PADI Holiday Closure: 24 Dec 2009 through 3 Jan 2010

PADI's last day of business in 2009 is Wednesday 23 December. If you need to place an order, please let me know before the end of the day Tuesday 22 December.

The exact dates we're closed are: 24 Dec 2009 - 3 Jan 2010

If you need materials during this time- good news. The warehouse staff is coming in (one day only - December 29th) to process orders placed via our online shopping cart. Read on for details.

Ordering PADI Materials online:

To access the online shopping cart, log on to padimembers.com and click "Shop Online" from the cluster of links at the top right.

• The shopping cart is credit card only.
• Orders placed before Noon* Tuesday 29 Dec or earlier will ship on the 29th.
  
• Orders placed after Noon* on Dec 29th will not be processed until 4 Jan 2010.
• PIC online will appear approximately one hour after the order is received.
  
• Orders placed Jan 1st or later will be at 2010 pricing.

* What time is it now in California?

Happy Holidays!

- Megan

Best of Scuba Online in 2009

 A Few Good Memes

(what's a meme?)

Here are my favorite scuba funnies I received this year. If you are an email subscriber, please click through to view the images. Please click on the images to make them larger.

What SCUBA really stands for:
(thanks Maureen)

Bearsharkoctopus
I Fear for the Day Bearsharkoctopus Finds His Way to California

The Tec Snorkeler

(from the redundancy department department)

8 Ways to Fail Your Open Water Class

A very clever blog post from the Scuba Diver Girls blog.

...and last but not least, the internet sensation:

Hitler isn't AOW certified

Scuba Review Pricing Poll

Scuba Review - Coming to PADI eLearning in 2010

Scuba Tune-Up online will be available in 2010 (date TBA). We'd like your input on pricing for this new eLearning course. Please let us know what you currently charge for your Scuba Tune Up program by voting in our survey (top right).

The Scuba Review Poll Has Ended.
Thank you to our 69 respondents!

We would welcome any additional information such as:

"Our price is $100 which includes the book and an hour of pool time with an instructor."

Please post this additional feedback as a comment.

Current Revision Dates and Version Numbers for PADI Exams

One of the most common questions I get is: what is the most current version of ______ ?

So here are the latest version dates for our core exams
(applies to English exams only):

Open Water quiz and exam booklet (71023)
- last revised 12/09, version 3.03.

Rescue Diver exam (70305)
- last revised 06/10, version 3.03


Divemaster exams (71310)
- last revised 07/08, version 2.08.


Enriched Air Diver exam (70117)
- last revised 05/07, version 2.03

Enriched Air Diver exam dive computer option: (70122)
- first printing 2009, version 1.01





Later this week we'll start shipping the revised Open Water exam - updated for the dive computer option.

To put it another way:  the new OW exam can be used for all the Open Water options: table, eRDPML, or dive computer. The revised Open Water exam uses the same product number: 71023.



I also publish a list of PADI's most current versions of our teaching cue cards and slates. 

Yes - there will be revised slates for 2010. We've changed them to match the layout of the instructor manual - which includes some training changes.

For example, we've removed all references to buddy breathing.

When will the new slates be available?
Sometime in early 2010...  I don't have an exact date yet other than it will be sometime in first quarter.

Stay tuned to PADI Instructor news for updates...

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Dive Computer Version of Enriched Air Nitrox Specialty Materials Now Available

Teach PADI's Enriched Air Nitrox Specialty with a Dive Computer Instead of Dive Tables

The new student materials are now available for PADI's Enriched Air Diver course - dive computer version. Previously, this version of the Enriched Air course was only available online.

The new crewpak (product no. 70480) includes:

• Revised student manual
• New dive computer simulator for Nitrox
• Revised student DVD
  

The EANx DVD (still required viewing) includes all-new footage. It no longer includes the animation of how to use tables to plan an EANx dive and mentions tables only briefly in the first few minutes. The student manual has been re-done in a similar style. 

The materials address the same topics you're used to seeing in our earlier version of the Nitrox course (VENTID, Oxygen toxicity, etc) but with a computer focus. For example: in the O2 partial pressure section, the manual and DVD discuss setting limits using a dive computer.

We show a variety of dive computers to show setting partial pressure limits, finding maximum depth, etc. But ultimately the student is responsible for getting to know their gear. There is a new practical application where the student must demonstrate they know how to use the Enriched Air settings on their dive computer.

So... (you may be asking)...

What if I want to keep teaching Enriched Air with dive tables? 

PADI will continue to stock a Nitrox crewpak with dive tables. Use the same product number and (for the short term) you'll receive the same student materials you're use to seeing.

In 2010, the "old" manual and DVD will be replaced with the new manual and DVD. At this point, an instructions for use book will ship with the crewpak since the new manual and DVD will do not address table use. If you plan to keep teaching Nitrox with tables, you may want to invest in a few copies of the DVD (product no 70870MUL). I've always found that animation useful for explaining multi-table use and the new DVD won't have it.

Individual product numbers:
New student crewpak 70480
New Manual 70460
New DVD 70906 (run time 37 min)
New Nitrox exam 70122
New Nitrox exam answer sheet 70115
New EANx instructor guide 70244 (released earlier this year)

New Prescriptive Lesson Guides 70907 - Available now.
(available for pre-order, shipping in early 2010)

You can order the products above from our online shopping cart - except for the Prescriptive Lesson Guides. For any pre-order materials, please contact us directly.

Sale on PADI-Branded Merchandise, specialty crewpaks

Save up to 10% on Holiday Gift Items

Show your favorite dive buddy, Divemaster or Instructor how much you appreciate them with a holiday gift. Save 5% when you buy five or more of the items above, save 10% if you buy ten or more. Read the complete details of PADI's holiday gift sale.

In addition to the holiday gift sale, we also have a promotion from the 4th quarter Undersea Journal. This promo includes a special offer on specialty crewpaks, PADI hats, and other good stuff.  View PADI's 2009 holiday promo (along with some holiday marketing ideas).

Ho! Ho! Ho! Fine print!
Holiday promos can not be combined. No additional discounts apply. The special offers are not available through the online shopping cart. While supplies last. Drinking coffee from the tumbler may cause insomnia, headaches and restless legs.

New Discover Scuba Diving Forms Now Shipping

The new Discover Scuba Diving Brochure has arrived in our warehouse and is now shipping. The newly-revised form is available in the following languages:

English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Dutch, German, Portuguese, German, Chinese and Korean.

Please ensure that beginning 1 January 2010 the form pictured left is the only DSD form you and your staff are using.

The new brochures are part of an overall update to the DSD program. Please review the 4th quarter 2009 training bulletin for all the details.

The revised DSD flip chart and cue card are also available.

Here are the product numbers for all the revised DSD products:




70254 - DSD brochure (rev. 07/09 v. 3.0)
60109 - DSD flip chart (rev. 07/09 v. 3.0)
60130 - DSD cue card (rev. 07/09 v. 3.0)

(email subscribers may need to click through to view the images above).

New 2010 PADI Instructor Manual FAQ

The 2010 PADI Instructor Manuals have hit the streets! So far, everyone's feedback has been really positive. Here are some questions I've been getting:

Will there be a digital version available?

• Yes - in 2010. Right now we only have a paper version.  As of 4 Feb 2010 the 2010 manual is available for download from the PADI Pros website.
  
• All renewed DMs, AIs and instructors will get a link to download the new manual in approximately February 2010. 
• We are not mailing on CD-ROMs like in years past. 
• There will be a CD-ROM version available for purchase in 2010. 
  

I heard there's a special deal on the new manual...

Yes, PADI Members who've renewed for 2010 can buy a paper copy of the manual for $73.35 (level one pricing - saves $23). The special offer is only good until 23 December 2009 and only for the paper version.


Does the paper manual come with tabs shown in the photo?

I'm sorry, it only comes with the binder and the pages. We dressed it up for its big photo shoot. I've heard Office Depot sells binders in that size so you might be able to buy tabs.


Where are the Answer Keys and the Lecture Outlines?

Those of you who've seen the new 2010 PADI Instructor Manual may have noticed it does not include the knowledge development (lecture) pages or the knowledge review answers.

See image at right for an example of what I mean by lecture pages....





The presentation outlines and knowledge review answers can now be downloaded from the PADI Pros site. Here's how:

1. Login to padimembers.com and click on "Members Toolbox."
   
   
2. Look for the presentation outlines and knowledge review answer keys under the Training sub-header.

As of today, Open Water knowledge review answer file does not include the answers for the knowledge reviews in How to Use and Choose Dive Computers. Those are available for download from the PADI Pros homepage.

For more information on the new instructor manual, read our previous article about the new instructor manual and changes to our Divemaster crewpak.

I also did a write up on what's in the new IDC crewpak (we've removed the instructor manual since it's now in the Divemaster kit).

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PADI IDC material online — available now

PADI IDC Candidates may now complete a portion of their IDC program online through PADI’s eLearning system. The cost is $320 and it reduces the IDC program time by approximately two days. By taking advantage of the eLearning option, IDC candidates and Course Directors have more time to devote to in-water sessions and workshops.

The decision to put certain sections of the course online was based on survey results from PADI Course Directors worldwide and the program was field tested during 2008 and 2009. In areas where eLearning is not accessible or translations are unavailable, the Course Director may complete the nine eLearning sections in person.

Students can register for the IDC online material in two ways:

1. By clicking the eLearning link on a Five Star/ Five Star IDC or CDC dive center website. 
2. Or, by visiting padi.com and choosing a Five Star IDC or CDC from our dive center locator.
   

IMPORTANT: candidates need to verify if the course director is teaching the 2010 version of the IDC before registering for the online program.

The IDC online program is part of the IDC Evolution revealed at DEMA 2009 and includes nine sections:

• General Standards and Procedures*
• Learning the PADI System
• Risk Management*
• Marketing diving
• Promoting Discover Scuba and Open Water programs*
• Teaching PADI Specialty courses
• Business of Diving*
• Promoting continuing education programs*
• How to teach the RDP

* These programs have a “part two” discussion component to be completed in person with the Course Director.


The student will need a 2010 PADI Instructor manual and student diver materials for OW, AOW and Rescue to reference during the online training. Whether using eLearning or doing an entirely classroom option, all IDC candidates will need the materials from the new IDC crewpak.

The nine sections may be completed in any order. The candidate must complete a short assessment at the end of each section to verify section completion.

When the student has finished all nine sections, they can print out an eRecord for their CD / IDC/ CDC facility. The candidate must also bring a SWOT analysis, along with a two marketing plans for review and discussion during the classroom portion of their IDC.

Is it possible to preview the online IDC material?

Yes...

1. The IDC eLearning slides are in the new PADI Course Director Manual (available now).
   
   
2. PADI Dive Centers can also preview the course from http://elearning.padi.com. After logging in, choose “User Maintenance” followed by “Preview Course Sections.”

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