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As a PADI Professional, your scuba gear is exposed to heavy use – much more than the average recreational diver. Three or five dives a day teaching students or guiding certified divers will quickly leave their mark, and you’ll notice your diving equipment ageing much quicker than usual.

Of course, you can help to counteract this wear and tear with proper maintenance of your dive equipment, allowing you to get the best results from your gear despite the high strain.

Above all you shouldn’t forget that you always have a role model function as a PADI Pro, and your scuba gear in particular should always be exemplary: clean, well maintained and fully functional. This way you show your students and other divers that you’re a conscientious diving professional, and demonstrate the importance of well-maintained diving gear.

Here are 5 tips on properly caring for your scuba equipment:

#1 – Rinse your diving equipment thoroughly after every dive

It doesn’t matter if you’re diving in fresh or salt water; clean your scuba gear with clean water after every dive. This will help to remove dirt and other contaminants like micro-organisms or stinging particles from coral or jellyfish. It also helps to prevent the unwanted formation of salt crystal build-up after open water dives in the ocean.

#2 – Dry your diving equipment after every dive

Sure, it can difficult as a PADI Pro to do this if you use your diving equipment multiple times during the day. But in between your dives, try to dry out your gear as well as you can. When dive gear is kept damp (especially when stored), bacteria or fungi can quickly develop and spread, which not only damages your diving equipment but can also trigger infections and irritations to your skin.

To dry your scuba gear hang it up outside, ideally in a dry and breezy place but not directly in blazing sunshine. Sunlight can cause faster ageing of materials and can make neoprene and rubber parts brittle.

#3 – Check any moving parts regularly for dirt and defects

At least once a day, you should make sure that all moving parts on your diving equipment (such as buckles on your BCD, inflator buttons, regulator purge buttons etc.) are clean and working properly. That way you’ll be reassured that there are no dirt, sand or salt crystals stuck in your diving gear that might cause a malfunction during a dive.

#4 – Deep-clean and maintain your diving equipment on a regular basis

In addition to rinsing your kit with clean fresh water after each dive, you should also wash your gear thoroughly at least once a week with a special cleaner designed for dive equipment. This applies not only for neoprene suits, but also for your BCD.

#5 – Store your diving equipment properly

Between dives – and especially if you’re taking some time away from teaching – you should ensure that your gear is stored properly to avoid damage and deformation of the material. Make sure it’s completely dry before packing it away (see #2), don’t stand your fins on the blade-end (as they’ll bend out of shape), and ensure the glass in your diving mask is protected from being scratched.

In addition to these 5 tips, you should always be very careful when carrying and using your diving equipment. Strong impact can easily damage your gear, especially the small components in your BCD and regulator.

PADI’s Equipment Specialist Touch is a great tool to help refresh your memory on maintenance techniques, even as a PADI Professional. It’s also a valuable teaching aid to use with your students to help them learn the importance of caring for their scuba equipment.

This article was written by guest blogger, Christian Hubo. A PADI diving instructor, Christian has enjoyed over 4,000 dives whilst travelling around the world. Above the surface, he’s hiked thousands of kilometers across the natural world. Christian is a freelance web and media designer, underwater photographer, social media and marketing consultant and freelance author. His magazine articles and blog, Feel4Nature, inspires people to follow an independent, individual and eco-conscious lifestyle.

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Summary for PADI Professionals

If you’re a PADI Instructor who is actively training and certifying divers, you can distinguish yourself by earning the PADI Elite Instructor Award. This program recognizes PADI Instructors like you for reaching specific milestones based on the number of certifications you issue annually – providing you with the opportunity to tout your “Elite Instructor” status to student divers, potential customers, prospective employers and your fellow PADI Professionals!

PROGRAM SUMMARY

To be recognized as a PADI Elite Instructor, you must be a renewed PADI Professional with a minimum rating of Open Water Scuba Instructor, with no verified Quality Management violations within 12 months of the date the award will be presented, and issue 50, 100, 150, 200 or 300 qualifying certifications in a calendar year. This is an annual program and the award will be given only once per year, during the first quarter of the following year.

2016 Elite Instructor Award

The 2016 Elite Instructor Award Year runs from 1 January 2016 through 31 December 2016, but you’ll have until 15 January 2017 to get all of your certifications processed. You do not need to apply for the award; you will be automatically considered for the award if you issue any qualifying certifications during 2016. (Please see the “Qualifying Certifications” section below.)

Recognitions

If you issue 50, 100, 150, 200 or 300 qualifying certifications, your accomplishment will be recognized during the first quarter of the following year, as follows:

• You’ll get an “Elite Instructor” decal to affix to your PADI Instructor card.
• You’ll also receive an “Elite Instructor” e-badge to use in your electronic communications. If you work for or are associated with a PADI Dive Center or Resort, you have the option to authorize that business to display your e-badge on its website or other electronic communications. This is optional and solely at your discretion.
• If you have (or if you purchase) a PADI eCard for yourself, your Elite Instructor e-badge will be automatically added to your eCard.
• Your Elite Instructor Award information will be included in Pro Chek™.
• All Elite Instructor Award Recipients will also get a certificate recognizing them for their qualifying certifications:  50, 100, 150, 200 or 300.

Qualifying Certifications

Qualifying certifications are certifications issued by you that will be included in your tally. Qualifying student diver certifications include Scuba Diver, Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver, Master Scuba Diver and all student diver specialties including distinctive specialties. Junior diver certifications will be weighted on a one-to-one basis as well as Basic Freediver, Freediver, Advanced Freediver and Master Freediver.

Weighted Programs: Emergency First Response Participant programs, ReActivate, Discover Scuba Diving experiences, Bubblemaker, Seal Team, Master Seal Team and Skin Diver will be weighed on a five-to-one basis. For example, five Discover Scuba Diving experiences will be weighted the same as one Open Water Diver certification.

Qualifying PADI Professional ratings include Divemaster, Assistant Instructor, Open Water Scuba Instructor, Master Scuba Diver Trainer, IDC Staff Instructor, Emergency First Response Instructor and all Instructor Specialty and Distinctive Instructor Specialty ratings. Freediver Instructor, Advanced Freediver Instructor, Master Freediver Instructor and Freediver Instructor Trainer will also be included and weighted on a one-to-one basis.

Referrals will be counted on a two-to-one basis. If you have referred students to another instructor or business but didn’t get the paperwork back from the other party, please submit your completed documents to the certifications department and they will make every effort to see that you get credit for your referrals.

Will you get an Elite Instructor Award for 2016?
Visit the “My Account” tab (above) to see how many certifications you have so far this year. If you find you are close to qualifying for an award, celebrate! Then, certify a few more divers. Or, or go for an even higher “Elite” status!  Not even close? There’s still plenty of time step up your efforts to earn an Elite Instructor Award this year!

For More Information

To see how you are doing this year, you can check your certification counts by clicking on the “My Account” tab above. If you looked at your certifications on the “My Account” tab and now you still have questions about your certifications counts, please contact your PADI Regional Headquarters for assistance.

For more information about the Elite Instructor Award program, please contact Customer Relations on +44 (0) 117 300 7234 or email customerservices.emea@padi.com

“Congratulations to the PADI Pros who achieved Elite status during 2015. This is an outstanding achievement and a testament to your hard work and commitment to PADI. As an Elite Instructor, you are able to promote your success by showing your Elite Instructor e-badge on your Social Media pages. This is also an excellent opportunity for PADI Dive Stores to take advantage of the increased marketing potential that Elite Instructors bring to them.”  

Mark Spiers Vice President,
Training, Sales and Field Services
PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa

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PADI Course Directors, the highest level of PADI Professional, are much sought after individuals within the diving industry.

Becoming a PADI Course Director is one of the toughest challenges an experienced PADI Professional will face throughout their career.  Many rigorous prerequisites must be met before the aspiring PADI Pro may submit an application to be selected for the Course Director Training Course (CDTC).  While many PADI Pros aspire to taking part in the CDTC and becoming instructor trainers, only the very best are selected.  The CDTC itself is intense, teaching prospective Course Directors everything from how to conduct an Instructor Development Course to how to market and grow their business.  Each candidate is subject to continuous evaluation in the classroom and in the water, and it is not until the final evaluation on the final day that the individual knows whether they have made the grade.

This elite group of PADI professionals is responsible for creating the highest calibre of instructors around the world: PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors.  Course Directors also train PADI Instructors in their continuing professional development to become PADI Speciality Instructors, IDC Staff Instructors, and EFR Instructors.  The responsibility on Course Directors to keep standards high cannot be underestimated and PADI is proud to have the best instructor trainers in the diving industry.

To that end, each year PADI applauds and rewards its most productive Course Directors in the form of the Frequent Trainer Program (FTP).  Dependent on PADI Professional training productivity during the preceding year, PADI awards Course Directors who meet minimum FTP requirements with either Silver, Gold or Platinum status for the current year.

PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa proudly announces its list of 2015 Frequent Trainers.  This select group of Course Directors, from all over the EMEA territory, have been busy creating future PADI Instructors – who will in turn create new PADI divers in 2016.

Join us in congratulating the 2015 Frequent Trainers, and find out more about the CDTC here.

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Freediving is one of the fastest growing dive industry segments, and PADI Freediver courses provide members with new revenue-generating opportunities and offer a pipeline for capturing younger customers. To help seat the program, there are global instructor training courses along with efficient crossover programs for freediving instructors from other training organizations. The PADI organization is promoting the program through athletic endorsements and event sponsorships, and may sponsor global freediving competitions or events as well. The surf scene is being targeted at trade shows and events with the message that PADI is the premium choice for freediving. Surf industry influencers are also being invited to participate in the AmbassaDiver community. Additionally, promotions tap into the adventure travel market to drive awareness and conversion. You should target your marketing efforts toward similar audiences.

To access key information, go to the new PADI Freediver Pros’ Site on padi.com. Log in to the PADI Pros’ Site using your member credentials and click on the PADI Freediver banner at the top of the page or click on the Toolbox tab/Freediver. To access PADI Freediver forms and applications directly, click on Training Essentials/Forms and Applications, followed by the language of choice and then scroll down to the Freediver section.

While the PADI Freediver site is continuously updated with new and relevant information, here is a sampling of what you will currently find on the site (English only, other languages coming soon):

✦ New and Events – Important information regarding scheduled webinars, courses and workshops including Freediver Instructor Orientations. News items about upcoming events such as competitions, shows, conferences and other freediving activities.

✦ Online Services – Access to the PADI Pro Online Shopping Cart where you can purchase materials. Also, access to the Online Processing Center where you can manage PADI Freediver Touch codes and process Freediver certifications.

✦ Training Essentials – A robust area with links to Freediver FAQs, Exams and Assessments, Forms/Applications and Freediver Training Standards. You’ll also find schedules for webinars, courses and workshops.

✦ Marketing Toolbox – Access to the Freediver FAQs and digital marketing collateral such as banners. Watch this space for more marketing tools as they become available.

✦ Member Toolbox – Training schedules and current events, insurance information and the PADI Freediver Employment Board. Also included is a convenient link for certification card replacement.

✦ PADI Retail and Resort Association – Information about how current PADI Retail and Resort Association members can become PADI Freediver Centers.

✦ Customer Service – Contact information for customer service teams at PADI Regional Headquarters. They are there to help.

Visit the PADI Freediver Pros’ Site to find the information you need.

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If you are a PADI Course Director, Master Instructor or IDC Staff Instructor and you have not yet attended one of the live ID updates this year, there is still time!

There are six Instructor Development Updates left during 2016:

Saudi Arabia (Arabic) – 9^th April 2016

Egypt – (Hurghada) – 15^th April 2016

Egypt – (Sharm El Sheikh) – 24^th April 2016

Cyprus – 24^th April 2016

Malta – 8^th May 2016

Sweden – 16^th May 2016

With information on PADI’s plans for 2016, teaching open water skills, live evaluation practice and a risk management workshop, the updates have been hugely popular. Attendees also receive a number of special gifts, including a 50^th anniversary certification card, evaluation materials and a PADI rash vest!

If you are a Course Director, attendance will meet the requirement for your two year update, whilst the Instructor Development Updates count as credit towards CDTC for aspiring Master Instructors and IDC Staff Instructors.

The registration form for these events, and other updates, can be downloaded here:

Can’t make these events? Don’t worry – information on the online version will be released shortly!

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