service
2.) Overheads
3.) Scheduling
4.) Add-on Sales
5.) Commitment
6.) Follow up

1. Customer Service

It may seem like a golden sales opportunity, but before you get carried away with the hundreds of people you could sign up, make sure you can realistically handle them and give them all a great experience.

To have a fighting chance of converting voucher customers, you need to have the scope for delivering really effective customer service at each point of contact – that is when they first phone you, when they come in to the centre to dive with you, and following up with them after they’ve completed the course. You need to have a schedule for this in place in advance – waiting until the phone starts ringing is too late!

After the deal goes live, the phone will ring constantly for a couple of days, and you may have a stampede come through the door too! (Even with higher value deals, dive centres have still received hundreds of customers.) Having a designated member of staff to cover the phone during this period is essential – it allows you to give consistent customer service to the callers, while avoiding any confusion or mistakes over what is booked in the diary. It will also mean minimum disruption is caused to your staff, existing customers and courses that are running at the time.

2.) Overheads

Before deciding how many vouchers to offer and at what discount, work out your costs and maximum ratios for each of the following:

Teaching materials - DSD booklets or OW required materials

Staffing – the logistics of teaching large numbers or multiple groups are complicated, you will need someone to organise and control the flow of people. Instructor to student ratios should allow for that excellent customer service you want to provide, and you also need people to manage the bookings, admin, air fills, gear fulfilment and effective follow up with the customers.

Pool Costs – If you don’t have exclusive use of an on-site pool, the rental and fuel/travel costs to get there must be accounted for.

Admin – regardless of the course you’re offering, there will be extra office time to account for, whether it be registering the DSDs or managing a sudden rush of referral paperwork.

Air Fills and Gear – the number of cylinders and the amount of rental gear you have will dictate how many people you can accommodate, so hiring extra gear or extra staff to speed up turn-around may be a consideration, depending on your planned schedule. Allow also for extra wear and tear, spares, loss or damage etc.

Academics – available classroom space and the teaching tools (computers, DVDs etc) will also effect how many people you can accommodate.

Open Water trips – if you’re offering the Scuba Diver course, all costs associated with the logistics for open water dives must be included too.

Work out how many vouchers/people you can take based on the immediate cost you can afford to absorb, as there may be a delay between the course and re-couping the voucher money.

Some sites pass on the money for the voucher sales after the deal has closed, making you responsible for handling any refunds, cancellations etc. Others withhold the money until after the vouchers are used, and there will be a time delay between you running the course and reclaiming/receiving the money for it.

When costing your promotion, factor in the immediate expenses without relying on the voucher money to cover it in the short term!

3.) Scheduling

When scheduling courses or experiences make them work along side your regular business and existing schedule, or give people sufficient warning of schedule changes so that it doesn’t damage your core business or alienate your regulars. Do not be afraid to limit the times available to the voucher customer, so that it works for you rather than swamping you.

4.) Add-on Sales

If you are offering discounted OW Referrals or Scuba Diver, up-selling to the full Open Water certification is the key factor if you are to make any profit. Add-on sales such as mask, fins and snorkel sets are also where you will make a profit. Sell the concept of the deal as a lead into the full OW course, and orientate the customer to this progression from first contact with the wording of your advert. Sell your local diving experience. (If you are doing referrals, refer the student back to your centre, so they complete their training with you.) Price your upgrade to OW so that the combined income from the deal and the upgrade gets you close to your original pricing for the full course.

For DSD offers, consider sales opportunities in the small detail, for example offering customers the chance to buy their own regulator mouthpieces, (for use with your rental equipment,) or their own mask, fin and snorkel sets, rather than offering big discounts on the full OW if they go on to train with you. Remember, once they have taken up the deal, up-selling future courses at an appropriate price and converting them into regular customers is best for your business. Discounting on full courses can reduce the perceived value of the training, where offering additional items in a combination deal will add value instead.

It is essential that your advertisement makes it clear what is and what is not included in the deal.

Adding hidden costs to the existing deal will alienate this customer, and may cause them to demand a refund. If a high percentage of voucher customers demand a refund, you can be blacklisted by the website and be banned from offering future deals. This is in addition to the negative publicity it will cause for your business locally and via social media, which can be very damaging.

5.) Commitment

Depending on the site you advertise with, there will be differences on your contractual obligations and how the voucher money is calculated:

*Be aware of exclusivity clauses, and ensure you are prepared to honour any restrictions on advertising your centre through other websites.

*Make sure you are fully aware of how the VAT on voucher sales is being calculated by the website, and what amount the value is being calculated from.

*Be aware that you can dictate the maximum number of vouchers available, as well as the minimum. Having a cap on the number offered can also add perceived value to your deal and future deals if you do it again.

6.) Follow up

If you wait until all the vouchers have been redeemed before you start contacting the first customers, you will have missed the boat!

Hopefully a percentage will sign up for more immediately, especially if the up-sell deal is dependent on them making a commitment during the course, however it can be difficult to spend quality time with everyone when you’re dealing with groups and a few potential divers may slip though the net.

You already have their interest – now make use of it! The value to your business of each new diver and their future training/diving career makes it worth scheduling some extra time for your staff to call them afterwards, and spend a few minutes talking about their experience, the courses you offer, social events at your centre etc. Following up with each person individually within a couple of days is the best way to capitalise on their enthusiasm, and gives you another opportunity to get them involved, even if not as part of the original deal.

To learn more about successful follow up methods please contact your Regional Manager. [RM email]

Q & A Summary from PADI EMEA Meetings in Nordic

2011-06-13T14:09:00.003+02:00

We have conducted several meetings in the Nordic area designed to answer first hand questions PADI Members like yourself may have connected to the creation of the New PADI Europe, Middle East, Africa office (PADI EMEA).

Both for those of you that were at one of the meetings and for those of you that were unable to attend and didn’t have a chance to participate. We want to make sure you are kept informed as to the answers to the questions asked; below we have put together a short Q&A section. But if you have a question not answered below please feel free to contact us.

Q. Will the office in Gothenburg be open for the rest of 2011?
A. Yes. Although behind the scenes, the three offices that will make up PADI EMEA (PADI Europe, PADI Nordic and PADI International Ltd) will work towards a single identity, the office in Gothenburg with its present staff will continue to service your needs throughout the year.

Q. In regards to things like industry relations, meetings with government officials and local legislation, will PADI EMEA have local representation to champion our causes?
A. Yes. Trond Skaare, Han’s (Olle) Olsson, Mox Moberg and Immi Wallin who have represented your interests while working for PADI Nordic will continue to work on your behalf as employees of PADI EMEA.

Q. Although the majority of Nordic members speak English well, will we be able to communicate with EMEA in the Nordic Language?
A. Yes. Apart from continuing to have as full members of staff the individuals named above, several other positions within EMEA will be filled with Nordic language speaking staff members.

Q. Will communicating with the new EMEA office be more expensive for Nordic Members?
A. No. Our intention is by 2012 to have in place a phone system that enables PADI Members phoning the EMEA office from the Nordic countries to pay the local call charge while EMEA will pick up the bill for the international side of the call.

Q. Will communicating by Skype and placing orders on line through the PADI eShop be an option when Nordic Members are a part of EMEA?
A. Yes. All EMEA Members will be able to take advantage of this technology. Allowing you to place your orders at a time that is convenient to you.

Q. What currency will I be paying for product in 2012?
A. Euro.

Q. Will the VAT (Valued added Tax) we presently pay increase?
A. No. It will reflect the VAT you presently pay in your country.

Q. Will the cost of shipping go up?
A. Preliminary trials have indicated that this will not happen. This is due to the combined buying power of such a large single dispatching warehouse.

Q. In the Nordic region we are use to being invoiced for the products we purchase. Will this continue under EMEA?
A. Yes. We will honour any payment agreement that is presently in place through the Gothenburg office.,

Q. Presently in-cooperated into our PADI Membership we enjoy a liability protection insurance police negotiated by PADI. Will this continue under EMEA?
A. This is something we are working on now. Our intention is to be able to provide you with the same policy or one comparable in price and coverage with the one you presently enjoy. We will be able to give you more information closer to renewal time.

Q. Under EMEA will we be a part of the global Marketing campaigns enjoyed by PADI Members in larger offices?
A. Yes. One of the many advantages of combining the resources of the three offices is to be able to work as one strong global marketing unit. This will enable us to target divers who gain their PADI qualifications outside of the Nordic territory but live within Scandinavia.

Q. What from a marketing point of view do you see the strength of EMEA?
A. Working as one single identity EMEA will have tremendous opportunities to work with Equipment Manufacturers, Publications, and industry partners. We can organise acquisition campaigns that covers divers as far apart as Greenland in the North, South Africa in the South, Vladivostok in the East and the Azores in the West. From a Marketers view point this is a very exciting time

Q. Can we expect more PADI Materials translated into the Nordic languages?
A. Yes. When PADI Materials are identified for translation in the EMEA service territory the Nordic language will follow the same procedure for translation as the German, French, Italian and other languages in the territory.

Q. Will there be any problems with the combining of three offices?
A. We are human and can not guarantee that there will not be small hick-ups during the amalgamation of three service offices. We have given our selves over a year to complete the task and our goal is to complete the merger as seamlessly as possible to the membership. If we get it right all you will see are the advantages of being part of the biggest single PADI office in the world.

Q. Can we assure our members that the process that will be used by EMEA will insure that characters for printing on the C-cards – will to be able to handle Danish / Finish characters?
A. The process currently used to produce the certification cards will not change.

Q. Are their plans that will allow the PADI eLearning programs to be accessed through an Ipad
A. Not that we are aware of at the moment.

Q. What will the time line be for shipping from the UK to the Nordic territory?
1) Number of days once it has left the EMEA Warehouse?
2) Number of hours/working days from order being placed, to leaving the office?
3) Expected reliability and consistency of carriers?
A. We fully understand any concerns our members in the Nordic territory will have in regard to delivery times and reliability when we begin to despatch product orders from the EMEA distribution centre based in Bristol. We take these concerns very seriously and have worked tirelessly to minimise any possible disruption to your working day and to the profitability and efficiency of your business. Our preferred carrier is DHL and we have been in partnership with them for over 15 years, and over the years we have built up an excellent working relationship with them. We have spoken at great length with the top executives at DHL about the forthcoming changes and they are well aware of our expectations and we are assured we have, in that partnership, a reliable and consistent method of shipping to all PADI members. Our pledge is to pack and ship orders within 5 working days of the order being confirmed. This is the maximum time we set ourselves and in reality if the order is complete and fully paid for, the average time to ship and pack is within one to two working days. The transit times from the UK to the Nordic countries is shown in the table below.

Country Transit time
Denmark 1-2 days
Estonia 1-2 days
Faroe Islands 1-2 days
Finland 1-2 days
Greenland 1-2 days
Iceland 1-2 days
Norway 1-2 days
Sweden 1-2 days

You will find these transit times are very similar to the transit times you currently experience. We can reassure you that we will do our utmost to ensure you receive a first-class service. If you have any concerns or questions regarding anything related to distribution, then please do not hesitate to contact Mike Filer either by email mike.filer@padi.co.uk or telephone +44 (0) 117 3007326, or you can contact
Mig Sutherland, Distribution Supervisor via email Miguel.sutherland@padi.co.uk or telephone +44 (0) 117 3007311.

Q. Under EMEA will webinars be available in the appropriate Nordic languages?
A. Yes, we will start in the second semester of 2011 to launch the first webinars in the Nordic languages and make this available fully in 2012. There will be webinars dedicated to the members and to the PADI Retail and Resort Association members.

Q. Under EMEA will Teaching video clips be available using Nordic (Green water) conditions?
A. We definitely will be working on this and start to use the library that is available within the EMEA region.

Q. Any plans for specific Finnish materials for translation?
A. A thorough evaluation of the market needs will be done during the budget process. Extensive exchange with the Finnish members will be done in order to identify the urgent needs and determine priorities.

Q. Can we change EMEA Member Forums to more training related issues?
A. The PADI on Tour concept currently pilot tested in other parts of Europe is exactly providing the training orientated parts. The PADI on Tour will be implemented in the Nordic countries as of 2012.

Q. Pricelist; Will pricing in the Nordic area mirror the rest of the EMEA territory and will this show a decrease in Pricing from that now charged in the Nordic area?
A. Yes, definitely. The product line will be aligned for the whole PADI EMEA territory and the prices will be based on the Euro currency. Nordic members can count on a list of products being decreased in pricing.

Q. Is it possible that PADI EMEA can offer a “license for download” of minor materials e.g. an exam needed urgently? When needed, today PN offering to scan and send this exam by e-mail in urgent cases, at the same time as an order, payments and shipping the exam is done with normal routines.
A. We will research what protocols have been followed in the past by PADI Nordic and try to maintain similar levels of service. However, we will have to have a single policy for all of PADI EMEA.

Q. Will we talk with the same people as we are doing at the PN office today?
A. In regards to the front line personnel the answer is yes. Olle, Immi, Mox and Trond will all remain as EMEA employees living in the Nordic region. Internal Services such as Sales, PIC Processing and Accounts etc presently provided through Gothenburg will be transferred to the EMEA offices in Bristol. You will be given plenty of notification before this transfer takes place.

Q. What about competition from other training organizations?
A. Since PADI Dive Centers and members got a large market share of the diver education in the Nordic countries, there have been and will always be attempts from other organizations to take a piece of the cake. For over 30 years now we have not seen any significant Dive Center using another organization for diver training surviving over time. Fact is: PADI do cross over 1-3 Dive Center each year from other organizations. We got Dive Centers now coming back to PADI for a variety of reasons, have been trying other organizations. We believe PADI is not only the strongest brand in the diving world, but it is also the best choice for Dive centers and individual members regarding business, training quality and diver safety.

Project AWARE Re-launches 20 Year Organization

2011-06-08T16:53:00.002+02:00

Just when you thought scuba diving for the ocean planet couldn’t get much better. The re-launch of Project AWARE Foundation, on June 8th, World Oceans Day, changes everything you thought you knew about diving for a cause.
Project AWARE is flipping the switch on an unprecedented global movement of divers acting in their own communities to protect the ocean planet.
Divers are on the leading edge of ocean protection. We are ocean heroes – numbering in the millions – across the globe. And together, our everyday actions can have really big results.
• Join the movement - Create a visible profile in the Project AWARE My Ocean community. There you can create a local conservation blog, photo and video gallery, as well as map your local conservation initiatives, submit data, manage ocean events and more.
• Battle the big two - With so many conservation issues converging on our ocean planet at once, Project AWARE is zoning in on two where scuba divers are uniquely positioned to directly affect real, long-term change – shark decline and marine debris. Visit www.projectaware.org for all new tools and resources to help you get started and lead the charge in your local area.
• Be a Dive Geek - Throughout 2011 Project AWARE will have fun contests and hold inspiring action weeks to rally your energy and support for the cause. Collecting and reporting data is critical to Project AWARE’s work. And advocating for the most effective ocean policies is central to making progress. Embrace your inner dive geek and seek to take the adventure of diving to more meaningful depths with your divers and students.

What’s New?
• An exciting, new online community – one where divers around the world combine their efforts online and offline for environmental change.
• New programs and specialty courses – focused on two major ocean issues where divers can have a direct impact – sharks in peril and marine debris.
• New, savvy tools and resources online – to help you maximize your ocean protection efforts and conservation goals.
• And much much more …
Are you ready for the big change? Ready to re-think what’s possible and share a positive vision for our ocean future? Join the movement to protect our ocean planet – one dive at a dive. www.projectaware.org

Positive Feedback

2011-06-08T16:33:00.003+02:00

This letter was sent by a student to PADI Nordic, with feedback regarding her PADI Instructor. I am sorry to publish it in Swedish, bu I am sure some of you readers, from at least Sweden, Norway and Denmark could read and understand the content.
Very good job done by PADI Instructor Martin Amsten.

Hej!

i oktober 2010 tog jag steget och bokade in mig på en grundkurs. Jag som många andra tjejer hade lite problem med alltifrån avvägning till övningar såsom av och på med mask och dylikt.
Jag kände mig osäker med utrustningen och osäker på om detta var någonting för mig.

Jag skriver ett mail till er nu , för att jag vill på något sätt berätta min historia.

Som jag skrev så kände jag mig på något sätt osäker om detta var någonting för mig , samt om jag skulle klara av denna kurs och sedan kunna njuta av det jag lärt mig.
Jag klarade inte kursen utan fick göra ett extra dyk med en annan instruktör.
Jag skulle göra om mask av och på.

Jag ville inte.

Jag skakade på huvudet åt instruktören.

instruktören tog tag i min väst och tittade mig i ögonen och nickade. Och jag vet inte varför men på något sätt kände jag mig stark.
Jag provade igen , och jag kände instruktören hålla i mig under hela övningen.

Jag klarade det.
och för första gången simmade vi runt under ytan , och jag såg vad som fanns runt omkring mig. Jag fick dyka. Jag fick känna den känslan av hur det var att dyka.
spärren hade släppt.

för många må detta verka som ett litet problem, men för mig var det som mitt livs seger.

Denne intruktör tog några timmar efter detta dyk och berättade om sina erfarenheter, sin oro som han hade haft under sin grundkurs samt vilka steg han hade tagit och varför.
Det är få tillfällen jag har lyssnat så ihärdigt och varit så intresserad som då.

samma dag bokade jag in mig på AOW månaden efter.

Idag 8 månader senare sitter jag som DivemasterKandidat , och har några timmar kvar innan jag skall assistera denne Intruktör på en OW kurs. samt jobbar på samma dykcenter som honom.

Sen jag började jobba på detta centra har jag haft fördelen att kunna iakta instruktörer , deras olika sätt att lära ut samt olika sätt att bemöta eleverna.

Och jag är så imponerad av denna instruktör.

Han vinner deras respekt och deras förtroende första gången dom kliver in geneom dörren. De lyssnar, lär och vill bli som honom. han är ett bra föredöme.
Han är en sådan instruktör som alla bör ha.

Genom hans sätt att vara, hans personlighet och hans förståelse har han blivit elevernas förebild.

Syftet med mitt mail är att på något sätt ge honom beröm. Alla behöver beröm.
De flesta människorna idag skriver mail och klagar. Man klagar och gnäller på allt. Så varför inte skriva någonting positivt för omväxlings skull?
Ni har utbildat en bra instruktör, och ni har en staff som fötjänar ett diplom eller nått. Något som bekräftar han skills.

Denne Instruktör heter Martin Amsten , men instruktörsnummer 261995.

Mitt Namn är Malin Bergqvist

The new AWARE website

2011-06-08T16:20:00.003+02:00

Today, June 8th, 2011, the new AWARE website is alive.
http://www.projectaware.org/

The first PADI EMEA Meetings

2011-06-02T11:36:00.003+02:00

This is the primary Q & A from the first PADI On Tour meetings conducted in Sweden and Norway. Q & A from the meetings in Denmark and Finland will soon be posted.
To ensure you are kept informed as to the answers to the questions your colleagues asked; we have below put together a short Q&A section. But if you have a question not answered below please feel free to contact me.

Q. Will the office in Gothenburg be open for the rest of 2011?
A. Yes. Although behind the scenes, the three offices that will make up PADI EMEA (PADI Europe, PADI Nordic and PADI International Ltd) will work towards a single identity, the office in Gothenburg with its present staff will continue to service your needs throughout the year.

Q. In regards to things like industry relations, meetings with government officials and local legislation will PADI EMEA have local representation to champion our causes?
A. Yes. Trond Skaare, Han’s (Olle) Olsson, Mox Moberg and Immi Wallin who have represented your interests while working for PADI Nordic will continue to work on your behalf as employees of PADI EMEA.

Q. Although the majority of Nordic members speak English well, will we be able to communicate with EMEA in the Nordic Language?
A. Yes. Apart from continuing to have as full members of staff the individuals named above, several other positions within EMEA will be filled with Nordic language speaking staff members.

Q. Will communicating with the new EMEA office be more expensive for Nordic Members?
A. No. Our intention is by 2012 to have in place a phone system that enables PADI Members phoning the EMEA office from the Nordic countries to pay the local call charge while EMEA will pick up the bill for the international side of the call.

Q. Will communicating by Skype and placing orders on line through the PADI eShop be an option when Nordic Members are a part of EMEA?
A. Yes. All EMEA Members will be able to take advantage of this technology. Allowing you to place your orders at a time that is convenient to you.

Q. Will the pricing of Nordic language PADI Products be inline with those of other languages?
A. Yes. There will be one price list and one product catalogue used by all PADI Members in the EMEA service area.

Q. What currency will I be paying for product in 2012?
A. Euro.

Q. Will the VAT (Valued added Tax) we presently pay increase?
A. No. In a worse care scenario you will pay the same but there is a chance it will go down.

Q. Will the cost of shipping go up?
A. Preliminary trials have indicated that this will not happen. This is due to the combined buying power of such a large single dispatching warehouse.

Q. In the Nordic region we are used to being invoiced for the products we purchase. Will this continue under EMEA?
A. Yes. We will honour any payment agreement that is presently in place through the Gothenburg office.,

Q. Presently in-cooperated into our PADI Membership we enjoy a liability protection insurance police negotiated by PADI. Will this continue under EMEA?
A. This is something we are working on now. Our intention is to be able to provide you with the same policy or one comparable in price and coverage with the one you presently enjoy. We will be able to give you more information closer to renewal time.

Q. Under EMEA will we be a part of the global Marketing campaigns enjoyed by PADI Members in larger offices?
A. Yes. One of the many advantages of combining the resources of the three offices is to be able to work as one strong global marketing unit. This will enable us to target divers who gain their PADI qualifications outside of the Nordic territory but live within Scandinavia. Another initiative PADI Centres in the Nordic territory will enjoy in 2012 will be the “Hot Leads” programme. This programme enables PADI to give our centres the contact details of thousands of Nordic holiday makers returning home after taking a PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience aboard.

Q. What from a marketing point of view do you see the strength of EMEA?
A. Working as one single identity EMEA will have tremendous opportunities to work with Equipment Manufacturers, Publications, and industry partners. We can organise acquisition campaigns that covers divers as far apart as Greenland in the North, South Africa in the South, Vladivostok in the East and the Azores in the West. From a Marketers view point this is a very exciting time

Q. Can we expect more PADI Materials translated into the Nordic languages?
A. Yes. When PADI Materials are identified for translation in the EMEA service territory the Nordic language will follow the same procedure for translation as the German, French, Italian and other languages in the territory.

Q. Will there be any problems with the combining of three offices?
A. We are human and can not guarantee that there will not be small hick-ups during the amalgamation of three service offices. We have given our selves over a year to complete the task and our goal is to complete the merger as seamlessly as possible to the membership. If we get it right all you will see are the advantages of being part of the biggest single PADI office in the world.

Come to the Next PADI EMEA Meeting

2011-05-04T15:16:00.002+02:00

As you may be aware from previous correspondence, the PADI organization is constructing a new regional headquarters to be known as PADI EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). The new regional headquarters will consist of the territories currently serviced by PADI International Ltd., PADI Europe and PADI Nordic.

The primary headquarters of PADI EMEA will be located in Bristol, UK, with another major office in Hettlingen, Switzerland. The present office in Goteborg will continue to operate until the end of 2011, then most of the departmental business will shift to the centralized PADI EMEA entity. However, several of the best known staff from PADI Nordic will then be employed by PADI EMEA and will continue to be based in the Nordic region. These include, Trond Skaare, Hans “Olle” Olsson, Immi Wallin and Mikael “Mox” Moberg. These individuals will be able to interface with PADI members in the Nordic region as they have in the past, and their ongoing input into the PADI organization will ensure that the needs of our members in those countries are considered and planned for into the future. Between them they also have a good range of languages key to the region.

In 2012 the present PADI Nordic membership will be serviced by the largest PADI Regional Headquarters in the world with more than 2,500 retail and resort members,
and 57,500 individual members certifying more than 380,000 divers annually.

The regional headquarters will support a diverse range of languages and cultures.

To answer any questions you may have regarding being a part of PADI EMEA we will be conducting a series of Member Seminars in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden. Attending these seminars together with senior staff from PADI Nordic will be Douglas Nash Vice President, Sales & Marketing PADI International Ltd., and Jean-Claude Monachon Executive Director, Market Development, PADI Europe.

For a list of seminar dates, times and venues please consult the list below.

23. May Denmark København Hotel Skt: Petri, Krystalgade 22 19.00

24. May Danmark Odense First Hotell Grand, Jerbanegade 18 19.00

25. May Finland Helsinki Scandic Marina Congress Center, Press Room, 1st Floor. Address: Katajanokanlaituri 6, 00160 Helsinki. 19.00

Summary of the New PADI Rebreather Courses

2011-05-03T15:03:00.004+02:00

PADI recreational rebreather courses will cover semi-closed (SCR) and closed-circuit rebreathers (CCR) which are fully electronically controlled, known as eSCR and eCCR.

Third party testing for all units will be required. There will also be a list of features rebreathers should have for recreational diving (and a different list for the Tec courses) and manufacturers will need to ensure their units have these before applying for them to be used during PADI Rebreather Courses.

Rebreathers that meet the requirements for PADI recreational rebreather courses will be called Type R Rebreathers. These could be eSCRs, eCCRs or hybrids of both.

The courses will be generic but due to differences between rebreathers the qualifications will be unit specific. Divers and instructors will use manufacturer user manuals in addition to PADI materials to cover both information that applies to all rebreathers and that which applies to the specific unit being taught.

Diver Courses

PADI Rebreather Diver
•Aimed at qualified entry level divers and above who have some open circuit scuba diving experience.
•Teach divers to use Type R rebreathers to a maximum of 18m/60 feet depth within no-decompression limits.
•Responses to problems will be simple. In most cases this means switching the mouthpiece to open circuit mode and ascending.

PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver
•With a pre-requisite of PADI Rebreather Diver (on the same Type R rebreather) this course expands on the basic knowledge they have already learned to teach divers to carry a bailout cylinder and dive to 30m/100 feet max (40m/130 feet max with PADI Deep Diver).
•Responses to problems will be very similar – bailout to open circuit – the main difference is that they will have a bailout cylinder to enable them to bailout from greater depth.

PADI Rebreather Qualifier program
• Divers wishing to cross-over to another Type R rebreather will need to do the Rebreather Qualifier program which covers unit specific skills and knowledge.
•Additional modules for divers with PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver.
•Divers will be certified at their current level on the new unit.

PADI Rebreather Refresher
•Similar to a Scuba Review this program refreshes rebreather divers’ skills if they have not dived on a rebreather for a while.

Instructor level

PADI Rebreather Instructor – will be able to teach all recreational rebreather diver programs on the specific unit(s) they have qualified on.
• There will be no direct applications for this rating.
•Candidates will need to be qualified rebreather divers with experience on the specific unit. Experience will probably need to be in excess of 50 hours, however precise requirements are still to be confirmed.
•Candidates will attend a rebreather instructor course conducted by a Rebreather Instructor Trainer.
•Instructors crossing over from one unit to another will attend a shorter program ensuring they have the required skill and knowledge on the new unit.
•Instructors crossing over from other organisations will attend a shorter program ensuring they have the skill and knowledge to teach PADI rebreather courses.
•Instructors will be required to use the same rebreather as the students when teaching a course.

Instructor level products:

Rebreather Diver Instructor Guide

Rebreather Diver Course Wetnotes

There will be one Instructor Trainer level:

PADI Rebreather Instructor Trainer
•There will be no direct applications for this rating.
•Course Directors or TecRec Instructor Trainers who are also PADI rebreather Instructors will attend a Rebreather Instructor Trainer program to orient them to teaching rebreather instructors.
•Providing they meet PADI and manufacturer experience requirements Rebreather Instructor Trainers will be able to teach instructors on any unit for which they are PADI rebreather instructors.

I.T level products:

Rebreather Diver Instructor Trainer Guide

Launch

The estimated launch for these courses is 3rd Quarter 2011.

PADI Staff will conduct programs to teach the first rebreather instructors and trainers at events organised by the Rebreather Advisory Team and Instructor Development teams in each Regional Head Quarters.

These events will be at strategic locations throughout each region and will be scheduled as soon as possible after launch, however, we will need to allow for product delivery times.

Tec CCR programs will be launched later in 2011. Courses will follow a similar format, however, instructor and trainer qualifications are more complex as there will be several levels.
Read more about TecRec on the TecRec Blog, see right corner for links.

New Dive Anywhere Campaign Connects You and Your Customers

2011-05-03T14:48:00.002+02:00

Grow your customer base by posting your Dive Anywhere events to padi.com.
Dive Anywhere is here to help you increase awareness of local diving and connect consumers with your business. This new global diver acquisition campaign is designed to combat the misperception that great diving is only available in specific regions.
The PADI organization has a number of Dive Anywhere advertising and marketing efforts that drive divers to an interactive map on padi.com where they will find Dive Anywhere events. This currently includes a flash graphic on the home page (one of the large images in rotation), so this is the ideal time to get your events uploaded.

What are Dive Anywhere events?
Whatever you want them to be! From large scale Discover Scuba Diving experiences to Tec Explorer Days or gear demonstrations, Dive Anywhere is anything that is in your area.
PADI Dive Centres and Resorts only need to post their events to take advantage of the campaign. Just visit the Marketing Toolbox section at the PADI Pros’ Site and upload event information such as event name, date and activities provided. It’ll then show up on the interactive map at padi.com/dive-events. Plus, you’ll find customizable marketing collateral in the Marketing Toolbox on the PADI Pros’ Site, to help promote your event.
For more information on registering or conducting your Dive Anywhere events, email marketing@padi.co.uk

Feedback from and to PADI Members 2010

2011-04-05T10:30:00.002+02:00

Feedback från 2010
Iceland

5252 Scuba Iceland
162695 Finnbjorn Finnbjornsson

“The instructor made me feel very secure but still made sure I knew how to deal with everything myself, not just rely on him.”

5157 DIVE. IS - Sport Diving School of Iceland
486899 David Ramsay
“My teacher was excellent all the way through, friendly, helpful, social and very confidence inspiring.
All in all a very enjoyable experience in a very serious hobby :)”

Norway

5163 Prodykk
257651 Anders Degerdal

“Im happy with my instructor and the course in general. Was a good experience overall”
“Mr Degerdal was a very good instructor! I am very satisfied with my training, and I am confident to go out and continue diving!”

5080 Nemo
262432 Lars Korvald

”Et veldig bra kurs med hyggelige og dyktige instruktører! Gleder meg til AOWD kurset!”

5009 Dykkersport
505510 Annika Persson
“Annika Persson was the best instructor I can Think off!! And all her helpers where fantastic!!
Dykkersport at Lysaker brygge is a great place to Yale course!!”

“Min instruktør Annika Persson var ekstremt nøye med at alle måtte gjennomføre alle øvelser korrekt og dette ga en fantastisk trygghetsfølelse. Har tenkt å ta adcanced kurs og har bestemt meg for at det blir kun med samme instruktør. Utrolig dyktig dame :)”

Denmark

5248 Dykkergitte
267578 Kim Henriksen
“Dykkergitte´s policy of having only 4 students pr. instructor has given me a course with high quality and safety. All my questions have been answered in full. It has been a great pleasure to take the course at Dykkergitte.”

5224 Kingfish Dive & Travel
507682 Mia C. Krogh hansen
“Mia was a very good instructor, whose pedagogical skills never failed.”

5268 N. O. W Dive
955214 Ben Bos
”Meget pædagogisk og kompetent instruktør! Ben Bos skabte en behagelig og samtidig seriøs stemning omkring dykkeruddannelsen. Udstyret var af rigitg god kvalitet og virkede slet ikke slidt.”

Sweden

1101 Alpin & Dyksport
508320 Margit Juretic
”Jag är jätte nöjd med kursen och med min instruktör. jag kommer utan tvekan att gå fler kurser för samma instruktör, har redan gått advance open water och dry suit för samma instruktör och är som sagt jätte nöjd.”

1394 Oxygene Örebro
75980 Lars Andersson

“The course was a very well balanced experience. Enough time was spent in the pool to ensure a sense of knowledge and safty once the final open Water dives took place. The small groups (6 students, 1 instructor) made it easy to connect with the instructor and I felt that I was given enough room to ask question and be allowed help with my weaknesses.”

31017 Oxygene Lysekil
250817 Fredrik Andersson

”Min instruktör var en mycket bra pedagog som var tydlig och höll ett lugnt och bra tempo. Kursen kändes seriös, säker och givande. Superbra!”

1384 Aquatica
257120 Daniel Andersson

”EN mycket bra kurs! Har varit en fantastisk upplevelse!”

77854 Björn Petersson

“I’m very very satisfied with my open water course and instructor. Looking forward to the advanced course!!”

A well done to all of you, and to all other PADI Members.

PADI EMEA

2011-03-29T16:46:00.004+02:00

As you may be aware from previous correspondence, the PADI organization is constructing a new regional headquarters to be known as PADI EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). The new regional headquarters will consist of the territories currently serviced by PADI International Ltd., PADI Europe and PADI Nordic.

The primary headquarters of PADI EMEA will be located in Bristol, UK, with another major office in Hettlingen, Switzerland. The present office in Goteborg will continue to operate until the end of 2011, then most of the departmental business will shift to the centralized PADI EMEA entity. However, several of the best known staff from PADI Nordic will then be employed by PADI EMEA and will continue to be based in the Nordic region. These include, Trond Skaare, Hans “Olle” Olsson, Immi Wallin and Mikael “Mox” Moberg. These individuals will be able to interface with PADI members in the Nordic region as they have in the past, and their ongoing input into the PADI organization will ensure that the needs of our members in those countries are considered and planned for into the future. Between them they also have a good range of languages key to the region.

In 2012 the present PADI Nordic membership will be serviced by the largest PADI Regional Headquarters in the world with more than 2,500 retail and resort members,
and 57,500 individual members certifying more than 380,000 divers annually.

The regional headquarters will support a diverse range of languages and cultures.

To answer any questions you may have regarding being a part of PADI EMEA we will be conducting a series of Member Seminars in Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden. Attending these seminars together with senior staff from PADI Nordic will be Douglas Nash Vice President, Sales & Marketing PADI International Ltd., and Jean-Claude Monachon Executive Director, Market Development, PADI Europe.

For a list of seminar dates, times and venues please consult the list below.
11. April Sweden Göteborg Hotell G, Nils Erkssonplatsen 19.00
12. April Norway Oslo Clarion Hotel Royal Christiania, 19.00
13. April Sweden Stockholm Piperska Muren, Scheelegatan 14 19.00
23. May Denmark København Hotel Skt: Petri, Krystalgade 22 19.00
24. May Danmark Odense First Hotell Grand, Jerbanegade 18 19.00
25. May Finland Helsinki Scandic Marina Congress Center, Press Room, 1st Floor. Address: Katajanokanlaituri 6, 00160 Helsinki. 19.00

2011-03-09T13:59:00.004+01:00

Very much welcome to PADI Member forum in Odense, Denmark.
Date: March 22.
Time: 18.30
Venue: First Hotel Grand, Jerbanegate 18, Odense.
This year’s MF will be cover, among other topics:
Global and Nordic certification statistic.
Trends in diver certifications.
The new PADI Divemaster Course.
New directions for Project AWARE.
PADI Rebreather Course information.
PADI Standards.
Risk management.
I look forward to see you!

Groupons

2011-03-09T10:43:00.003+01:00

HOW TO!

Use Group Voucher Websites as an Effective Marketing StrategyAre you familiar with “deal-of-the-day” websites, offering great discounts to customers based on a minimum number of sign-ups for each deal? Maybe you’ve even bought vouchers yourself?

This is one of the fastest growing online shopping markets, and is estimated to be worth millions of dollars in revenue each month. Many PADI Dive Centres have already advertised on websites such as “Groupon” (group coupon), “Living Social”, and “Spreets” (spread the word on the streets), and following their experiences, we would like you to consider some key points, before you dive in.

Although any advertising that gets customers through your door is great, it’s important to recognise that the web-savvy consumer these sites attract can be your ally or your enemy. Give them a really positive experience and they’ll advertise you for free to their friends via social media like “Twitter” and “Facebook” etc. Give them a bad experience or poor customer service and they’ll tell ten times as many people!

It’s crucial for your business to get this right first time!

What is the Real Marketing Value of this for a Dive Centre?
The obvious and immediate value is the increased footfall of customers into your store – but this alone does not generate much income. The percentage discount you have to give and the substantial cut taken by the website really only makes this a viable option for selling DSDs, and you are unlikely to make profit from those DSD experiences alone after costs. Therefore the long term value to your centre comes from converting the DSDs to Open Water divers, regular customers and beyond.

To have a fighting chance of converting them, you need to have the scope for delivering really effective customer service at each point of contact – that is when they first phone you, when they come in to the centre to dive with you, and following up with them after they’ve completed the DSD. You need to have your strategy and a schedule for this in place IN ADVANCE – waiting until the phone starts ringing is too late!

What is it going to cost my business?
It may seem like a golden sales opportunity, but before you get too carried away with the hundreds of people you could sign up, make sure you can realistically handle them and give them a great experience. There are costs in time, effort and resources that must be planned for.

Work backwards - start with what you can deliver
and let that dictate what you offer!

Be aware that you can dictate the maximum number of vouchers available, as well as the minimum. Having a cap on the number offered can also add perceived value to your deal and future deals if you do it again.

Responding
After the deal goes live, the phone will ring constantly for a couple of days, with people eager to book in with you, you may also have a stampede come through the door! Having a designated member of staff to cover the phone during this period is essential – it allows you to give consistent customer service to the callers, while avoiding any confusion or mistakes over what is booked in the diary. It will also mean minimum disruption is caused to your staff, existing customers and the courses that are running at the time.

Scheduling
When scheduling the DSD Experiences, consider the costs associated with pool use and staffing. If you don’t have a pool on site, the most cost-effective way is to combine the DSD time slots with your regular pool times, or if booking the pool especially, establish a minimum number of people per session to make it viable. Work out the pool time/staff hours/equipment that can be committed and the staff to participant ratio you want to offer. Allow extra time for your staff to register all the DSDs afterwards.

Do not be afraid to limit the times available to the public, so that it works within your existing schedule rather than swamping it. Make sure that accommodating large numbers of DSDs does not damage your core business or alienate your regulars.

Commitment
Depending on the site you advertise with, there will be differences on your contractual obligations and how you redeem the money for vouchers sold:
*Be aware of exclusivity clauses, and ensure you are prepared to honour any restrictions on advertising your centre through other websites.
*Work out how many vouchers/people you can take based on the immediate cost you can afford to absorb. Some sites pass on the money for the vouchers sold after the deal has closed, making you responsible for handling any refunds, cancellations etc. Others withhold the money until after the vouchers are used, and there will be a time delay between you running the DSD and reclaiming/receiving the money for it.

When costing your campaign, factor in the immediate expenses of DSD booklets, staffing, pool costs and gear without relying on the voucher money to cover it in the short term!

Sales Opportunity
If you plan to make additional income from merchandise sales, make sure what you offer is optional. Adding hidden costs to the existing deal will alienate this customer, and may cause them to demand a refund. If a high percentage of voucher customers demand a refund, you can encounter problems with the website, in addition to the negative publicity it will cause for your business locally and in the social media.

Consider sales opportunities in the small detail, for example offering customers the chance to buy their own mouthpieces, (for use with your rental equipment,) is one good idea that has been used already.

After Care & Maximising the Value to your Business
If you wait until all the vouchers have been redeemed before you start contacting the first DSD customers, you will have missed the boat!

Hopefully a percentage will sign up for more on the day, however it’s difficult to spend quality time with everyone when you’re dealing with groups. Following up with each person individually within a couple of days is the best way to capitalise on their positivity and the great experience they’ve had with you.

You already have their interest – now make use of it!
The potential value to your business of each new diver makes it worth scheduling some extra time for your staff to call them afterwards, and spend a few minutes talking about their experience, the courses you offer, social events at your centre etc.

To find out more about the ideal route to a successful follow up for DSDs, please contact your Regional Manager via mox.moberg@padi.se

2011-03-08T08:25:00.001+01:00

2011-03-07T15:47:00.003+01:00

Divers Event 2011
- en hel dag med fokus på dykning, udstyr og de gode dykkerhistorier
Søndag den 20. marts kl. 10.00 – 17.00 i Tommerup Hallerne – dyk med!
Uanset om du er erfaren dykker eller nybegynder, så får du god inspiration på Divers Event 2011 – den første dykkerevent af sin slags i Danmark.

2011-03-01T16:40:00.002+01:00

Free Entrance and Activities for PADI Members at Dive Village and Vildmarksmässan in Stockholm, 10-13th March, www.stockholmsmassan.se
PADI will as usual have a stand at the show. Please come and visit us and meet other colleagues within the dive industry during the show.

PADI Member ForumOn Saturday the 12th at 13:00 will PADI Nordic conduct a PADI Member Forum, in conference room K24. The Member Forum including news, stats, standards etc. Very much welcome!

You will as a PADI Member receive one free admission to the show, by sending an e-mail to olle.olsson@padi.se The e-mail shall include your name and padi number, mark the e-mail with "Dive Village". You pick up your ticket in an envelope with your name on at the main entrance "Huvudentrén - undanlagda biljetter".

We are looking forward to meet you at the show!

2011-02-21T16:01:00.002+01:00

Background:
Since 2005 PADI Nordic recognize a few certain PADI dive centers or/and members with”Excellent achievements award”.
To achieve this prestigious award all of the Dive centers and PADI members did something extra or exceptional, in or for the Nordic diving industry.
For more information, contact:
Mikael Mox Moberg, Regional Manager PADI Nordic.
mox.moberg@padi.se

2010 Awards are given to:Denmark.
PADI Dive Center.
Diving 2000
Always innovative, with new and progressive ways to satisfy their customers in a professional manner.
N.O.W Dive
Have in a short time established them self as a premium Dive Center with a broad range of courses and activities.

Individual Member.
Olav Bro, PADI IDC Staff Instructor # 503533.
A good example on how to build and grow your own diving business.

Norway
Dykkerhuset
Have in a short time established them self as a preferred Dive center in the area.
Pro Dykk
A very well established and managed Dive Center with a broad range of courses and activities.

Sweden
Fantasea Diving
A good example on how determination and focus can do for the increase of divers and diving activities.

Individual member
Fredrik Lövstad-Waldegren, PADI Course Director #73185
A large commitment and determination to grow the leadership market in the Nordic area.
Everything is possible.

Finland
Aqua World
A fantastic growth during 2010, an inspiration for many of us.

Tamperen Sukelluskeskus
A good example on how determination and enthusiastic Staff can do for the increase of results.

Individual members.
Eero Heiniö MSDT 72252
Heidi Heiniö OWSI 72018
Susanna Jyrkänvaara DM 76214
Jarmo Mailasalo MSDT 75264
Petteri Nyström CD 73995
Vesa korkeamäki MSDT 75354
And their families:
Jenna Heiniö
Jansku Mailasalo
Mapi Mailasalo
Elina Mailasalo
Mari Mailasalo
Roope Manninen
Iina Korkeamäki

For the hard work, and commitment during many years in making the Dive Show in Helsinki a success.

2011-02-18T09:28:00.006+01:00

Did you know that 80 percent of Discover Scuba Divers intend on becoming certified, but only seven percent ever actually do?

PADI Scuba Connect™, a new worldwide program, is connecting Discover Scuba Diving participants with their local PADI Dive Centres to assist PADI Resorts and Retailers in converting these one-time participants into active customers.

All PADI Resort and Retail Members have the opportunity to earn $60 US per person by registering your Discover Scuba Divers and encouraging them to become certified. In addition, similar to a traditional open water diver referral, PADI Scuba Connect will act as a reverse referral by encouraging resort Discover Scuba Diving participants to affiliate with a local dive centre once they’re home to complete their inwater training.

How does PADI Scuba Connect work?

1. Your customers complete the Discover Scuba Diving experience
2. Register them using the current Discover Scuba Diving registration system
3. Give them a pre-printed card (click here, to download the artwork) or contact your PADI Regional Manager for some sample copies , with:

1. Your PADI Dive Centre or Resort name
2. A customised promo code – which is the same as your dive centre or resort number
3. The promotional website
4. Encourage them to register for the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online using your customised promotional code.
5. When they register for the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online program, you receive $60 US from your PADI Office.
6. If they took their Discover Scuba Diving experience at a resort location, they will be treated as a reverse referral and prompted to affiliate and communicate with a local dive centre during their registration process to:

1. Purchase equipment
2. Purchase an Enhancement-Pak or a Crew-Pak
3. Complete their confined and open water dives

How do you benefit?

Here’s one example:

A couple takes a Discover Scuba Diving experience. The instructor registers them online through the PADI Discover Scuba Diving Registration system and encourages them to continue diving by taking the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online. They are not ready to register for the PADI Open Water Diver course that day, but want to continue diving at a later date. Their instructor provides them with a PADI Scuba Connect card and advises them to log on to the PADI Scuba Connect website as listed on the card when they get home.

The couple signs up for the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online using the promo code from their PADI Scuba Connect card. The dive centre or resort that initiated the conversion from Discover Scuba Diving to PADI Open Water Diver now earns $120 US ($60 US per person) just for registering the couple as Discover Scuba Diving participants and encouraging the couple to sign up with PADI eLearning. At the current rate of exchange this would be approximately £74.

Who benefits if the Discover Scuba Diving experience happened on holiday at a resort?

Both the PADI Resort and Retailer. If the couple took their Discover Scuba Diving experience with a PADI Resort they are treated as reverse referrals. When they register for the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online, they are prompted to affiliate with a local dive centre so they can complete their confined and open water dives, as well as purchase equipment.

In this case, the local retailer receives two new customers and the resort receives a financial incentive ($120 US) for converting these Discover Scuba Diving participants to open water divers through PADI Scuba Connect.

You can also do it the other way, if you are not successful in selling a full OWD cours or a Referral, or the customer is fully determinated to take the course somewhere ells, you can use this as a PADI DC in Nordic to provide the customer with eLearning. This will establish a positive realtion between you and the customer for the future.

Produce your own Scuba Connect Cards with your centres details and reap the rewards.

By using the attached artwork you can now add your centres details to the Scuba Connect cards and either print them off yourself or take them to a local printer for mass production.

The Scuba Connect Card Artwork can be downloaded directly here, (we used 210gsm card with 10 images per page, perforated at the edges) you can customise and print as many of these as you need to supply to your Discover Scuba Diving Participants today, before they head home to continue their diving.

2011-02-15T11:24:00.006+01:00

Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration
with information you need to join the Webinar.

Join EVE users from around the world to learn and transfer knowledge on PADI’s Marketing Management Software for the Business of Diving.

Register for a session now by clicking a date below:

Wed, Mar 16, 2011 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM GMT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/743822344

Wed, Apr 20, 2011 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM BST https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/989082513

Wed, May 18, 2011 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM BST https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/354621592

Wed, Jun 15, 2011 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM BST https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/741128568

Wed, Jul 20, 2011 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM BST https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/389449656

Wed, Aug 17, 2011 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM BST https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/149620184

Wed, Sep 21, 2011 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM BST https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/896183824

Wed, Oct 19, 2011 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM BST https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/143148369

Wed, Nov 16, 2011 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM GMT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/415866440

Wed, Dec 21, 2011 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM GMT https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/299292584

Time is measured from a point in London and so all time zones are relative to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
In the Summer, Britain switches to BST which is GMT+1.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

The Underwater Yahtzee World Record

2011-02-10T11:48:00.002+01:00

31st January 2011, a dive store, Dykterminalen, in Helsingborg, Sweden set a new world record with a game of yahtzee!
However, this was not your average game of yathzee, they were playing the game underwater with adult sand tiger sharks, nurse sharks and a guitar shark as well!
The team set the world record by diving with the sharks for 4 hours and 2 minutes and completing a total of 15 games of yahtzee! The team also worked hard to collect over 1000 signatures for the Give Sharks a Fighting Chance campaign.
The aim of the world record challenge was to raise awareness of Project AWARE's Give Sharks a Fighting Chance campaign in Sweden. The team spent time talking with the visitors of Kolmårdens Tropicarium, the aquarium where the event took place, to make them aware of the need to protect our oceans and in particular, the sharks.
This world record was completed by Lelle Toth, Annelie Lövgren, and Mikaela Sjölin and was covered by top Swedish news channels and large Swedish newspapers, including SVT, Sweden’s biggest TV programme!
Congratulations Dyketerminalen and thank you for your support!
Have you signed the petition to give sharks a fighting chance? Click this link to add your name to the petition: www.projectaware.org/givesharksachance.

New iPhone and Android App Puts PADI Dive Centers and Resorts on the Map

2011-02-09T12:45:00.002+01:00

PADI launches industry’s first mobile application for iPhone and Android to locate dive shops worldwide.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – 9 February 2011 – PADI Dive Centers and Resorts have arrived on the popular app scene with the launch of the new PADI App for the Apple iPhone and Android smartphones. Going scuba diving has never been easier as the app helps users find their closest PADI Dive Center or Resort to fulfill all of their dive needs.
The PADI App lets users search for PADI Dive Centers or Resorts worldwide by entering the city and state (if applicable) or postal code. There’s also a convenient “current location” feature where users can quickly find the closest PADI facility. Search results appear as pins on a map or a list of dive centers and resorts. When users click on one of the search results, the contact information and PADI membership level for the facility appears. Enhanced listings also show additional details, including business hours, courses offered, available equipment lines and more.
“Consumers use smartphones to quickly and conveniently find what they need -- and the dive industry has to meet them there,” says PADI Vice President of Marketing and Communications Kristin Valette. “According to Gartner research, the iPhone and Android models account for approximately 42 percent of global smartphone sales to end users. The PADI App connects this mobile market with PADI Dive Centers and Resorts - making it easy for them to go scuba diving anywhere in the world.”
Online media outlets have already discovered the PADI App and so will hundreds of millions of smartphone users around the globe. Stay tuned for more features coming to the PADI App in the future.
The PADI App is yet another PADI Retailer and Resort Associations member benefit connecting members with more customers. Download the PADI App from www.padi.com/mobile-apps. For more information on joining the PADI Retailer and Resort Associations, email Nick Jenny or call 800 729 7234 (US and Canada) or +1 949 858 7234, ext. 2238.

Wreck seminar in Helsinki, Finland

2011-01-28T11:02:00.004+01:00

New Project AWARE 2011 Limited Edition Whale card Now Available!

2011-01-25T11:22:00.003+01:00

Your student divers can start taking action for marine conservation as soon as they complete a diving course by choosing to receive the Project AWARE version of their PADI certification card, or by replacing their current card.

For a minimum donation of £10 or more, any diver can sport the new Humpback Whale card and know 100 percent of their gift supports protection for the environment they love the most.

Over the 21 years of AWARE, the minimum donation amount has always been £5, so we are increasing it to be consistent globally and consistent with global cost increases. The figure closely matches what is currently being donated by each PIC as most donations come in at £10 and over.

Your participation matters.60 percent of Project AWARE donations come through the PADI Certification process. Use these tools and challenge your students to choose the only card choice that contributes to underwater conservation:

1. Use the New Whale Card Poster to promote the card to your students.
2. Build support into every course. Simply add £10 minimum donation to the course price and let divers know it supports protection for underwater environments.
3. Download the Whale c-card image. Use it to promote the AWARE card scheme on your website.
4. Email Us to Go 100% AWARE via PIC Online and certify all your students with the Project AWARE card.

Generous support of the certification card program has helped Project AWARE underwrite many successful projects and programs such as shark protection, underwater cleanups and coral monitoring in 2010.

As they prepare to re-launch the long standing organisation on 08th June 2011 with a new mission, vision and strategies for ocean health and abundance they need your help more than ever before.

Thanks for your ongoing commitment and support to PADI’s environmental charity Partner.

MATKA 2011 Travel Fair, Helsinki.

2011-01-24T12:00:00.003+01:00

Now its done!
The travel fair was a huge success among all exhibitors at the Diving village.
A lot of visitors, and a huge interest in diving among the visitors.
During the fair, more than 150 persons tried diving by conducting a PADI Discover Scuba Diving in the pool.
A big “thank you” to all dive industry persons taking part in the exhibition, a special thank you to the PADI Instructors initiating and made it all happen.
Petteri Nyström.
Petri Stenberg
Aleksi Nieminen
We will be back next year!

Expand your advertising on line.....

2011-01-14T11:08:00.003+01:00

At padimembers.com
you cand find video clips for download, to use on your website or in your presentation. You can also find Images, logos and banners.
Go to "Toolbox" and Marketing.

Image / Logo and Video Gallery
** High resolution is for print; low resolution is for web

Images / Logos / Icons / Banners

Logos, Icons and Banners Gallery
Emergency First Response Image Gallery
Lifestyle Images Gallery
Underwater Images Gallery
Fresh Water Images Gallery
Videos

Digital Underwater Photographer Video Low Res
Enriched Air Nitrox Video Low Res
Open Water Diver Video Low Res
Television Co-op Commercials
Generation Y 30 Second Commercial (quicktime)
Generation Y 60 Second Commercial
Generation X 30 Second Commercial (quicktime)
Generation X 30 Second Commercial
Generation X 60 Second Commercial (quicktime)
Generation X 60 Second Commercial
Baby Boomer 30 Second Commercial (quicktime)
Baby Boomer 30 Second Commercial
Baby Boomer 60 Second Commercial (quicktime)
Baby Boomer 60 Second Commercial

Dive Village at MATKA Travel Fair 2011.

2011-01-13T10:18:00.004+01:00

Dear PADI Member,
As you might know and are aware of, there will be a Dive Village at the Matka Travel Fair in Helsinki, from Thu 20 to Sun 23 Jan 2011. Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Messuaukio 1, Helsinki.

This event has been initiated by the local dive industry and several of your colleagues.

The visitors at Dive Village will find a pool for try diving and activities, a number of short talks about diving will be conducted. For the time being nine varies companies from the dive industry will be represented at Dive Village. A competition with a quiz for the public will be going on in Dive Village during the public days. The three first correct answered forms in a drawing are winning a PADI Open Water Diver Course.

The Matka Travel Fair and Dive Village will give you as a PADI member an encouragement and chance to see the show by sending you enclosed invitation card, for a free entrance during the public days. The invitation card entitles you to one free admission to Matka 2011 and Dive Village, during the public days starting at 12.00 noon the 21st Jan – 23rd Jan 2011.

The first of two planned MF in Helsinki.
Saturday, January 22, afternoon at 15.00 PADI will conduct a PADI Member Forum in Ballroom 2. Please note that you need your enclosed invitation card or an exhibition ticket to enter the Convention & Exhibition Centre. The PADI Member Forum will be conducted by Mikael “Mox” Moberg and it will be given in English.

After the Member Forum and a bit later the same night it will be a Diving Social at Cantina West, Kasarminkatu 23 in Helsinki, starting at 19.00. Dive Village invites you to enjoy an evening out with other Divers! There will be good food, excellent company and a happy atmosphere!

The only way to ensure your participation is to purchase a dinner card from Helsingin Sukelluskeskus, Kalevankatu 55, ph. +358 45 13 00 805, e-mail helsinki@sukelluskeskus.fi By 25 € you will get GRANDE FIESTA menu. Kindly note, that drinks are not included. There are only certain amount of cards - so be fast and get a card for yourself and your friends! Last day to purchase dinner cards is Friday 14th?? of January!
Come along!

PADI www.padi.com
Sukelluskeskus www.sukelluskeskus.fi
Ravintola Cantina West www.cantinawest.net
Matka 2011 http://web.finnexpo.fi/Sites1/Matka/Sivut/default.aspx

New PADI Regional Headquarters Delivers Expanded Benefits to Members

2011-01-12T10:11:00.002+01:00

Launch of new office will increase product and customer support offerings for local members.

BRISTOL, GÖTEBORG, HETTLINGEN 01.01.2011 -- PADI Members in Europe, the Middle East and Africa will enjoy a higher level of customer service and support as PADI International Ltd., PADI Europe and PADI Nordic prepare to combine forces in 2011. The new regional headquarters, PADI EMEA (PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa), unites the talent and resources of the three offices to provide PADI Members with an unparalleled level of support, services and products.

"Trends in the dive market are changing, so the PADI Offices are responding to meet changing member? needs," says PADI Europe Executive Director, Jean-Claude Monachon. "The goal of the new regional headquarters is to move PADI Members ahead as market leaders through a broader range of products and services than currently available, and by leveraging resources to make it easier and more convenient to access products, services and support through PADI EMEA."

PADI EMEA will be the largest PADI Regional Headquarters and serve more than 2,000 retail and resort members and 57,500 individual members, who in turn certify more than 380,000 divers annually. To meet the demands of this culturally diverse membership, PADI EMEA will extend its service hours, centralize its phone system, expand online services and provide customer support in more than twenty languages. The centralization of services will allow for faster member and diver certification processing, consistent marketing campaigns, enhanced PADI eLearning® support, simplified pricing, broader job search and placement options, easier instructor mobility and more. In addition, the regional headquarters size will significantly increase its ability to interact with and influence media, government and industry relations.

"The size and scope of PADI EMEA creates tremendous bargaining leverage on behalf of PADI Members and opens the door to new partnerships and exciting opportunities for attracting new divers," says PADI President and Chief Operating Officer Drew Richardson. "PADI EMEA?s reach will help bring new people into diving -- potentially in unprecedented numbers."

Mark Caney, VP, Training, Education and Memberships at PADI International Ltd, emphasized the value in pooling the talent of the three offices. "We are excited about the expansion of capabilities PADI EMEA represents for our members. Among the staff of the new office we will have an extraordinary range of talents, with specialists who have run thousands of Discover Scuba sessions in the Maldives or those who have conducted tec diving courses in the frozen Baltic Sea. The breadth of diving experience and language support now available to PADI Pros is unmatched in the industry".

PADI EMEA will lead the regional dive industry in customer service, sales, business education, marketing and training consultancy. To ensure a smooth transition and uninterrupted member support and customer service, the three offices will integrate their services in stages throughout 2011, with full integration scheduled by 2012. For more information regarding PADI EMEA, please contact Jean-Claude Monachon, Tel Nr: +41 52 304 14 14 or via email: jcm@padi.com

PADI - The Way the World Learns to Dive®

PADI TecRec: New rebreather course range

2011-01-05T14:02:00.005+01:00

For over 40 years, PADI has been offering a complete range of recreational diving courses.
Ten years ago, the agency entered the world of technical diving.
Today, PADI launches a brand new range of courses for Rebreather diving: from recreational courses to full tec.
Mark Caney is vice president for Rebreather Technologies with the Technical Diving Division of PADI.
He knows exactly what they have in store.
Obviously we wanted to know how their new range of CCR courses is structured, what kind of courses PADI will offer, and which rebreather they will work with.

For more information and watch the interview go to:

http://www.padi.com/tecrecblog
http://www.facebook.com/PADITecRec

2011-01-05T14:01:00.002+01:00

Wreck Diving Seminar in Finland

2010-12-22T11:25:00.001+01:00

PADI Recognition for December 2010

2010-12-22T10:00:00.004+01:00

Below are the IRRA winners for December:

The winner is Rainbow Reef Dive Center s15179

The honorable mentioned were;
ABC Dive Ltd s32334 – PADI International Ltd.
Ocean Pro Meeru s798161 – PADI Europe
Thresher Shark Divers s36055 –PADI Asia Pacific
Havsport Trondheim A/S s5238 – PADI Nordic

Below is the winner for Member Recognition for December and the honorable mentioned.

Winner:
Ute Frelec #91302 –PADI Europe

Honorable Mentioned:
Christopher Pace #92560 -PADI Asia Pacific
Bruce Coles #624100 – PADI PIL
Jonas Westerberg #86804 – PADI Nordic
Peter Mikhail #210071 –PADI Americas

A very good job done to the DC and Instructors listed.

Underwater Yahtzee

2010-12-13T08:47:00.001+01:00

The thought of playing Yahtzee for 8 hours may seem like a tall order for some, but couple this with an underwater environment and you have yourself a World Record attempt. A group of divers from Sweden are taking Yahtzee to the depths of their Tropicarium on January 31st 2011!

They want to not only attempt a world record by playing as many games of Yahtzee underwater, estimated at around 8 hours, but they want to alert people of the Project AWARE Give Shark a Fighting Chance campaign. PADI Course Director, Mikaela Sjölin said, ‘We will continue until the air is empty’. The divers will have dual 18 L232 Bar Steel tanks and will play as many rounds of Yahtzee in the shark pool as they possible can in 8 hours!

A big thank you to Mikaela Sjölin, Annelie Lövgren, and Levente Toth, for organising this event. Best of luck to all the participants!

To find out how you too can help Give Sharks a Fighting Chance, go to Project AWARE blog.

Historical Meeting Results in Creation of Rebreather Association

2010-12-13T07:55:00.003+01:00

PADI and the world’s major CCR manufacturers came together at the DEMA Show in Las Vegas, USA on 17th November to hear PADI’s vision of where rebreather technology may head in the future and to receive an outline of PADI’s new CCR programs due for release in 2011. The Meeting was chaired by Mark Caney - Vice President of Rebreather Technologies (PADI Technical Diving Division). PADI was also represented by other PADI Technical Diving Division Executives including; Terry Cummins (Director Market Development), Karl Shreeves (Director of Decompression Diving) and James Morgan (Director of Advanced Wreck Diving). Pascal Dietrich Technical Consultant at PADI Europe and Jeff Nadler of PADI Americas were also in attendance.

Over 30 executives representing the cream of the world’s CCR manufacturers were present, including AP Diving, Diverite, Dräger, Hollis/Oceanic, KISS, Innerspace Systems, Micropore Inc, Poseidon, Shearwater, Silent Diving, Titan, Revo and VR Technology.
One of the most exciting outcomes of the meeting was the decision by the manufacturers to form the Rebreather Education and Safety Association (RESA) to set a higher degree of cooperation amongst CCR manufacturers. It is intended that this group will also address manufacturing standards and some of the issues that will make their products more appealing to a greater audience.

2011 Individual Membership Renewal

2010-11-11T16:02:00.003+01:00

Believe it or not; the 2011 renewal process is on its way.

Many of you have signed up for Automatic Renewal. You do not have to do anything. We will process the Automatic renewal around 29th of November.
For those of you who have not signed up for Automatic Renewal, or don't remember if you have, we have some great news. You can still sign on and save money (compare prices below) There are 2 options to do so:

1.Log on to the new Pro site at padimembers.com. Go to "My Account", and find the link to "My Auto Renewal". Click on the link and follow the instructions. You will be notified when your renewal is processed. You can expect this notification early December. Should there be a problem, you will be notified by e-mail, and you will have to renew online.

2.In the Online Renewal form, you can click the Automatic sign up box. The renewal fee will then be changed to the lower online price, and you will be registered in the Automatic renewal option.

We will launch Online Renewal as usual. Go to padimembers.com and click on the link for Online Renewal 2011 as soon as it is available. (Remember to sign up for automatic renewal and take advantage of the reduced fee.)
The last option is the good old manual way. If you for some reason are unable to use Automatic Renewal or Online renewal, you must contact us. We will help you in your renewal process. With manual handling via invoice, an additional fee of SEK 100,- will be charged.
Prices for 2011 are (all prices in SEK including 25% VAT:
Divemasters and Assistant Instructors, before 31. Jan 2011
• Automatic Renewal: 975,-
• Online Renewal: 1015,-
• Manual Renewal: 1130,-
After 31. Jan 2011
• Automatic Renewal: 1050,-
• Online Renewal: 1135,-
• Manual Renewal: 1240,-
Instructors (all levels), before 31. Jan 2011
• Automatic Renewal: 1665,-
• Online Renewal: 1815,-
• Manual Renewal: 1950,-
After 31. Jan 2011
• Automatic Renewal: 1735,-
• Online Renewal: 1990,-
• Manual Renewal: 2135,-
EFR Instructors/Trainers will have the same price regardless of method
• Renewal: 605,-
Alumni status will have the same price regardless of method
• Renewal: 445,-
We will encourage you to use the Automatic Renewal as your preferred method.
The staff of PADI Nordic wishes you welcome as members in 2011

Wreck Diving and UW-Photo Seminar, Stockholm, Sweden

2010-11-03T14:26:00.003+01:00

INBJUDAN TILL SEMINARIUM I VRAKFOTO
SEMINARIET
För att stimulera och uppmuntra vrakfotografering så bjuder marinarkeologiska enheten
MARIS vid Södertörns Högskola och föreningen P2-Svenskt Vrakskydd in till
vrakfotoseminarium lördag den 13:e november i Södertörns Högskolas lokaler i Flemingsberg(Stockholm Syd).

Det är en gratis tillställning som består av en serie halvtimmesföredrag relaterade tillundervattensfotografering av vrak, med avsikt att vara en inspirationsdag för fotointresseradepå olika nivåer, både för totala nybörjare och erfarna fotografer. Tillställningen är inte enkomplett utbildning, utan skall ses som en möjlighet att upptäcka nya områden relaterade tilluv-fotografi, kunna få tips och råd, höra på intressanta föredrag, samt även träffa andralikasinnade personer.

Dagen börjar kl 09:00 och slutar kl 17:30, där i ingår även två kaffepauser och lunchpaus.
Innehållet presenteras på föredragslistan nedan.
Tillställningen är gratis och arrangeras utan vinstsyften.

Dagen börjar kl 09:00 och slutar kl 17:30, där i ingår även två kaffepauser och lunchpaus.
Innehållet presenteras på föredragslistan nedan.
Tillställningen är gratis och arrangeras utan vinstsyften.

ANMÄLAN
Glöm inte att du måste anmäla dig för att ha plats på seminariet eftersom antalet platser är
begränsat.
Anmälan sker genom att mejla för- och efternamn till: vrakfoto@hotmail.com

DSD 2 for 1

2010-11-02T09:05:00.003+01:00

DSD Campaign November 1st to January 30th 2011. Sydsvenska Dagbladet and Stjärnkortet is now starting.

Provdyk -Gå 2 betala för 1!
Dykning ger dig en total kroppslig och mental upplevelse, fascinationen över att röra sig viktlöst och att kunna andas obehindrat under vatten är fantastisk.
Nu har du möjligheten att tillsammans med en erfaren PADI Instruktör, få göra provdyket ”PADI Discover Scuba Diving”. Dyket gör du i en lugn och skön pool miljö. Efter en kort och grundlig genomgång av det praktiska får du starta på grunt vatten där du kan stå upp. Sen provar du tillsammans med Instruktören att dyka.
Stjärnpris: Gå 2 och betala för 1! Ord pris fr 250:-
Plats: Oxygene Malmö/Dykskolan på Kirseberg 040-40181 520
Dykterminalen Malmö 040 30 68 68
Aquatica 040 15 55 04
Dykkedjan-Malmö Dyktjänst 040 16 22 16
Skånsk Dykservice 040 41 05 01
Dykterminalen Lund 046 21 19 00 6
H2O Lund 046 38 92 60
Mega Dyk 041 82 35 81
SUB Divers 043 53 08 67
Ängelholms Dykcenter 0431 20 370
Dykterminalen Helsingborg/Diveschool 18-30 042 24 53 50
Tid och plats: Boka individuellt med ett PADI Dykcenter. Se listan.
Datum: Gäller fram till 31 januari 2011.
Regler: Du skall vara frisk utan hjärt-,lung eller kärlsjukdomar. Från 12 år och uppåt. Målsmans tillstånd krävs för de under 18 år. Medtag badkläder, handduk en dykpartner.

The Winter Challenge

2010-10-27T17:03:00.004+02:00

Make sure you and your PADI Dive Center have a busy winter with lots of diving courses and activities to keep your divers active and happy.
Background:
One of the most successful ways to keep in contact with your old students and customers is to meet them personally, face to face. The next best way is “old fashion” talk to them.
We have several very good examples on the results of “calling” old students and customers, does it work? Definitely, since this is not cold calling (such as telephone sales from different companies) you and your Dive Center already got a positive relationship with the student/customer it is one of the absolute most successful way to “know what your customers want and to get them diving”.

The goal is to book 1 student / day (at least).

How?
1. Get a contact list from your PADI Dive Center Manager with name, phone number and e-mail from students and customers. (In Denmark, make sure your Dive Center got the student/customers approval to contact them)
2. Make sure you got a schedule of courses and activities.
3. Grab a pen and a paper.
4. Start calling from the top of the list.
5. Tell the result on the PADI Nordic Tribe Facebook site.

If you are a PADI Member and not part of The PADI Nordic Tribe, please send a request for membership.

EVE Webinar

2010-10-27T09:37:00.002+02:00

Join us for a Webinar on November 11

Meet & Learn - Improve Business - Tips on using EVE - Idea Sharing - Networking

Title: The EVE Users' Group

Date: Thursday, November 11, 2010

Time: 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM PST (Pacific Standard Time, California. USA)

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/981168993

Recognition

2010-10-26T16:08:00.006+02:00

The following PADI Dive centers and PADI Members are recognized for outstanding work.

Honorable Mentioned: IRRA Perth Scuba s36034 /PADI Asia Pacific
The Dive Shop s35132 /PADI International Ltd.
Sport Time s9132 /PADI Europe
Tamperen Sukelluskeskus s31021 /PADI Nordic

Honorable Mentioned: Individual Member Vincent Callagahn #480005 /PADI Asia Pacific
Yasser Abdelrehim #207249 /PADI International Ltd.
Ramona Christeleit #982012 /PADI Europe
Fredrik Lövstad-Waldegren#73185 PADI Nordic

Gratulations to Tamperen Sukelluskeskus in Finland and PADI Course Director, Fredrik Lövstad-Waldegren, Sweden.
Picture: Top Jussi Sila, Tamperen Sukelluskeskus, below: Fredrik Lövstad-Waldegren.

PADI and Rebreathers

2010-10-25T18:25:00.003+02:00

At the recent Eurotek conference in the UK, PADI released more information about its plans with rebreathers.

Mark Caney, Vice President, Rebreather Technologies in the PADI Technical Diving Division gave a presentation on the coming range of courses. The courses will be introduced at some time during 2011 and consist of both recreational courses under the PADI name, and a range of technical courses which will form part of the TecRec range.

Caney emphasised that courses were still in development, and so subject to change, however indicated the likely layout of the courses would be as below.

Although some credit will be given for anyone who has completed the recreational courses before entering the technical range, there is no requirement for them to do so, as PADI is treating the two styles of diving quite differently.

When asked which units would be approved for these courses, Caney explained that PADI would be designating two categories of rebreather; a Type R for recreational diving, and a Type T for technical diving. A Type R unit will have a high level of automation but relatively limited diver controls. (The Poseidon MkVI Discovery was mentioned as the only unit in production at present meeting these requirements). A Type T will have a wider range of controls for the user but will require significantly more discipline and training on the part of the diver in order to use them in the technical diving envelope. (Most of the current production units could meet the Type T requirements; however, PADI is considering requiring some form of third party testing of rebreather designs prior to approval as this technology is so new and relatively complex).

Caney suggested that if any instructors are planning to take advantage of these new courses that they should start to gain experience with rebreathers, as PADI will be expecting new instructors to show that they have acquired a significant amount of experience diving a given rebreather before they can teach others how to use it.

Keep yourself informed: Check The TecRec Blog.

Pro Night at Dykterminalen Lund

2010-10-25T10:30:00.002+02:00

On last Thursday we had the pleasure to conduct a PADI Pro Night at Dykterminalen Lund.
The evening was well attended by divers from the south of Sweden. The focus of the meeting was on Rescue, Divemaster and Instructor training with explanation on why? How? And the possibilities to move on in to the diving business these educations will lead to.
If you and you are interested in setting up a Pro Night at your PADI Dive Center, please contact:
Regional Manager, Mikael Mox Moberg

5 new instructors in Iceland

2010-10-15T08:43:00.003+02:00

Thursday 14th of October 2010 5 new instructors became certified in Iceland.
The OW dives were conducted in the lake Kleifarvatn.

From left to right: Trond Skaare (Examiner), Aron Bjarnason, Magnus Sveinsson, Kevin Martin, Louis Kotze and Erlendur Bogason.

PADI Nordic wish to congratulate you, and all the best for the future work in the diving industry.

TecRec TMX 45 and TMX 50 Distinctive Specialties

2010-10-13T12:45:00.003+02:00

PADI Technical Consultants have written a TecRec Distinctive Specialty to introduce the use of trimix when diving shallower than 50m.

The primary reason for using trimix at these depths is to reduce narcosis. Whilst many divers are happy to dive on EANx or air to 50m, others are not. In challenging diving conditions reducing narcosis can be desirable to almost all divers.

This is an optional course which can be taught to PADI Tec 45 and Tec 50 qualified divers to enable them to use trimix with a minimum of 21% Oxygen and a maximum of 20% Helium to make dives within their current TecRec certification depth limit with a planned decompression not exceeding 20 minutes.

The course utilises existing PADI course materials and content to introduce divers to trimix use within the limits described above. Students complete some self-study, a short knowledge development session, practical application and two dives using trimix.

The pre-requisite to teach these courses is to be an existing PADI Tec Trimix Instructor. The Instructor Distinctive Specialty application fee includes the course outline and a powerpoint presentation. Suitably qualified instructors will then become PADI TMX 50 Instructors and will be able to teach both TMX 45 and TMX 50 diver level courses.

For further information or to apply please contact your local PADI office:

European Shark Week

2010-10-06T16:58:00.002+02:00

Take Action During European Shark Week - Write to Your MEP
The European Union contains some of the largest shark fishing nations in the world, yet its finning ban is the weakest.
Now is the time to strengthen the ban. Your voice and your actions during European Shark Week, 9 -17 October, will make a difference.

During European Shark Week, Project AWARE is calling on all European Union citizens to write to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) asking them to press for a stronger EU finning regulation and add their name to the Written Declaration. This declaration calls on the EU Commission to deliver a proposal - completely prohibiting shark finning on-board fishing vessels.

How will this happen?
When EU citizens and shark advocates rally support from a majority of MEPs. Their role in closing loopholes in EU finning regulation is vital.
Time is not on our side when it comes to vulnerable shark species.

What can you do?
Write to your local MEP asking them to sign the Written Declaration on the EU Finning Ban!
1. Find your MEP contact details. Just click on your country to see the contact details of its MEPs.
2. Send your own letter or use our downloadable template. (For more info you can read the “Quick Guide to Writing to MEPs”)
3. Send Project AWARE a copy of your letter and a copy of your MEP replies to info@projectaware.org.uk
With tens of millions of sharks killed each year, shark finning contributes to an extraordinary waste of resources, unsustainable shark mortality and serious decline in shark populations. Sharks are vital to keep ecosystems in balance and as divers we know that an abundance of marine life and in particular, shark species, makes excellent diving. As shark populations decline, the severe consequences to the underwater world will also make the global dive sector suffer financially and hit the economies of resort-based diving destinations.
Thank you for taking action for shark conservation.

The King of Sweden comes snorkling with DIVE.IS!

2010-10-06T16:46:00.002+02:00

31.08.2010 -

In late August DIVE.IS had the honour of taking Carl XVI Gustav, King of Swe- den snorkeling in the clearest waters on this planet. The King came to Iceland on a private fishing trip with his friends and used the opportunity to explore Silfra with us. David and Tobi enjoyed themselves royally with his majesty...

Read more about DIVE.IS on:
http://www.dive.is/Diving_Iceland.php?page=News

Member and DC of the Month

2010-10-05T22:33:00.004+02:00

We are happy to announce the winners. Congratulations will go to Jeff Gordon MI-#192525/PADI Americas, and learntodive.co.uk s3702/ PADI International Ltd. Both will be profiled on the PADI Pros site, along with the honorable mentioned listed below.

Honorable mentioned: Individual Member
Mark Burns #257172 / PADI Asia Pacific
Dave Moulson #603455 / PADI International Ltd.
“Balky” Jose David Balcazar Melgar #973403 / PADI Europe
Ben Bos #955214 / PADI Nordic
Honorable mentioned: IRRA
International Scuba s18314 / PADI Americas
Exotic Malpascua Island Diver s6341 / PADI Asia Pacific
Balkysub s799290/ PADI Europe
Dykkerhuset s5251 / PADI Nordic

Picture: Ben Bos, N.O.W Dive, Denmark.

EVE Users

2010-10-05T09:35:00.003+02:00

Join us for a Webinar on October 14

Meet & Learn - Improve Business - Tips on using EVE - Idea Sharing - Networking

Title: The EVE Users' Group

Date: Thursday, October 14, 2010

Time: 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM PDT (Pacific Day Time) California, US.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/745731720

Computer use on eLearning

2010-08-27T10:07:00.001+02:00

Computer Diving added to Open Water Diver Course Online – Revised Quick Review

As of 7 June 2010, the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online also covers dive planning with a dive computer. Knowledge Reviews, Quizzes and the Final Exam have all been updated to include the dive computer planning questions and the eRecord now shows completion of the new Section 6.

When the eLearner comes to you to complete training, administer the revised Quick Review, which now has an additional seven questions (total 25) covering dive computer use. Students who have already registered for the course before 7 June 2010 will only have to complete questions 1-18, new students who register on or after 7 June 2010 will have to complete all 25 questions.

Download the revised Quick Review or you can find the form on padimembers.com under Toolbox - eLearning - Teach with PADI eLearning (Quick Reviews and more).

If you have any questions about how the new section functions or how to best implement PADI eLearning® to your course offerings, contact the Training Department at your PADI Office.

Member Recognition

2010-08-27T09:40:00.003+02:00

We are happy to announce the winners for September. Congratulations will go to Tim Hunt and Motif Diving Center.
Both will be profiled on the PADI Pros site, along with the honorable mentioned listed below.

Individual Member – Tim Hunt 208434 / Asia Pacific office
IRRA Member – Motif Diving Center s16980 / PADI International Ltd.

Honorable mentioned: IRRA
Maximum Scuba s19282 / PADI Americas
Dive Rarotonga s5429 / PADI Asia Pacific
DC Mihuric PADI 5* IDC s9664/ PADI Europe
Sport & Dyk s31005 / PADI Nordic

Honorable mentioned: Individual Member
James Sommer #185020 / PADI Americas
Jorg Varnhold #957289 / PADI Europe
Olav Bro #503533 / PADI Nordic

A very good job done by Sport & Dyk, Sweden and Olav Bro as Individual Member, Denmark.

Regional Managers Meeting, Bristol, UK

2010-08-25T10:50:00.003+02:00

Three happy PADI Divers together at the yearly RM meeting in Bristol.
A lot of productive discussions and exchange of ideas for the benefit of PADI Nordic Members was conducted during the meeting.

Left to right:
Brian Cronin, Mikael Mox Moberg, Drew Richardson.

The Go Pro Challenge 2009

2010-08-25T10:15:00.004+02:00

For the second year PADI Nordic gives out the recognition for the Go Pro Challenge.
2009 Mattias Sellin at Highcoastdiving, Örnsköldsvik, Sweden recives his Diploma.

You could also take part in the Go Pro Challenge for 2010.
More info on:
www.padimembers.com

If you would know more about Mattias and Highcoastdiving, go to:
www.highcoastdiving.com

PADI and Rebreathers

2010-08-24T10:55:00.004+02:00

Mark Caney, Director, Rebreather Technologies in PADI’s Technical Diving Division, today announced that PADI is planning to introduce its first rebreather courses to include closed circuit rebreathers next year. Caney said that PADI will produce a range of rebreather courses covering the needs of recreational and technical divers, and that the first courses will become available next year. They will be supported by

the usual high quality educational materials that PADI is well-known

Read more on:
http://tecrec.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/padi-rebreather-courses-confirmed/

AWARE

2010-08-20T09:49:00.003+02:00

Dykkere hev et pengeskab op af Marielundssøen.

Tirsdag den 17. august afholdte OceanAdventures Dykkercenter i Kolding et Project AWARE oprydningsdyk i Marielundssøen.

Selvom dagen bød på godt dansk vejr, kunne alle fremmødte kun skrive under på at dagen havde været en yderst vellykket en af slagsen. Omkring 30 dykkere, og ligeså mange på kanten, trodsede vejret og stillede op til AWARE dagen i Kolding, klar til at finkæmme søen og give en hånd med.

Dagen gav rigtige mange gode gevinster. Nogle lidt mere spændende end andre. Ude af syne – ude af sind, men dog ikke helt, for da de frivillige dykkere gik i gang, blev der hevet mange ting op af søen. En af de lidt mere interessante ting som blev fundet i søen, var en gammel mælk og fløde flaske fra mælkemandens tid i slut 60’erne. Derudover blev der også fundet en computer, der ikke lignede at den skulle findes igen, da den var godt pakket ind. Men dagens helt store gevinst, der fik mange af tilskuerne til at spærrer øjnene op, var da dykkeren Kaper Meyer, hev et pengeskab op af søen. Det viste sig dog at pengeskabet var opbrudt og tømt for indholdet. Computeren og pengeskabet er efterfølgende blevet afhentet af Sydøstjyllands Politi til identificering og som mulig led i en efterforskning.

Vandet var dejligt varmt, men dykkerne kunne ikke se mere end en 20-30 cm for sig og 50cm på det bedste. Dog lykkes det dykkerne at føle sig frem i søen og finde en masse mærkelige ting og sager.

For arrangøren var dagen ikke kun en stor succes, men også ligeså meget en måde at give noget igen på. Det er helt utrolig, hvad folk smider i vandet. Tonsvis af affald ender i vandet hvert år. Det vil vi gerne være med til at sætte fokus på ved at få det ryddet op igen og undgå de skadevirkninger som affaldet har på plante og dyrelivet – og samtidig er det jo et fantastisk samlingspunkt for os alle, til at løfte i flok og få nogle anderledes dykkeroplevelser, fortæller Martin Pedersen fra OceanAdventures Dykkercenter og arrangør af oprydningen.

Afslutningsvis skal der lyde et stort tak fra arrangøren til alle fremmødte, både dykkere, overflademandskab og andre som bakkede op omkring AWARE dagen i Kolding.

PADI Rescue Diver Course on eLearning

2010-08-16T14:04:00.002+02:00

The PADI Rescue Diver Course Online is now available and is another option your student divers can use to complete their knowledge development.

Similar to other PADI eLearning courses, divers must affiliate with a PADI Dive Centre or Resort during the registration process. Independent instructors may pre-purchase eLearning Gift Passes, which will automatically associate divers with their member number so they can also take advantage of online learning.
Student divers complete all their knowledge development online, including the five Knowledge Reviews and the PADI Rescue Diver exam.
Rescue Diver Online students divers must also complete a Quick Review in person when meeting with their instructor.
This is the same model as the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online and PADI Enriched Air Diver Course Online.
The Rescue Diver Online Quick Review and answer key is available for download at the PADI Pros’ Site.
Upon completion of the knowledge development, the PADI Rescue Diver student divers print out a Rescue Diver Course eLearning Record that they should bring to their first session with their PADI Instructor.
Other highlights of the program include:
• Integrated videos - no pop ups
• Videos included in quick quizzes for easy reference
• An introduction and five sections - including five knowledge reviews and a 50 question Rescue Diver Exam
• PADI eLearning Quick Review to be completed at the business once divers
complete the online portion of the course

While the PADI Rescue Diver Course Online must be completed within 12 months (the diver's access to the account will expire at that time), divers will have perpetual access to a PADI Rescue Diver Manual online after course completion.

More than 35,000 divers have already completed a PADI eLearning course.
Why not take advantage of this market by pre-purchasing PADI Rescue Diver Course Online Gift Passes to bundle with your Rescue Diver course?
For any questions about the PADI Rescue Diver Course Online, or to find out how you can implement the course into your training schedule, contact an Educational Consultant at your PADI Office.

Ny PADI Course Director

2010-08-06T12:38:00.003+02:00

PADI Nordic and Denmark got a new PADI Course Director, Gitte Skytte.

Gratulations and a very good job done.

Dykkergitte ny PADI Course Director i Danmark.

Gitte Skytte fra Dykkergitte har fra udgangen af juli 2010
opnået den højeste titel inden for PADI. Se mere på hjemmesiden:
http://www.dykkergitte.dk/index.html

How to register your DSD

2010-08-05T16:35:00.001+02:00

We have recently changed the way DSDs are registered online. When you log on to the PADI Pro Website and click on the DSD Registration option it will open the PIC Online window where you will need to click the blue hyperlink that says Proceed to Application.

This will bring you to the PIC Online Application page where you are now able to register your DSDs as well as your other student level certifications.

Providing you have the appropriate instructor rating, Discover Scuba Diving should be one of the options available to you in the Certification Level drop down menu. Please be advised that you will not be charged any PIC Online credits for submitting DSDs via the new PIC Online site.

The DSD registration service is still being offered free of charge, however please be aware that a PIC Online credit will be charged for any other certification levels that you process via PIC Online (like Open Water, EFR, Rescue, etc.)

Register your AWARE Projects and events.

2010-08-02T09:13:00.004+02:00

Why Register Your Environmental Activities with Project AWARE?

First we would like to thank all PADI dive professionals for their commitment to protecting their local underwater environment, for raising environmental awareness among the diving community and for sharing the Project AWARE philosophy with their student divers.

Many of you are organising cleanup events and other AWARE environmental activities throughout the year, helping Project AWARE achieve its mission to protect and conserve fragile aquatic environments. However many of these great events are taking place throughout PADI Nordic service territory under the Project AWARE banner without being registered with the Project AWARE Foundation.

We would like to remind you that it is important that you take the time to register your events online at www.projectaware.org if you want them to be Project AWARE events.

Why register your environmental activities with Project AWARE?
If you don’t register online:
• We have no way to track your events and assist you with promotion and marketing tools
• We can’t assist you with recruiting volunteers
• We can’t acknowledge and recognise your environmental efforts
• We can’t use your data and event details to show how committed divers are

This is of particular importance for cleanup events. By registering your cleanups with Project AWARE:

• You can brand your cleanup as a Project AWARE event and use our logo and other branded materials
• You get access to a Cleanup Toolbox for Organisers with many tips and useful downloadable resources (e.g.: banners, t-shirt design, tabards, guide, reports, recognition certificates, translated materials, …., and much more)
• More importantly, you make your events count for marine conservation at a global scale by contributing to the annual cleanup report and marine debris index which help raise awareness of the issue of marine debris and how divers worldwide are taking action to address it.

Make your Events Count, Register Online
A link to AWARE is up in the right corner of the blog.

As a PADI Pro you also have access to the AWARE Toolbox where you can download many useful resources for free including the AWARE “Our World, Our Water” manual.

The Project AWARE Team looks forward to assisting you with all your environmental efforts where you are. Register Today!

Last Reminder

2010-07-26T10:33:00.001+02:00

Undersea Journal Reader Survey

The Undersea Journal staff wants to hear your opinions. Please visit www.padi.com/readersurvey for a short, anonymous readership survey. How well does The Undersea Journal meet your needs as a PADI Member? What do you like? What don’t you like? What works? What doesn’t?

Thanks in advance for participating.

Please contact PADI Americas Market Research Executive, Cheryl Gilmore cheryl.gilmore@padi.com for any survey-related questions

Promote your TecRec Courses

2010-07-23T05:33:00.003+02:00

A new section has been added to the TecRec blog: the TecRec Notice Board. If you
are a PADI IRRA member or instructor offering TecRec training you can add
a short advert promoting your courses or trips by going to the link and typing
or pasting into the “submit a comment” section. Be sure to include your contact
information/website in the body of your text.
Please do not list course prices in your advert,
anyone interested can contact you directly for these.

There is no charge for this service, but comments are limited to promotions for PADI
TecRec. The blog is visited by around 6,000 people each month and its content
is transferred to a Facebook page with over 1,700 fans, so take advantage of
this great opportunity and get in near the top of the list! http://tecrec.wordpress.com/tecrec-courses-notice-board/

2009 Changes to DSD

2010-07-14T13:21:00.001+02:00

As you are no doubt aware, there have been a few changes to the Discover Scuba Diving course during the last year or so. It is important to understand how to run the new program whilst ensuring that customers enjoy the experience and dive centre scheduling isn't affected. The suggestions below will help you achieve this but please refer to the instructor guide for the full outline. If you haven't got it yet, the 2010 Instructor Manual is free to download from the new PADI Pros' site www.padimembers.com .

What has changed?In the 1st Quarter 2009 Inflate and deflate a BCD at the surface
became a mandatory skill for all DSDs.Rationale: although the instructor or DSD Leader is responsible for controlling participant's buoyancy underwater, having participants practice BCD inflation and deflation at
the surface gives them experience of inflating the BCD themselves should they need to secure buoyancy on the surface.
In the 4th Quarter 2009:

Effective Immediately
Added: When the Discover Scuba Diving experience is conducted in confined open water:
Skill performance requirements are conducted in shallow water before moving to water too deep in which to stand;
You may not engage in any other activities, such as taking photographs or video, while supervising participants.
Rationale: Provides additional preparation and heightened supervision for participants in confined open water.Added: Have participants complete and sign the Discover Scuba Diving Knowledge and Safety Review.Rationale: Helps to ensure participants understand and accept basic dive safety principles.
NOTE: This review is located in the revised Discover Scuba Diving brochure.

Why have PADI made these changes?Discover Scuba Diving participants have the least experience and least training of all our course participants. The goal of the DSD is to introduce them to the underwater world in a safe and enjoyable format. These new standards check student understanding of basic dive safety and ensure increased participant skill at pool and confined water level. Increased knowledge and ability increases legal protection for you and gives your students greater confidence which leads to greater enjoyment and increased likelihood of them continuing diving.

How can we implement the new DSD?
DON'T PANIC – you already do most of this anyway 
Have students complete the pre-course paperwork in the DSD brochure as usual. The briefing can be done either at the dive centre or at the dive site. Just follow the DSD flip chart or cue card and explain the basic dive safety principles to them and how they will be applied to the DSD they are doing. Then ask the students to complete the Knowledge Review - it takes just a couple of minutes and serves to address any misunderstandings prior to getting in the water.
OK – so now you may be wondering how you get through all these extra skills? Have a quick look down the list below:
Have participants practice the following skills in shallow water:
Exception: Only BCD inflation/deflation required for pool-only experience.

Breathing underwater
Regulator clearing
Regulator recovery
Mask clearing
Equalization techniques
Inflate and deflate a BCD at the surface
The skills in red are something that divers do as part of any dive – you probably do all these skills on every DSD without even thinking about them as skills! Don't forget you have already covered the theory of these skills in the briefing.

So that leaves three additional skills. They do not need to be mastered, only practised. Try not to think about them in terms of teaching an Open Water Diver course but rather as an introduction to the skill. You will have explained how these skills are done during the briefing so you can demonstrate each skill underwater and get participants to practice. Note that the mask clearing does not say that they need to have a specific amount of water in their mask so you can just get them to practice the technique for clearing their masks of any water that seeps in during the dive.These skills must be practiced before taking divers into water too deep to stand up in but as they don't have to be mastered to the same degree as an Open Water Diver - even a student who hasn't perfected the skill can still proceed to the next step. It's up to you to use your professional judgement to then determine whether they are comfortable enough to move into deeper water.

2010-07-02T09:57:00.003+02:00

Help Sharks on the Brink: Sign the Petition

Divers worldwide are outraged at recent failures to protect endangered shark species. Together, we'll demand government parties to CITES heed scientific evidence and advice. Sign the petition with more than 20,000 AWARE divers worldwide and help give sharks a fighting chance.

Mark Your Calendar: International Cleanup Day

Scuba divers are leading the fight against marine debris in more than 100 countries. Mark your calendar for 25 September to volunteer or organize a local underwater cleanup. Take the plunge and collect data targeting change.

Poised for Big Change

Project AWARE Foundation global Board of Directors and staff gathered for unprecedented meetings in Dana Point, California, USA. Group discussions included the current state of our ocean planet, new global strategies and a clear, focused mission to take the marine protection efforts to a whole new level.

Kids Art Contest

Calling all children ages 3 - 12: enter the "2010 International Year of Biodiversity" AWARE Kids Art Contest before 8 November. Celebrate marine biodiversity with artwork featuring a threatened marine animal in its ocean environment. Who will be the next Ocean Ambassadors?

Your Key Achievements Highlighted in 2009 Annual Report

Thanks to the generosity of divers and individuals like you Project AWARE raised nearly US $275,000 to support 116 conservation projects worldwide. Find these and other amazing accomplishments detailed in the 2009 Annual Report.

Read and get more information on:

http://projectaware.wordpress.com/

EANx Course on PADI eLearning

2010-06-28T10:05:00.003+02:00

In 2010 PADI released a new set of instructor and student materials for use during the Enriched Air Diver course. In line with PADI’s teaching philosophy these materials ensure your students can learn through an educationally valid system, at their own pace, and using the most up to date information available.

These materials include some exciting new developments relating to the way you can offer this course, and the information that your students learn. This article explains these changes and how you can incorporate them into your new courses.

Why change?
The PADI Enriched Air Diver course has traditionally been based around the use of dedicated 32% and 36% RDP tables, as well as oxygen exposure tables and equivalent air depth tables. In recent years the diving industry has seen a huge increase in the use of personal dive computers by divers to track their dive profile and no-decompression limits. Increasingly divers are using these computers to plan all aspects of their dives – this is also reflected in recent additions to the PADI Open Water Diver course, which can now be taught using computers instead of an RDP / eRDPml. In line with this development, PADI is now allowing divers to be taught to use computers to plan their enriched air dives, rather than tables. This approach better reflects the realities of modern diving techniques. The PADI Enriched Air Diver knowledge development section is also now available online, providing greater flexibility for students, and a wider potential market for dive centres and instructors.

What are the new materials?
The updated materials comprise:

Enriched Air Diver Instructor Guide (version 2.0) product 70244
Enriched Air Diver crewpack (with computer simulator card) product: 70480
Enriched Air Diver exam product 70122

The materials, along with the Enriched Air Diver DVD (product 70870) are required in order to be able to teach the new outline.

Has the way I conduct the course changed?

The overall approach to the course remains the same. Students will complete home study (either through eLearning, or through their student manuals). This learning is now additionally complemented by the computer simulator – an online component they can access using the information in their crew pack.

If the students are using a manual, they will complete one knowledge review. You will mark their knowledge review and go through their answers with them, covering any areas that they may not have fully understood. They will then sit the final exam. If students have completed the eLearning option they will provide you with their e-record and they do not need to complete any further theory elements.

Students then need to complete the practical elements of the course. This includes gas analysis, completing fill logs and planning dives through dive simulations. It is not a requirement for your students to complete any dives, however you may wish to offer them as an additional benefit to your program. Once students have completed all the theory and practical elements, they can be certified as PADI Enriched Air Divers.

How do I teach with these different tools?
Students completing the PADI Enriched Air Diver course will have several tools available to them to help them learn to plan their dives. The computer simulator is an online component that students receive a web link and password for as part of their crew pack. They can use this simulator to practise the techniques involved in planning dives using a computer; they will do this during their home learning. Please note that the simulator is not a dive computer and is not intended for planning real life dives.

During the course students will use a dive computer – this could either be their own computer or a school computer if you have one for hire. If the computer is EANX compatible you can show them how to set it up for the correct mix, how to plan the dive and how to review it afterwards. Your students can complete the course using air only computers if necessary, and the instructor guide includes specific instructions on how to do this. In these circumstances there are limits to the maximum allowable oxygen content in the mix that they dive with and the depth that they can go to. You will need to ensure that there is an enriched air compatible computer available for them to practise setting up and dive planning on, however.

What are the benefits for me?
The PADI Enriched Air Diver course has always been a popular specialty. With the new flexibility offered, even more students will be able to enrol into your program. The use of dive computers ensures the course is relevant to the type of diving your students are conducting and that the course has practical value to them. It also highlights the importance of dive computers to those who do not already own them, and consequently will have a positive impact on your equipment sales.

Can I keep using tables?The Enriched Air RDP tables are still in production at this time – they are available as part of a crewpack (product 61044) or individually. You may teach students the computer option and then provide them with additional tables and instruction afterwards if you wish. Please note that in this instance you would follow all the standards for the computer-based enriched air program, including the knowledge review and the final exam. The use of tables would be entirely supplementary. You are still able to offer the table-only version of the course if required, using the previous versions of the instructor and student materials.

You can purchase these new materials from your local distributor or via the online shopping cart on the PADI Pro website. Please continue to read your training bulletins for updates on future changes to the PADI Enriched Air Diver course.

EANx Material, Sweden

2010-06-15T18:28:00.001+02:00

EANx-kitet med tabell

Den gamla EANx-manualen (71450sw) är nu slut i lager och kommer att ersättas fullt ut av den nya (70460sw). Detta innebär att EANx-kitet med tabell (61044sw) numera innehåller computermanual + tabeller + booklet ?Oxygene Exposure Table, EAD Table and Enriched Air RDP´s, Instructions for use and study guide?. Se även bifogad pdf med utdrag ur Training Bulletin 3rd Quarter 2009. Priserna på kiten är densamma som tidigare. Alltså:

61044sw (EANx-kit m tabeller)
70460sw, Computermanual
Booklet: Oxygene Exposure Table, EAD Table and Enriched Air RDP´s, Instructions for use and study guide
61049, RDP 32%
61053, RDP 36%
61057, RDP Equival air/oxygene exposure table
40088, Specialty Diver Wall Certificate
70118, EAN Final Exam Answer sheet
10038sw, Administrativt dokument för vidareutbildning
70198, PADI Promotional Broschure
999111, PADI pen
60102, Carrying bag

61045sw (EANx-kit m computer)
70460sw, Computermanual
40088, Specialty Diver Wall Certificate
70115, EAN Final Exam Answer sheet
10038sw, Administrativt dokument för vidareutbildning
70198, PADI Promotional Broschure
999111, PADI pen
60102, Carrying bag

Nordic Top Producers from Undersea Journal

2010-06-10T15:57:00.004+02:00

PADI Nordic member Instructors recive credential for hard work and determination.
Signe Selven.
I was a very active diver who loved being underwater. As a divemaster I saw how easy it was to bring out enthusiasm in others. Being an instructor gave me a unique opportunity to combine enthusiasm and business. My greatest joy as an instructor is to see my students master their challenges.

Odd-Egil Fredriksen.I become an instructor when I took a dive trip to Sharm el Sheik, in the Red Sea in 1990. I quit my job, signed up for a rescue course and never looked back. The progress from nervous beginners to confident certified divers is what I enjoy best about teaching new divers.

Very good job don and an inspiration for all of us.

Read more about Signe and Odd-Egil at www.padimembers.com

Outside the Box

2010-06-08T17:20:00.003+02:00

This is to show an illustration of a good example of how to market diving “outside the box”. On the 27th of May, we – Halmstad Dykarskola – were invited to partake in an event held by a domestic shoe dealer in Halmstad.

The background was that their ordinary target group is females, age between 16 and 40 years old, and they wanted to stimulate an interest for men as well, hence they invited us as diving as an event could be tempting for their “new” target group.

We, on the other hand, are really interested in their ordinary target group and choose carefully the information as well as equipment to bring with us so it would be specifically appealing for women.

As a little twist, the shoe dealer arranged a dance competition – limbo, for which we were judges. Not too surprisingly, mainly women attended the dance competition and first price together with a gift card from the shoe dealer was an Open Water Diver education.

In addition to the direct marketing, a local TV channel was there and filmed the event as well as they interviewed us. The local TV channel runs the clip during two weeks and it reaches out to approximately 50000 people in Halmstad. The only thing this event cost us was our time and the cost for the OW kit. This event was truly a win/win for everyone involved.

Sharks at danger!!

2010-05-31T11:43:00.002+02:00

Sharks are in trouble and we need your help!

Project AWARE is launching an exciting petition on World Oceans Day 8th June demanding that Governments worldwide take action for sharks and increase their protection.

In March 2010, Governments ignored scientific evidence and advice in favour of short-term economic interests at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). They failed to give eight threatened shark species the trade protections they deserve.

Project AWARE is asking for some help to kick our petition off! Take two minutes and sign the petition: www.projectaware.org/givesharksachance

You can share the petition with your friends, family etc etc to help build our movement for shark protection.

New Online Services from PADI Nordic

2010-05-31T11:36:00.001+02:00

We are glad to announce the new PIC Online and Student Replacement Card Online.
The PIC Online is now available for individual members in addition to PADI Dive Centers and Resorts. You will find the PIC Online under Online Services in the new padimembers.com.
One of the features in the new PIC Online solution is to choose Project AWARE C-cards. The Minimum donation to Project AWARE is SEK 75,-. You must use a Credit Card to pay the AWARE donations.
In order to certify students online, you will have to purchase Online PICs from the office. If you have paper PICs in stock, contact Urban Edlund (+46 (0)31 80 88 43), and we can help you replace the paper PICs with Online PICs.
The Student Replacement Card Online is available from padi.com. The diver can choose from standard, Limited Edition and different Project AWARE cards. If you would like to take a look at this new feature, click the link below, and enjoy. No cards will be made unless payment is completed.
Link to: Replacement Card Online. http://www.padi.com/scuba/scuba-certification-cards/default.aspx
A nice benefit with Student Replacement Card Online is the fact that students easily order a new card if they want a different photo, they want a Limited Edition card or whatever reason they might have. Normally students only change their cards only if they lost the old one. A part of this process is to print a Temporary Card when the new C-card is ordered. This will be handy for traveling divers who discovers they cannot find their c-card the day before a trip.

PADI NORDIC TRIBE on Facebook

2010-05-24T15:32:00.006+02:00

This Tribal Group is intended for Renewed PADI Nordic members.
The intention with the group is:
To help each other with useful and creative ideas related to diver training and diving excursions.

As PADI Nordic member please feel free to join and take a vital part of the discussion.

Sign on: Under useful links and friends (right corner)

PADI Instructor get Prestigous Price

2010-05-20T15:56:00.004+02:00

Planecrash in the arctic circle.
Padi Master Scuba Diver Trainer Søren Wiesauer, TV2 Østjylland photograph Jesper Bonde Nielsen and reporter Nicolai Venge won for best documentary at Circom 2010 for "Planecrash in the Arctic Circle" and also for best movie in all categories. Søren Wiesauer have made all the underwater pictures (including the shoots from inside the plane). The documentary is aired tonight on tv2 at 20.30. Enjoy ;-)

Refresh and Review Scuba Knowledge Online

2010-05-12T11:50:00.003+02:00

PADI Scuba Tune-Up Is Online Now - Student Price $50
How many times have you heard, "I'm a certified diver, but it's been a little while since I was in the water"?

For divers who's scuba knowledge is a little foggy: Scuba Tune-Up online is a convenient option to review diving fundamentals.
If you're a PADI Dive Center, you'd be crazy not to plug Scuba Tune-Up Online

There are thousands of divers who feel insecure about their basic dive knowledge - but may not openly admit it. At $50, Scuba Tune-Up is the online equivalent of an impulse buy. Catch their attention with a link on your homepage or in your e-newsletter. For example:

Quick: Answer the Following....What are the five steps in a pre-dive safety check?
What is the maximum depth limit for recreational diving?
What are the signs and symptoms of decompression sickness?

If you're unsure how to answer one or more of the questions above: it may be time for a scuba tune up! You can get started online (your eLearning link goes here) for $50.

The online course is performance-based, you'll take a series of short quizzes to evaluate what you remember from open water. Correct answers will allow you to complete the course quickly. For incorrect answers, you’ll read a brief explanation to help refresh your memory. A pool training session completes the scuba review (your price here). Price includes a scuba review decal for your certification card.

-----
Scuba Tune-Up + Confined Water Skills Review = SCUBA TUNE-UPThe online program uses interactive videos to review basic dive skills, but urges participants to visit a dive center or resort for inwater practice (and to learn about the latest updates in dive equipment). The online course also includes a segment on diving with Enriched Air - to promote continuing education with your business.

Want to preview the new course?PADI stores and Instructors who've previously purchased an Access Pass can preview Scuba Tune-Up online. Here's how:
1. Visit elearning.padi.com
2. Click on User Maintanence
3. Next - click on Preview Course Sections
4. Choose Scuba Tune-Up online from the drop down menu

PADI Member Forum, Aarhus. Denmark

2010-05-06T19:53:00.003+02:00

At PADI MF in Aarhus.
23 PADI Members showed up at the meeting.
During the meeting we also got the opportunity to discuss present and coming topics about the Diving industry in Denmark and Jutland. After the meeting we all appreciated the Danish hospitality, and got more time to mingle, socialize over a glass of local brew.

PADI Nordic Office houers, May 13, 14, and 21st

2010-05-05T12:16:00.003+02:00

PADI Nordic office hours , May 13th, 14th and 21st.

Dear PADI Member
Due to holidays, the PADI Nordic office will be close early or totally on these days:
• The 13th of May, Ascension Day, closed the entire day
• The 14th of May, closed the entire day
• The 21st of May, office closes at 13.00
We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause you.

UJ Reader Survey

2010-05-05T12:00:00.001+02:00

Undersea Journal Reader Survey

The Undersea Journal staff wants to hear your opinions. Please visit www.padi.com/readersurvey for a short, anonymous readership survey. How well does The Undersea Journal meet your needs as a PADI Member? What do you like? What don’t you like? What works? What doesn’t?

The survey will be up until 15 July 2010. Thanks in advance for participating.

Please contact PADI Americas Market Research Executive, Cheryl Gilmore cheryl.gilmore@padi.com for any survey-related questions.

Reminder, PADI Member Forum, Aarhus. Denmark

2010-04-21T12:51:00.002+02:00

Aarhus, Denmark. May 5.
Time: 18.30
Radisson
Margrethepladsen 1
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark

Scuba Tune Up Online - Coming Next

2010-04-19T11:39:00.002+02:00

This programme helps PADI Dive Centres and Resorts reconnect with divers looking to refresh their dive skills. Each participant registers through PADI eLearning and must affiliate with a dive centre or resort. Since this programme doesn’t require dives, it is important that you communicate with participants and encourage them to visit the dive centre or resort to refresh their skills.

For details, further information or questions regarding any of these programmes, contact your PADI Regional Manager.
mox.moberg@padi.se

Do You Have Questions About Dive Theory Online?

2010-04-19T11:28:00.003+02:00

Have questions about the recently launched Dive Theory Online? Here is a list of the most common queries along with the answers.

What material does Dive Theory Online cover?
Dive Theory Online consists of the following six sections:

Physics
Physiology
Equipment
The Recreational Dive Planner
Diving Environments
Dive Skills

Who can benefit from Dive Theory Online?
PADI Divemaster candidates, IDC-bound professionals, IDC Staff Instructor candidates and Course Director Training Course applicants can all use the programme to prepare for their course exams. There are, however, no course prerequisites so anyone – even nondivers – looking to improve dive theory knowledge can benefit from Dive Theory Online.

How does it work?
After enrolling, participants view interactive presentations that include video, audio, graphics and reading. Short quizzes let participants check their understanding of the material and proceed efficiently at their own pace. Automatically scored end-of-section questions verify participant mastery of the topic.

What else is required to complete the course?
Dive Theory Online does not have a practical component so completing the online course material is the only requirement.

What does the course cost?
$100 US.

What’s the revenue share for individual members?
PADI Instructors receive $25 US per participant, provided they are enrolled or opt-in to the PADI eLearning programme.

How do I enrol participants and ensure that they affiliate with me?
First, visit the PADI eLearning section at the PADI Pros’ Site to set up your account and opt-in. Once you sign up, purchase a PADI eLearning Access Pass™. Please note that you must purchase an Access Pass to complete your account registration.

When will I receive payment for my eLearning students?
Compensation will be distributed on a monthly basis. Contact PADI Nordic Office for payment options.

How long do participants have to complete Dive Theory Online?
It will be available for 12 months from the date of course registration.

Will participants have access to the material after course completion?
Participants can review course content (outside of final assessments for each section that may only be completed once) for 12 months from the date of course registration.

Will this credit towards the Instructor Development Course?
Although Dive Theory Online is a great way to refresh knowledge while preparing for the Instructor Development Course Dive Theory Exams and Instructor Examination, it does not replace any of those exams at this time.

Are there any age restrictions?
Yes, participants must be at least 13 years of age.

Is Dive Theory Online available in a language other than English?
Not at this time.

For more information regarding Dive Theory Online, please contact PADI Nordic Office.

The New PADI Pro Site, is up and running!

2010-04-15T11:27:00.004+02:00

The new PADI Pro Site for all PADI Members are now ”up and running”.
Please feel free to log on to www.padimembers.com
REMEMBER!!
You need to create your New account, the first time you log on to the site, just follow the instructions on the web page.
Navigate around and make yourself familiar with the content.
If you have any questions, please contact PADI Nordic

Integrating the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Course

2010-04-12T16:35:00.005+02:00

Digital Underwater Photographer is one of the most popular PADI Specialty courses and it's an easy add-on to other courses - especially the PADI Open Water Diver course and Adventures in Diving programme. Plus, the introduction of PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Course Online gives your divers another option when it comes to completing the knowledge development portion of the course on their own time - leaving more time for the hands-on fun stuff in the water.
Here's how you can integrate the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer course with the PADI Open Water Diver course:

1. Have divers complete the knowledge development portion of the course. They can use the manual or go online and take advantage of interactive assessments and some new information, including use of the video imaging features available in some digital still photography cameras.

2. Level One certification - Because level one requires completion of knowledge development and a training dive in confined or open water, you can easily integrate it into the open water diver course. Just have participants complete knowledge development online and complete their first Digital Underwater Photographer course dive in confined water as an add-on to one of their existing confined water dives (after confined water dive number three), or during the tour portion of open water Dive 4 during the PADI Open Water Diver course. You can provide a Level One certification at this point or have them continue on.

3. Level Two certification - If you've had your divers complete the first Digital Underwater Photographer dive, have them complete their second Digital Underwater Photographer dive (and complete their Level Two Digital Underwater Photographer certification) in open water as an additional dive following all the PADI Open Water Diver course open water dives.
Looking to use the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer course in your Adventures in Diving programmes? Here's one way:
1. Have divers complete knowledge development either traditionally or online.
2. Add a confined water session and use it to conduct the first dive (and level one certification if desired) from the Digital Underwater Photographer course. This will ensure they are well prepared for the next step in open water.
3. Conduct the second PADI Digital Underwater Photographer dive in open water as an Adventure Dive. This way, divers will have met the requirements for the Level Two certification as well as completing the Digital Underwater Photographer Adventure Dive for their PADI Adventure Diver or Advanced Open Water Diver certifications.

Don't forget that using the online component to satisfy knowledge development requirements provides you yet another way to maximize your time in the water with your divers. After all, it's the diving your students really love. Sounds like more fun for everyone, doesn't it?