PADI Instructor News

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).

Want More Holiday Ideas?

Subscribe and get part II of this article when it's published later this month.
Check out our list of Top 10 Ways to Capture Holiday Dollars.

Top 10 Ways to Capture Holiday Dollars

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:11:00 +0000

Holiday Promo Ideas for Scuba

The average holiday shopper will spend $700 - $800 this yearand complete the majority of their shopping before December 15th

More Holiday Shopping By the Numbers:

In 2010, shoppers spent $112 more last year than they planned - $811 on average.
57% of shoppers surveyed said they intended to take advantage of holiday discounts to buy for themselves.
Shoppers using credit cards spent $896 on average.

With these facts in mind...PADI Instructor News is proud to present:

Top 10 Holiday Ideas for Dive Retailers

1. A Holiday DSD - Discover Santa Diving
Ugly Christmas sweaters have polluted holiday cards far too long. Offer an alternative to cheeseball family photos with Scuba Santa. Tell the local media about your event, and your scuba event could end up in the paper! Read more about preparing for a Scuba Santa event.

2. The Equipment Specialist Course Puts Scuba Gear on Their Wish List
Invite students to learn about the "care and feeding" of their equipment. Offer save a dive kit packages and showcase your latest and greatest gear. Invite equipment reps to help with demos, and show "How It's Made" equipment/tank manufacturing videos from PADI's Encyclopedia DVD-ROM (part no 70833). Read Scuba Steve's tips for teaching an equipment specialty course.

3. Holiday Deal of The Day
Post a daily special to your Facebook page and/or website and encourage customers to check back every day for a new deal. Call it 12 Days o' Deals and promote it in advance via your enewsletter and Facebook page. 87 Percentage of shoppers said they won’t buy gifts unless there is a discount of at least 20% so promote the specific dollar or percent savings of your deal.

You could offer an all-around deal such as 20% off any dive computer in stock with purchase of BC/Reg - today only or a limited quantity offer such as 2012 unlimited air fill card - $200 - first five customers to call or come in today.

4. Seal Team = Mother's Little Helper
The week between Christmas and New Years is a great time to offer a Seal Team program. Once the shine of new presents has warn off, house-bound kids want something fun to do with their friends. A Seal Team "day camp" provides a mental health break for parents and a memorable activity for kids.

5. Make Holiday Shopping a "No Brainer"
Figuring out what gifts to buy is a big challenge for most shoppers. Make purchasing easy with gift ideas / packages in a variety of price ranges: (under $50, under $100, etc). You could have an equipment care kit, a "World's Best Dive Buddy" training package with Rescue Diver and EFR, a dive traveler package, etc.
53% of shoppers say they will use the internet to research gift ideas so don't forget to post the list of ideas / packages to your website and on Facebook.

6. One in Four Shoppers will buy virtual gifts
A recent survey noted - 27% of holiday shoppers plan to purchase digital goods this year (e-books, music, etc). Folks buying digital goods tend to be younger, male and university-educated. Does that demographic sound familiar? Shoppers with a digital preference also planned to spend $440 more than shoppers who aren't in the market for digital goods. As a PADI Pro you can offer eLearning gift passes - read more about buying / using eLearning Gift Passes.

7. Don't forget non-divers
Make your dive business one-stop shopping. Be sure customers know about some of your great non-diving gift ideas like a family first-aid package with hands-on training and a first aid kit. Swimming supplies and fun underwater toys can round out a holiday shopper's list.

Flex Clock - part no. 82299

8. Why should I buy from you?
A charity tie-in gives customers a feel-good reason for spending their gift-giving dollars with you. Here are some ideas:

A Giving Tree - decorate a tree with paper or glass ornaments tagged with a prize or discount on a future purchase. Invite customers to bring in five cans of food in exchange for selecting an ornament off the tree. Not into trees? Create a custom scratch its instead.
Make a donation based on sales or FB Likes - For every dive computer sold from 1-31 Dec we'll donate $25 to XYZ charity (such as Project AWARE) - OR - we'll donate $5 for every new "Like" to our Facebook page this holiday season (specify dates) - see example here.

9. Create a holiday gift center
Feature your holiday packages and ideas in a special area of your store. Make a simple display by wrapping empty boxes in holiday paper and placing gift items on top or take an existing display and decorate with garland. Include products in a wide price range and a sign promoting "gift certificates available."

10. Holiday thank you party
Invite your dive club members and students certified during 2011 to a special party. Certificates of recognition for Most Improved Diver, Most Dives Logged, or 2011 Master Scuba Divers are a great reason for people to attend. The magic of experienced students and shop staff mingling with new divers typically leads to con-ed classes and charter spots filled!

Automatic emails to PADI eLearning Students

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Communication Tools for Online Students

eMail subscribers, please click through to view screengrabs below.

PADI eLearning students automatically receive an email each time they complete a section of the online course. Here's an example:

Subject: You Have Begun Your PADI eLearning Course

Congratulations on beginning PADI Open Water Diver Online! Completing the knowledge development portion of this course is your first step towards becoming a certified PADI Open Water Diver. Keep up the good work. If you need any assistance during this course, please contact us. We look forward to seeing you soon.

The email above goes out automatically unless you change it. By customizing the message you can provide useful information and reminders for your students. For example:

Contact info and hours of operation
Medical form heads-up
Contact us ASAP to schedule your pool and open water dives
Rental gear is provided but each student needs their own mask, fins, snorkel, etc.
We're running a special on mask, fin and snorkel packages
Useful technical information
(ex. iPad users will need to download a Flash app to make eLearning work)

Sample Welcome Email
In case it's helpful, here's a sample eLearning welcome email . Just copy and paste the text into the eLearning website (see instructions below). You can have a custom message done in fifteen minutes.

HOW TO: edit eLearning auto-emails.

Login to elearning.padi.com as the Store Admin
(see below if you are an independent instructor)
Click on Course Maintenance
Click on Add/Edit Section Emails
Click the Select Sections button
Choose Open Water Diver Course (RDP and Dive Computers) Introduction from the drop down menu (see screengrab below).

Do not choose Open Water Diver Course: Introduction (old version of OW eLearning course).
Click Continue
Under Add Section Email, Open Water Diver Course (RDP and Dive Computers) Introduction should now be displayed. Click the Continue button.

Can't Login?
If you don't know your eLearning login, click the Forgot Password button on the elearning.padi.com login screen.

Not a PADI store member?
Instructors who've purchased an eLearning gift pass will be able to access the eLearning emails. Login to eLearning.padi.com and follow the directions described above.

EXTRA CREDIT!

Create a "congratulations" (Course Completion) email.

The Course Completion email can be edited in the User Maintenance Menu (as opposed to section emails - as described above).

Some key points you could mention:

About that medical form... seriously, have ya looked at it?
A checklist of items the student needs to complete prior to their first session(ex. complete the quick quiz, attend orientation, schedule pool session)
Invite the student to bring a friend to the last pool session for a free discover scuba
Invite student to visit the store / we look forward to seeing you soon.

PADI Instructor News on Google+

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:46:00 +0000

We're on Google+
(for real this time)

click the graphic above to add us to your Circles
(what the heck is Google+?)

2011 PADI DEMA Specials

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:47:00 +0000

PADI DEMA Sale

31 Oct - 7 Nov 2011

Our DEMA special is going on now. You don't have to attend the show to take advantage of the DEMA discounts.

View the PADI DEMA specials PDF or view the DEMA promo as a webpage. For those of you attending the show, here's PADI's 2011 DEMA program schedule.

We're offering 5% off all merchandise and there are some package specials for the purchase of:

10 or more specialty kits
10 or more eLearning crewpaks
10 or more AOW or Rescue kits

Get level three pricing* on a set of updated EFR materials.
As of today, only the new Primary / Secondary care materials are shipping. The CPR/AED materials will be available later in November, but the revised Care for Children materials won't be available until 2012.

* 33% off member level price

Lastly we have some special discounts on limited-edition PADI swag. The branded-merch isn't on the regular DEMA promo flyer so click the link or the image below.

You can't spell HaPpy HolIDAys without PADI. Har har har.

Oh-So-Fine Print
PADI's DEMA specials are not available from our online shopping cart. You must call, FAX or email a human to get the DEMA discounts. Prices valid from 31 October to 7 November 2011. DEMA specials cannot be combined with any other offer. No store or member discounts on listed branded merchandise. Promo excludes PICs, Emergency First Response Course Completion Authorization Forms, PADI eLearning® programs and Gift Passes. All price list policies and procedures apply to this promo.

Wyland Movie Invitiation

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:41:00 +0000

Movie Invite for PADI Members

PADI Members and their families are invited to view a special presentation of the film This is Your Ocean: Sharks Wednesday 16 Nov 2011 in Laguna Beach, CA. RSVP required.

click to enlarge invite image

This special event, sponsored by marine artist Wyland, is a family-friendly event including a kids coloring contest. Please call 800 729 7234 ext. 2247, or email jannac at padi dot com with your PADI number, and how many children and adults would like to attend. A limited number of seats are available. You will receive a confirmation from us that we have room for your party.

This is Your Ocean: Sharks looks at the global plight of sharks and introduces the audience to a massive 14-foot tiger shark named Emma. Narrated by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, this documentary takes you on an adventure with world renowned marine life artists Wyland, Dr. Guy Harvey, and shark expert Jim Abernethy.

Emmy award-winning producer George C. Schellenger directed and produced this timely documentary. “The decisions we make right now determine the future of these animals and the future of our oceans. We’ve made a film that’s like nothing else you’ve seen. It’s the start of a new paradigm.”

The film mostly focuses on the Bahamas but was shot around the world. For more information about the film, visit thisisyourocean.com.

Ideas Wanted - Topics for 2012 Webinars

noreply@blogger.com (PADI Americas (west coast team)) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:59:00 +0000

The Business of Diving 2012

Each month, PADI offers a different Business of Diving webinar. This year we've covered a variety of topics (Groupon, Social Media tips, etc) and we'd like your suggestions for 2012.

If you've never been to a webinar before, they're an hour well spent. There's a powerpoint presentation viewed over your computer or iPad, and you listen in via phone or through your computer. Our guest speakers are PADI Retailers / Gurus for our featured topic. For example, one of our speakers on the Boy Scout webinar was a store owner who's also a troop leader. You can ask questions through the computer, or contact the guest speakers at a later date.

What topics would you like us to cover in 2012? Take our short, four-question survey.

Here are the topics that we've already done:

Discover Scuba Diving (conducting / converting)
Working with Boy Scouts
Go Pro Nights
Customer loyalty
Promoting / Teaching Digital U/W Photo
Groupon
eLearning
Phone tips
Sales tips
Social Media

Recorded versions of the webinars above are available in the toolbox section of the PADI Pro's website.