Have you thought about getting your diving certification but didn’t want to waste precious vacation time sitting in a classroom learning the required material before getting into the water? Now you can arrive at your diving/vacation destination with a lot of that education already under your belt through the online Professional Association Diving Instructors (PADI) eLearning program.
According to PADI Instructor and Ambergris Caye based White Sands Dive Shop owner Elbert Greer, completing knowledge development online is different from using the open water book, with the online portion of the course enhanced with audio presentations, graphics and animations as well as interactive assessments with Greer as your virtual instructor. Student divers register for the online class at www.scubalessonsbelize.com, and from that point, Greer can interact with the student via phone, email, or chats depending on the student’s preference. This one-on-one interaction allows Greer to answer questions, provide information about local diving, discuss equipment or address any concerns the novice may have, assuring that they feel comfortable, confident, and well prepared before moving on with their diving certification in Belize.
As students progress through each section of the online course, they answer Quick Quiz questions to ensure they are meeting the learning objectives, and in the end, they complete a Knowledge Review. To reinforce learning, the program provides the correct answers along with further explanations and reviews. When they are ready, students take a quiz for that section and receive prescriptive feedback for any incorrect answer, assuring that they achieve 100% mastery of the subject before moving on to the next section. Students are linked to interactive tutorials and online Reading Dive Planner (RDP) versions. Greer tracks the progress of each student diver and assists along the way. The students also have access to an online version of the PADI Open Water Diver Manuel for reference during and after training.
“In my twenty-plus years of experience certifying tourists for SCUBA Diving in Belize, I’ve learned that the difficult part is not getting my students to jump into the warm, clear Caribbean water with a tank on their back, it’s getting them to read and study the manual or sit and watch a DVD in the classroom while they are distracted by being on vacation! Instructors call this bookwork and study part of the course Knowledge Development, and it’s the hardest part of my job. With this online method, student divers will have done this part of the course at home with me guiding them through as an instructor, wasting no time after arriving before they get into the warm water,” commented Greer.
White Sands Dive Shop is a full service 5 Star PADI Dive Shop specializing in daily diving, SCUBA instruction, and snorkeling. They conveniently pick you up from the dock at or nearest to your hotel and are fully equipped with the best in dive and snorkel gear. For more information, please visit their website at www.whitesandsdiveshop.com or email Elbert Greer at [email protected]