PADI Instructor News

Secrets of Continuing Ed and Specialty Crewpak Sale

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:14:00 +0000

Continuing Education Webinar and Sales Promo

Find out the secrets other PADI Members use to promote their continuing education courses. Register for the free webinar Making Money with Continuing-Education – this Wednesday 15 February from 7-8 AM PST.

To help you implement the tactics you'll learn during the webinar, we're offering a sale on specialty crewpaks:

Mix and Match* specialty crewpaks and Save up to 15%

- Buy 10 Specialty Course Crew-Paks and save 10% off current buying level
- Buy 20 Specialty Course Crew-Paks and save 13% off current buying level
- Buy 30 Specialty Course Crew-Paks and save 15% off current buying level

*Select at least two different specialty course Crew-Paks.

Contact your Sales Consultant to take advantage of these specials. This offer is not available from our online shopping cart. The special offer expires at 4 PM (PST) on Friday, 17 February 2012 and may not be combined with any other offer.

Top 5 Deep Dive Activity Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:13:00 +0000

Recently on the PADI Pro's LinkedIn Group, instructors discussed underwater activities for teaching the Deep Diver Specialty and also the Advanced Open Water deep adventure dive.

Pasted below are the top five suggestions from the group. Some are strictly color change at depth (AOW adventure dive) while others include ideas for showing pressure change at depth (Deep Specialty).

Coozies on a String

Take three neoprene can coozies of different colors strung on a short length of rope. Tie a small lead weight to one end.

Using different colored coozies allows you to show color change at depth. Use your dive light to reveal the coozies "real" color.
The neoprene shows how a diver's wetsuit compresses at depth and loses some of its thermal properties
It also shows how compression affects buoyancy - at the surface the cozies stayed afloat, but at depth the weight is more than enough to sink them. This demonstrates how a wetsuit loses buoyancy and the diver's need to adjust for pressure differences.

Two Soda Bottles

Bring down two identical plastic bottles:* one filled with water and one filled with air.
At depth, show students the difference the crushed "air" bottle.
Next, open the cap allowing the crushed bottle to take on its normal shape. Water will fill the bottle to a level dependent on your depth.
Bring the bottle up to the surface and use it during the dive debriefing.
Hold the pressurized bottle inverted and slowly open the cap to allow the water to spray out and the air expand out to cap at atmospheric pressure.

* The instructor who posted this suggestion recommends using a soda bottle which will come back to shape better than a thinner water bottle not designed for pressure.

Student Slate from Advanced Crewpak

product no. 69230

A few years back we developed a new student slate for the Adventures in Diving course. The slate now includes knot-tying diagrams and a color chart. Now you have a basic rainbow at your disposal. No more stealing paint sample cards from Home Depot and laminating them! Not that I ever did that...

This item is available ala carte - product no. 69230.

Tupperware-Shape-O-Toy

Tupperware's Shape-O-Toy: - $25.74 from Amazon.com (free shipping)

Shows color changes at depth
Works as a mental challenge (and a dexterity challenge if students are diving with gloves)
To make it more difficult, write black numbers above each hole and challenge students to solve the puzzle in sequence

Egg Magic Trick

Demonstrate the effects of pressure at depth with this floating egg yolk magic trick.

Descend to 90 - 100 feet and gather divers around you in a circle.
Show the students the egg magician-like. Look, it's just a normal egg.
Carefully crack the egg open with your dive knife or other implement.
The yolk will stay in the shape of a small ball.
If divers are close together you can play ping-pong with the yolk (be gentle).

Watch a video of divers playing with an egg yolk underwater.

Important considerations for the egg magic trick:

This trick works best at 85+ ft but please let safety dictate your depth.
If you can get a double-yoke egg it's extra-trippy (ask at your local farmer's market) .
Do not attempt this trick in an area where fish-feeding is prohibited.
Vegan divers probably won't like this trick.

If you have any deep dive activity ideas you'd like to share, please leave them as a comment below. Email subscribers will need to click through to comment.

Related article:
What are the most popular Adventure Dives for the Advanced course?

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Help Us Pick the Next PADI Promo Items

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:25:00 +0000

Each year PADI produces a handful of promo items. In years past we've had a laptop backpack. coffee mug, flex clock, etc. We'd like your input on what PADI swag you'd like us to produce in the future.

I've put together a short, 13 question survey that includes products we're thinking about for 2012. At the end, you'll have the opportunity to give us additional suggestions.

Caveat to the open comments section: it's unlikely that we'll produce a t-shirt, sweatshirt, or other item that requires us to stock a lot of different sizes. PADIGear.com does a nice job producing apparel for us already.

The 13 items in the survey include five items we've produced in the past including the Cousteau / Zissou red cap and the Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving trivia cards (pictured below). Email subscribers may need to click through to view the product images.

The PADI promo item survey takes just a few minutes to complete. When possible I've provided mock-ups of the items. I don't have photo shop, so please excuse my horrific image manipulations.

Start survey now.

2012 PADI Instructor Manual now available for download

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:20:00 +0000

The 2012 PADI Instructor Manual (English) is now available for download as a PDF. Renewed PADI Pros (including Divemasters) can access it by logging in to the PADI Pro's website.

Log on to padi.com/mypadi
Click on Training Essentials
Choose Digital Instructor Manual from the drop down menu

The paper version of the 2012 manual is not available yet. Stay tuned to PADI Instructor News for updates.

Scuba Diving Industry Job: Graphic Designer for PADI

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:11:00 +0000

PADI is currently hiring for a graphic designer at our Orange County (PADI Americas) Office. Please send resume and cover letter to jobs@padi.com. Read the complete PADI job description.

New Rebreather Materials Now Shipping - Tec 40 CCR

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:15:00 +0000

TecRec 40 Rebreather Materials

PADI's new Tec 40 CCR Rebreather materials are now available and shipping.

Due to technical difficulties, these new items have not been added to PADI's online shopping cart. We expect this to be only a temporary problem; however, if you want to order the new Tec 40 CCR materials ASAP, please contact your PADI Americas sales rep.

For a list of approved rebreathers for use with PADI programs, visit the PADI Pro's Site:

1. Click on Training Essentials from the main menu.
2. Choose TecRec from the drop down menu.
3. Lastly, scroll down for the Register of Rebreather units.

Tec 40 CCR materials
- for the student -

Tec 40 CCR Student Manual CD-ROM
Product no. 70997
Suggested retail: $55.75
The student manual is available on CD-ROM only. We do not have a paper version of this product.

Tec CCR "Type T" Predive Check Slate
Product no. 60231 (use with Tec 40/60/100 courses)
Suggested retail: $13.05
At the time of writing (1 Feb 2011), the Tec predive check slate is the only item we don't have in stock. It's due in late Feb 2011 and can be pre-ordered.

Tec 40 CCR materials
- for the instructor -

Tec 40 CCR Lesson Guides CD-ROM
Product no. 70965
Member price: $57.35

Tec 40 CCR Instructor Guide - CD-ROM
Product no. 70958
Member price: $56.95

Includes the following instructor guides:

Tec 40 CCR Diver course
PADI Discover Rebreather program
Tec 40 CCR Qualifier Guide
Tec 40 CCR Refersher Guide

Tec 40 CCR Student Exam
Product no. 71901
(answer key / sheet can be found in the instructor guide)
Member price: $7.65

Tec 40 CCR Instructor Slates
Product no. 60289
Member price: $57.10

Email subscribers may need to click through to view the product images above.

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What's Your Scuba Diver Nickname?

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:25:00 +0000

What's Your Scuba Diver Name?

For more amusement, please visit the PADI Instructor News page on Google+.

Do Your Open Water Materials Make a Difference?

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:24:00 +0000

A good diver is always learning...

I regularly see this phrase in the email signatures of instructors, and there's no doubt divers who pursue additional training tend to be more comfortable in the water and more invested in our sport. I've often wondered: is there a relationship between what Open Water materials an instructor uses and continuing education certifications?

Tables versus Computers

I looked at PADI stores in Southern California who've switched to the dive computer option and compared their certs with SoCal stores who are still using tables.

As it turns out: there is a significant difference. Here are my findings:

Increase / Decrease in Con-Ed certs

Teaching the Dive Computer option
62% increase in con-ed certs from 2010 - 2011
37% increase in core certs (AOW and Rescue)
92% increase in specialty certs

Teaching Dive Tables
21% decrease in con-ed certs from 2010 - 2011
6.5% decrease in core con-ed certs (AOW and Rescue)
23% decrease in specialty certs

Ratio of OW to Con-Ed Certs

Teaching the Dive Computer option
For every 10 OW students, 5 con-ed classes were sold (AOW or Rescue).
For every 10 OW students, 5 specialty classes were sold.

Teaching Dive Tables
For every 10 OW students, 3 con-ed classes were sold (AOW or Rescue).
For every 10 OW students, 4 specialty classes were sold.

Of course there are a lot of factors that influence a student's decision to sign up for more training:

An instructor who makes learning fun
An overall desire for self-improvement, etc.
A love of diving in general

That said, the data suggest when our introductory class is less-complicated, students are more inclined to stick with diving - investing additional time and money in our sport. The cost difference between the table crewpak and the computer package is only $2-$3. This small investment upfront can translate into big rewards for a dive business and its customers in the long term.

PADI Open Water crewpak - dive computer option

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2012 PADI Instructor Manual, PADI Application Fees, and More

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:40:00 +0000

Below are some helpful links for 2012. Please feel free to bookmark this page.

Where is the 2012 PADI Price List?
Our online shopping cart can provide you with prices one item at a time. For a complete price list, please contact your PADI Americas' sales rep and include your member number. Currently, the price list is not available for download.

When do I get my 2012 Instructor Manual?
Renewed PADI Pro's can download the 2012 Instructor Manual around the end of the day on 1 February 2012. If you don't see the download promptly on 1 February, please check back on the 2nd.

How to access it:

Log in to the PADI Pro's Site.
After logging in, click on "Training Essentials."
Next choose "Digital Instructor Manual" from the drop down menu.

How much is the Divemaster application fee / Master Scuba Diver fee, etc?
This information available on this website: 2012 PADI Application Fees and it's on page seven of the 2012 price list.

When is PADI Member Forum?
The 2012 PADI Member Forum schedule is available online. We don't have all the locations dialed in, but the dates are set. Please register so we may notify you of a date or location change.

When will the new Care for Children / EFR IT materials be available?
March.

Here are some other useful links:

2012 PADI Instructor Examination (IE) Schedule

Are your PADI teaching slates current? Check our current revision dates.

Are your PADI exams current?Check current revision dates.

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Patagonia Pro Deal for PADI Instructors

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

PADI Instructor Discounts from Patagonia

PADI Instructors (MSDT or higher) qualify for special pricing from Patagonia in 2012.

Orders must be placed via their website, and there's a short application process. Also, the discounts are gender-specific. So women, you can only order women's apparel at a discount, guys no discounts on bikinis, sorry.

Ready to get started? Here's a rundown of what you'll need to provide:

Completed on-line application (printed out or scanned)
Current PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, IDC Staff Instructors, Master Instructors or Course Director’s certification (a print out from Pro-Chek works well for this)
A current company brochure, catalog or personal advertisement listing your name as a scuba instructor.
Dive service business card
Letter of reference from the dive service for whom you work
Proof of personal liability insurance.

Click here to get started with the Patagonia Pro Deal application process.

Submit the documentation described above by FAX, mail or email. This yearly offer is for individual accounts and may not be available in certain regions.

Pasted below is a small sample of what's available. Email subscribers may need to click through to view images.

Patagonia Board Shorts / T-Shirts

Patagonia Travel Bags

Patagonia Women's Swimsuits

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Travelling with Dive Gear: Calculate Airline Baggage Fees

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:20:00 +0000

Scuba Gear Baggage Fee Calculator

I recently came across a great website: iflybags.com that allows you to quickly calculate the airline baggage fees for your dive gear.

Here's how it works:
Type in where you're going, what airline, and whether you're flying coach, first class, etc. Click check allowances.

iflybags.com displays the baggage allowances and costs for your flight. Below is an example using an American Airlines flight from LAX to Honolulu. Email subscribers may need to click through to view images.

You can also have the site calculate exactly what your baggage fees will be. After typing in your flight info, click calculate baggage fees. You'll then be prompted to enter in how many bags you have, and how much each one weighs (see example below).

click to see a larger version

Iflybags.com displays the total cost for your baggage. It even takes into account any elite frequent flyer status you may have.

In addition to being useful pre-flight, I think this could be a great tool when researching flights. An airline that offers a free checked bag might be a better value than a flight that costs $20 less.

Dive Industry Job: Marketing Consultant for PADI

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:12:00 +0000

PADI is currently hiring for a marketing consultant at our Orange County (PADI Americas) Office. Please send resume and cover letter to jobs@padi.com. Read the complete job description.

PADI Year End Closure

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:09:00 +0000

PADI Americas Office Closed

24 Dec 2011 - 2 Jan 2012

PADI Americas will be closed starting at 4pm PST on Friday 23 December. We will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, 3 January 2012.

Orders can be placed online while we're closed. If you need materials, please visit the Shop Online section of the PADI Pro's Site before Thursday 29 December 2011. Orders placed 29 December or after will be processed when we re-open Tuesday 3 January 2012.

PIC Online credits can be ordered at any point while we're closed. From the PADI Pro's homepage click the red Shop Online icon. Choose PIC Online or EFR PIC online from the main menu. The credits will post within about 30 minutes.

Changes to PADI IDC Crewpak Contents

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:30:00 +0000

PADI IDC Crewpak 2012

Based on customer feedback, PADI will add two items to the IDC Crewpak for 2012:

The Diving Knowledge Workbook ($23.05 value)
and the Open Water Prescriptive Lesson Guides ($112.35 retail value)

We have removed the Professional Reference Collection from the IDC kits. This item will still be available for purchase (product no. 70937); however, it will no longer be included in the IDC Crewpak.

If you have IDC Crewpaks in stock they are still valid for use. Any IDC Crewpaks purchased in 2010 / 2011 contain the same required materials as the 2012 kit. Here is a complete list of what's in PADI's IDC Crewpak (part no 60038) - this information is also on page five of the 2012 price list).

The Most Entertaining Scuba Videos of 2011
Let's Count 'em Down ...
(email subscribers may need to click through to view the videos)

#5 We've all seen the scuba diving cat - have you seen the scuba diving chimp?

#4 Scuba Diver Practical Joke

#3 Virgin Oceanic's Submarine "Teaser"

#2 Mariachi Band Serenades a Beluga Whale

#1 Kho Taoian Rhapsody

Want More?
Check out the top scuba videos from 2010

Leave a comment below if you know of another great 2011 video not on this list.

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Due to technical issues, I had to do a little re-boot of the original Google+ page. If you were following us before, you may have noticed the page disappeared. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I hope you will add us to your circles again).

While Supplies Last - Discontinued PADI Products

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:20:00 +0000

Each year PADI discontinues a handfull of products. Pasted below is this year's crop of discontinued items.

To see the complete list, visit the Shop Online section of the PADI Pro's Site. Once logged in to the shopping cart, choose While Supplies Last from the main menu at left.

Deluxe Binder with Refill Pages
Closeout Special - $14.95

Product number 82380

Multimedia Products for OW and AOW
quantities displayed below are current as of Tuesday 13 December

60347 - OW dive computer option - only 50 left!

60328 - OW with eRDPML - only 43 left!
60316 - OW table version - 265 remaining
60331 - Advanced Multimedia - only 32 left!

PADI multimedia Open Water kit - 60316

New Prices for PADI eLearning in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Starting 1 January 2012, PADI's eLearning courses will go up a little bit in price - no more than $10 per course, and some courses only have a $5 price increase.

Please see the chart below for the retail prices, and page 10 of our 2012 price list for the complete pricing breakdown. Email subscribers may need to click through to view the chart below.

For a copy of PADI's 2012 price list, please contact your Sales Consultant for a digital copy, or order a paper copy from PADI's online shopping cart.

If you have an eLearning gift code - yes - it will still be valid for us in 2012. For example, if you purchased a $120 OW gift pass, it can still be used for OW in 2012, even though the course price is increasing to $130.

If you found this article helpful, please consider subscribing to updates for PADI Instructor News.

Need PADI Logbooks or Tank Decals?

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:27:00 +0000

PADI's last day of business for 2011 is Friday December 23rd. But...

...the last day to order custom logbook binders or decals is this Friday 16 December.

This gives our vendor enough time to print the items and make a delivery before we close. Please contact your sales rep directly to order these items, they are not available from the online shopping cart.

Custom Logbook Binders
for PADI Dive Centers and Resorts

product is binder only does not include pages, patch, etc

I am happy to announce that we will once again have the loose-leaf logbook pages again in 2012! The pages won't be available to order until 2012; stay tuned to PADI Instructor News for availability info.

Custom Tank Inspection Decals
for PADI Dive Centers and Resorts

Custom tank decals actually cost less than the generic decals. Custom decals are 25 cents each versus 60 cents each for generic. There is, however, a minimum order of 250/time for custom decals.

custom PADI tank inspection decals

Custom logbooks and tank decals are a benefit of PADI Retail / Resort Membership.

More Gift Ideas for Scuba Divers and Instructors

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Gifts for Scuba Divers - Part II

(email subscribers may need to click through to view images)

Airline Gift Card

Baggage fees are a way of life these days, aren't they?

Neoprene Seat Covers
keep da stink out da seats

Project AWARE Swag

A few examples are below, check out the complete line-up.

Scuba Tune-Up eLearning gift pass

A thoughtful choice for buddies / students who haven't been diving recently

read how to buy and use eLearning gift codes.

Drop Zone DVDs

Read more about The Drop Zone surf / dive movies

$9.95/each or $14.95 for both

Ocean Sparklies

Show off your love of the ocean even when you're not diving.

Deluxe logbook binder with pages - $14.99

Binder is approx 9.5" x 11" and comes with refill pages

while supplies last - product no 82380

If you like this post check out

New PADI eLearning Courses in Español and Russian

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:29:00 +0000

PADI IDC Enlina Ahora en Español

Подводное Интернет класс на русском языке!

PADI's Open Water Course is now available online in Russian!

Are you currently offering our courses in multiple languages?
Most stores are set up to offer eLearning in all languages by default. If you want to opt-out, log on to the PADI Pro's Site and change the settings in My Account.

How to opt out of foreign language courses
Once logged in to the PADI Pro's Site, choose My Account from the main menu. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click the bullet point eLearning courses offered by My Store.

Are You Wasting Money on Marketing?

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Don't Waste Money on Old School Marketing

None of us are rocking mile-high-bangs or a hockey haircut, but some businesses are still advertising like it's 1992 - Yikes! Marketing tactics, like underwear, get old and have to be thrown away.

The ambiguous, "our yellow book reaches more than 250,000 people in your area," - that doesn't cut it anymore. In this day and age, you should be able to point at each and every customer and know what brought them in your door.

With 2012 on the horizon, why not throw away your least-effective marketing effort and try a new one?

If you're not sure where students come from, you can easily send out a free survey using surveymonkey.com (or a similar service) to your current database. For future customers, make up a "how did you hear about us" card and put it in your OW student kit.

New Year, New Ideas(email subscribers may need to click through to view images)

Referral Program: Bring a Friend to the Pool
What if you certified 20% more divers in 2012 than you did in 2011?

When Open Water students invite a friend to try scuba, 20% of those friends end up registering for an open water class. Does the cost for an extra hour of pool time pay for itself if you get a 20% return in investment?

Gather Positive Testimonials and Online Reviews

Online reviews are critical to attracting new customers. So let's talk about a few ways you can beef them up.

Ask loyal customers to post a review to Google or Yelp. Offer a prize for the most colorful review (determined by popular vote).
Invite new customers to review your business on Google or Yelp: "bring in a print out of your review and receive 10% off your next class." To promote the idea, attach the offer to the student's cert card, or send in a follow up email.

Planning to buy Facebook Ads? Increase Your Likes

Facebook users are more likely to click on an ad from a business their friend already Likes. Makes sense, a personal endorsement means a lot.

Before you invest in Facebook ads, build up a solid user base and make your page a place with fun and engaging content. How to go about this? I'm glad you asked...

Recently I worked with a dive center to increase their Facebook likes from 187 to over 700 in about eight months - without spending a dime. Here are some of the more effective things we tried:

Worst Underwater Photo Contest
(Offerpop's contest app is free if you have fewer than 500 Likes
Visitors must Like the page to enter or vote)

Discussion Contests
(click image below for an example)

Guess the Mystery Fish
This one works well for boosting impressions

Pasted below is a chart showing which activities brought in the most new Likes and how many times we ran a particular promotion.

The Facebook Ads referenced above were from free coupons received in the mail / torn out of magazines.

Want more?

Check out our post: 5 Ways to Improve Your Facebook Page.
Sign up for our Social Media webinar next Wednesday 14 December 2011 from 7-8am PST. Tune in to the audio portion via phone or computer speakers and view a powerpoint presentation over the web. You can do this on a PC or Mac/iPad.

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/151356392
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Revised CPR and AED Materials Now Shipping

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Updated EFR Materials

(two down, one to go)

Revised CPR/AED materials are now shipping! All related kits such as the EFR Instructor Manual and EFR Instructor Start-Up Kit have been updated as well.

So if you order a 60215 Instructor Pack or 70149 Instructor manual you will receive new Primary/Secondary materials, new CPR/AED materials, but the prior version of Care for Children.

We expect Care for Children will have new materials in February or March 2012. Revised EFR Instructor Trainer materials will be available shortly thereafter.

New CPR/AED Materials

CPR/AED manual and DVD - 60267
CPR/AED manual ala carte 70185

CPR/AED student exam 71865

CPR/AED instructor guide 79215

Read about the revised EFR Primary / Secondary Care products.

Creating a Memorable Holiday eCard

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Scuba-Themed Holiday eCards

Tis the season for holiday eCards. If you've already Elf'd yourself, or want to create something specifically-scuba, here are some ideas:

Email subscribers may need to click through to view the images / video in this post.

The Simple Option: Image with Text
Here is a short and sweet greeting with festive Christmas Tree worms.

Animated Underwater eCards

Choose from a variety of styles at joandjoe.com - there is a fee of $17/year.
Jo and Joe supports Project AWARE, please enter donation code: "AWARE" during sign-up.

Photo Slideshow

Use images from your 2011 dive trips or dive club activities to create a 2011 recap video at animoto.com. The program is very easy to use, just upload your images and the website does the rest.

A 30 second video slideshow with about 12 photos is free. Longer videos will run you $5. Choose from six holiday themes and twelve music clips (you can also upload your own tune). I made a sample video (see below) with some travel photos I've collected over the years.

Important Considerations...

Your eCard is also a marketing piece. Create something your customers will want to share, and you've got instant word of mouth advertising. Some ideas:

Invite customers to submit their best 2011 images for possible inclusion in the year-end eCard. Customers will look forward to opening your year-end greeting to see if their shot was chosen. If you don't want to do the judging, use a Facebook App such as Offerpop to create a fan voting page.

You could also include a special offer within your greeting. For example: Join us for a year-end celebration at XYZ location. The first round is on us! Here is an example from a restaurant:

Mysterious Credit Card Charge from PADI?

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:30:00 +0000

PADI Automatic Renewal Processed Last Week

Did you recently see a credit card charge from PADI for $191, $275, $370 or $590? If so, those were your 2012 PADI Americas membership dues.

$99.50 was the Divemaster auto-renewal rate.
That's a $22 savings versus the regular rate of $121.50.
$191 - The automatic renewal rate for instructors.
This saves over $34 versus regular 2012 renewal of $225.50
EFR Instructor dues happen every other year, if it was your year to renew for EFR you may have seen a charge of $275 (that's $191 + $84 for EFR).
If you’re a PADI store, your charges were either $370 or $590 depending on the store level. In either case, the savings is $25 versus paying the standard renewal.

Email notifications were sent alerting members on auto-renewal that the charges were coming. If you did not receive this notification, please check the My Account section of the PADI Pro’s Site to verify the email address we have on file, or contact PADI's Customer Service Department: 800 729 7234 ext. 2495.

Scuba Diver Gifts - Geek Gadgets and Toys

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:23:00 +0000

Every year I struggle to think of holiday gifts for my diver friends and co-workers. So this year I started early and ended up with two posts worth of ideas!

We'll start with part one: Geek Gadgets and Toys. Part two I'll publish later this month.

Tchotchke Gift Ideas
($20 or less)

Lego makes an Atlantis series with divers, sharks, etc. You can buy the figurines as a keychain or magnet. All the items pictured below are $10 or less; if you want to go for something a little more expensive, there are complete playsets such as Gateway of the Squid and City of Atlantis.

Lego Shark Warrior Minifigure
(Shark Warrior also available as a keychain)

Browse Scuba Legos

PADI Water Bottle
Who doesn't drink water?
This is a gift anyone can appreciate. It comes in blue or red.

82285 for blue or 82290 for red

Diver Gift Ideas from $20 - $40

This luggage scale is one of the best gifts I've ever received. Leave it to my mom (who doesn't dive) think up this extremely practical and useful gift. I don't know how I ever lived without it.

By now you've probably seen the youtube video of the remote-controlled flying shark surprising people in dorm rooms and hallways. It's called an Air Swimmer. Not only is it a fun gift, one of these would be a clever attention-getter at a trade show (boat show, bridal show, etc). You could attach your store logo / booth number and fly it around the exhibit hall.

Bill at Scuba Views (Las Vegas, NV) was the first person to give us a heads-up about the Air Swimmers and has some in stock. If you're interested, call 702 645 0516 and ask for Bill or Marilyn.

Diver Gift Ideas $50 and Up

At the NW Dive and Travel Expo I got to play around with a waterproof iPad bag. Unlike bags that just protect your device from water / dirt, this one allows you to use the iPad while it's in the sealed bag. Here's a review.

PADI's Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving is also a good gift item. It includes more than 100 videos including:

How scuba equipment is made (the tank video is my favorite)
Sea Hunt and other nostalgic TV/film clips
Tips for maintaining scuba equipment.

Mobile Phones for Scuba Divers / Watersports Enthusiasts / Klutzes
There are dozens of cell phones to choose from these days, but only two (I know of) that can handle the diver lifestyle. The Motorola Defy (T-Mobile)caught my eye last year here's a video showing the Motorola Defy in a container of water - with more water being poured over it. If you really want to dig in to the specs and performance of this phone, here's a review from Engadget.

A second water-resistant phone also became available this year. The Xperia Active can be dunked in water and (supposedly) the touch screen works even if you have wet fingers. Sony has a promo video of Maria Sharapova showing off the Xperia's features. If you stare at her outfit long enough a 3-D dinosaur appears. This is a GSM phone (T-Mobile or AT&T users here in the US).

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