PADI are often criticised for making diving available to the masses, and many think that this sport should be restricted to club members, and especially those with beards and Arran pullovers.
Well PADI have now produced eLearning … do your open water on-line
https://www.padi.com/padi/elearning/covers.htm

What a great move, there must be loads of people out there who want to be able to have a PADI badge on their suitcase, or impress their friends by wearing a PADI polo shirt or baseball cap and look macho in the local bar.

People will soon no longer need to get wet at all, and let’s be honest there must be many potential customers (sorry I meant divers) out there who are put off diving only by the thought of going underwater.

They will soon be able to become divers without getting wet – which must be seen as a logical development of PADI specialities, following on from the recent “PADI Full Face Mask Speciality”, which everybody was asking for, it was so much more of a priority than other courses.

Having already been able to obtain the coveted Advanced accolade by such courses as land based “equipment specialist”, we eagerly look forward to the 2 day “putting your fins on” speciality, and soon to follow “advanced dive bag packing”

There will future benefits as PADI adopts more technology, by the successful partnering with software games industry we shall soon see the Virtual Diver and Advanced Virtual Diver courses.
Some feel that the Advanced Virtual Diver may be too onerous in expecting participants to undertake a total of 5 extra 30min long virtual dives, may be too much, with the possible risk of MCS (monitor concentration syndrome)

Instructors will benefit by being able to sell all these extra courses –
Virtual Dive Master and Master Scuba Divert Virtual Trainer will be among the first.
With the options to be able to increase the income potential if they add the Virtual Diver – LapTop speciality to the standard desk top version.

There will be PADI junior VD, and PADI bubblemaker VD and due to increased capability of ultrasound, parents will be able to get their expected through the pre-natal VD course on-line.

PADI … you know it makes sense