Project AWARE Re-launches 20 Year Organization

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

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

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

The first PADI EMEA Meetings

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

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

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

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