Writers Needed for Hawaii Scuba Diving Vacation Profile

Share Your Passion and Expertise for Diving in Hawaii

We're looking for writers to collaborate on vacation spotlight for padi.com. Hundreds of thousands of divers use padi.com as a resource to research dive travel, so this is a huge opportunity to promote the exciting and dynamic dive opportunities in Hawaii.

Right now there's a vacation spotlight on Florida. This is what we're working towards.


If you'd like to participate:

1. Email me (megand at padi dot com) and I'll email you a writer's invite.
2. Login to pbwiki.com
3. Go to our Hawaii Scuba Diving Wiki (http://hawaiiscubadiving.pbwiki.com)
4. Click on an island name and start writing!

In case you're wondering: what in the heck is a wiki? Check out the short (4 min) video below for an explanation.

New DSAT Tec Diving blog

New Tec Diving Blog - DSAT Chat

There's a new DSAT Tec Diving blog written by a team of international consultants. The URL is: http://tecrec.wordpress.com/

Enjoy!

Vote for the Best Mustache at PADI

It's official. The mustache is back! Pioneered by PADI's own Barry Dunford, this year's hottest trend is certain to cause a spike in dive center sales of mustache wax and petroleum jelly.

So here it is, the first ever PADI Mustache contest ( inspired by the folks at Deep Sea News and their recent Darwin Beard Contest).

Vote for your favorite (use poll widget -top right corner of this webpage), and feel free to email me your best mustache pic. Poll closed. See results below.

And now...

Meet the contestants:

-----

#1

----

#2

-----
#3

----
#4

----
#5

----
#6

The Results are in - #2 (Sebastian) is our winner!

15 minute marketing idea #3 - eLearning welcome email

15 Minute Marketing Idea #3
PADI eLearning welcome email

It's common knowledge in the dive industry that word-of-mouth is our most powerful marketing tool. Start building a relationship with your eLearners from day one by drafting a welcome email.

The next time you receive an email from webmaster@padi.com alerting you to a new eLearner, send your new customer a welcome email. Everyone appreciates a friendly greeting saying "thanks for doing business with us."

Here's a sample PADI eLearning welcome email to get you started.

You could also create a "congratulations" email that will be automatically sent by our eLearning system. Some key points to mention:

• Invite student to visit the store / we look forward to seeing you soon.
• Request a testimonial for use on your website
• Offer an incentive for the student to refer a friend to diving
• Add a link or promotion for Advanced Open Water (now offered online).
  
  (right click and "save as" to grab these images)
  
  
  
  

Once you've composed your email, log on to elearning.padi.com

• Click on: User maintenance
• Click on: Student course completion email
• Then choose which course (Open Water or AOW)

Your message will automatically be sent out whenever a student completes eLearning.

Read our next 15 minute marketing idea
Ask Us About Fundraising Opportunites >>>

----
This is the third article in a series. Read the previous 15 Minute Marketing Idea: Recruit A Summer Intern.

If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to our blog.

OMG! Baby Whale Shark

It's so freakin' cute! Too bad it would outgrow the bathtub...

....and the PADI pool.

New logbook for PADI Instructors, AI's and Divemasters

New Product:
PADI Professional Logbook

The old pro logbook pages have been updated into a new logbook for PADI Professionals. Each log book page includes an area for logging student diver information and class info. Additionally there are pages to record:

• Specialty Instructor Training
• DSAT Instructor Training
• Requirements for PADI Master Instructor
• Diving-related programs attended
  

This item is available now ala carte. In a few weeks it will be included with the IDC crewpaks.

Product no. 70137
Suggested retail: $16.30

Using Twitter to Post Dive Conditions

Malibu Divers Twitters Dive Conditions / Rocks My World

Seeing Malibu Divers dive conditions on Twitter made me dance in my chair. Twitter has been getting a lot of hype recently and I'm so impressed with this creative use of technology.

For anyone who isn't familiar with Twitter, here's a quick overview:

The purpose of Twitter is to post instant updates to the web. It's most effective for information that's only relevant for a short time (such as dive conditions).

Using Twitter is as easy as typing an email. If you can type, you can Twitter. Carter, the owner of Malibu Divers, says it takes him less than a minute to post dive conditions from his computer. Did I mention this program is 100% free?

Twitter users who've linked up with Malibu Divers receive an update on their Twitter feeds - a constant reminder of their favorite activity. On malibudivers.com, the new dive conditions automatically appear. There's no need to update the main website every day.

I asked Carter if Twitter brought people into the store and his answer was a resounding YES.

To get started with Twitter, visit Twitter.com today.

15 minute marketing Idea #2 - Interns

15 Minute Marketing Idea #2
Recruit A Summer Intern

Summer interns are great. They'll get coffee, wash your car... okay, I'm kidding.

Once upon a time I was an unpaid summer intern at 92.3 KGON (Portland's Real Classic Rock). After graduation, I managed the intern program for our radio station group and every summer I hired 40+ interns.

Interns are fun to have around and are well worth the time invested to recruit them. Moreover, interns would much rather work with for a dynamic small business (such as a dive shop) than while away their summer in the file room of a corporate office.

Right now college students are starting to think about summer internships. Call or email your local college/university and find out:

• Where to submit your summer internship offering
• Is there a career fair or other opportunity to interact with the students?
• Who is the main contact for the department of communications / business school?

I recommend communications and/or business majors. However, if you're looking for a website re-vamp, consider a computer sciences or graphic design major.

It's important to get contacts at both the career services office and in the communications / business department. Sometimes the career services people are better at sending candidates and sometimes the department heads are better - so be sure and talk to both. Also, try to find an opportunity to meet students in person. You'll be able to collect contact info and promote your go pro program.

Collecting all this information from the school will likely take fifteen minutes. Of course, you still need to write-up what your internship entails. So here's a sample internship posting. Fill in the blanks with your dive business information and you're ready to go.

Read our next 15 minute marketing idea >>

----

This is the second article in a series. Read the first 15 Minute Marketing Idea: Phone Call Checklist.

If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to our blog.

Shark Diving at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

Bill Duckro at Scuba Views in Las Vegas sent us this video of diving in Mandalay Bay's shark tank. Looks like a way-cool dive.

Pink Dive Gear for Women - What's Your Opinion?

This week's poll has been one of our most popular.

Dive gear made for women is often pink. Is that cool? Or is this relying on a stereotype? Our poll ends today. Cast your vote!

UPDATE 11 March 2009 - this poll has closed.
Thanks to everyone who voted. Here are the final results:

15 minute marketing idea #1 - Phone Call Checklist

I work on this blog about one hour a week - not one consecutive hour, mind you - I work on it a few minutes here and there.

The phone rings, people come by my desk, my coffee cup gets empty, etc. I stop writing and get back to it later. Does this sound familiar?

With that in mind, I've decided to start a serious of articles called "15 Minute Marketing Ideas."Here's the first one: Phone Call Checklist.

15 Minute Marketing Idea #1
Phone Call Checklist

In the restaurant biz they call it a "rush." There are no customers for half an hour and then BOOM there's seven people in the store and the phone's ringing off the hook.

At times like that, it can be challenging to take a call from a non-diver with a lot of questions. Or perhaps you have a new employee who's not well-versed in taking customer inquiries. Regardless, if the customer doesn't get the answer they're looking for, it's a lost sale.

Take 15 minutes and jot down what staff should cover on every phone call. Post the list next to your phone for easy reference.

For example:

• Ask, "how did you hear about us?"
• Find out if the customer will be traveling
• Do they need to get certified by a certain date?
  
• Offer eLearning as well as your traditional classroom option
• Invite the customer to visit the store and describe your amenities
  
• Get contact information from the caller*

Asking for contact info is an often-overlooked but critical part of closing the sale. Collecting contact information allows you to provide follow up and track conversion. Otherwise, how will you know how many callers actually become customers?

Offer to email the customer more information about your classes or send a GO Dive DVD. If you're not comfortable asking for contact information for these reasons, you can also ask "may I get your number in case we get disconnected?"

You can email an overview of PADI's Open Water course directly from the webpage itself. Look for the "share it" icon. Click and then choose "email."

click for larger image

---
Read our next 15 minute marketing idea >>

If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to our blog.

PADI Course Directors Wanted

Regional manager Michael Janssen occasionally receives requests from PADI stores looking for full-time course directors. If you are a PADI Course Director living in Guam, Hawaii, or the Southern California market, please email Michael.Janssen@padi.com regarding job opportunities.

New PADI Products Available in Japanese

We have some new PADI products available in Japanese - including the eLearning Open Water course.

These items are available as a .pdf
2009 PADI Instructor Manual Update

These items are special order only
(turnaround time is about three weeks)
70019J - Emergency Oxygen Provider Manual
50051J - Emergency Oxygen Care at a Glance
70844J - Divemaster DVD
70870J - Enriched Air Diver DVD

This item is in stock and shipping now
70031J - eRDPML

Project AWARE Donation Matching for a Limited Time

Take advantage of a limited opportunity to make your Project AWARE donation go twice as far.

From now until 31 March 2009, PADI Americas will match – dollar for dollar – every individual contribution of $25 or more to Project AWARE.

Project AWARE Foundation, in partnership with divers around the world, initiated 2000 new reef conservation actions during International Year of the Reef 2008 alone. The momentum gained for reef environments shouldn’t stop now.

With your donation and PADI’s match, Project AWARE Foundation aims to raise $60,000 to support conservation now - when reef rescue is critical.

Your direct support will help equip Project AWARE and its global dive volunteers with tools to:

• Monitor fragile coral reefs for signs of stress and bleaching around the world.
• Assess information and help improve resource management of reefs threatened by global warming and other human pressures.
• Raise awareness about climate change among divers, tourists and the general public.
• Support protected areas and other sustainable ecosystem management tactics.

Donate to Project AWARE today.


With a gift of $100 or more for conservation, you’ll receive FishFlips of the Caribbean. The perfectly wearable, waterproof guide to what’s swimming around you.

These Are the People In Your Neighborhood - PADI Sales Team Photo

For those of you who call in and place orders, I thought you might get a kick out of seeing the faces behind the voices. This photo was taken in December 2008.

It's always fun when you get to meet the person on the other end of the phone. Sometimes they are the way you've pictured them - and sometimes not at all!

So here we go:

Fabio is the guy dead center wearing a tan jacket.
Penny is behind Fabio in the second row and slightly to the right.
Karin is behind Penny's right shoulder in the back row.
Sebastian is on the far right in the front row wearing a light grey suit.
Tom is on the far left in a grey suit.
Bret is standing behind Tom and to the left.*
I'm standing behind Tom to the right.
Adam is behind me wearing a green shirt.

* Bret (who came from Hawaii) would like me to mention that this is a rare photo of him wearing shoes.

Pink Dolphins!

I can't believe this is real ...

IMAX Under the Sea 3-D and Blue Whale Kingdom

The weather's shaping up to be grey and gross for the next week here in PADI land. Luckily there are a couple new documentaries coming out this week:

IMAX Under the Sea 3-D
- in theaters now-

There's a new IMAX movie from the makers of Deep Sea 3-D called Under the Sea 3-D. It's in theaters now throughout northern and southern California, and is also playing in Salt Lake City and Seattle.

I'll never forget seeing Deep Sea 3-D. There's this scene where dozens of jellyfish seem to float right out of the screen into your lap. Looking around the theater it was obvious who was a diver - we were squirming like crazy!

Visit the film's website to find movie theaters playing Under the Sea 3-D in your area. A film like this can be a great marketing opportunity. Contact the movie theater's general manager to find out about setting up a table to promote your scuba business and/or fund raising for Project AWARE.

Kingdom of the Blue Whale
Sunday 8 March, 8pm
National Geographic Channel

This TV program premieres this Sunday March 8th at 8pm (Pacific). As with most Nat Geo programs, they'll probably re-run it a few times. For more details visit the Kingdom of the Blue Whale website.

Read our list of favorite scuba movies (and documentaries). Feel free to suggest a few of your own!