Are you aware of the changes to DSD?

Read here to see how close your intro dive is to an ISO approved programme and find out how to become a leader in your market
Follow these simplified DSD guidelines and reap the rewards

Missing a trick?

 Do you have enough Open Water Divers? Our most successful centres at diver acquisition are those that have a proactive Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) programme, targeted at securing entry level divers. Thought it was too difficult to run the operation and market the centre at the same time? With two simple options it's actually easier than you think. Time to give it a go! Remember, as occupancy in hotels is lower than usual, the experience you give these precious guests is paramount in developing an entry level certification, so give them the best!

 Discover Scuba Diving made easy

 DSD's can be conducted in a Pool, Confined Open Water and Open Water. The aim is to give the participant an experience they will not forget and hopefully encourage them to complete a PADI entry level course. Review the DSD Instructor Guide in the PADI Instructor Manual for further detailed information if required.

DSD in a pool or confined open water

 Are you a Divemaster holding the DSD Leader rating, an Assistant Instructor or above? If so, you can do this.

• DSD participants complete and sign the PADI Discover Scuba Diving Brochure.
• Have participants complete and sign the Discover Scuba Diving Knowledge and Safety Review. (Until incorporated in the revised DSD Brochure, you may download the DSD Knowledge and Safety Review (available as a free download from the PADI Pros site homepage, click here).
• Conduct briefing
• Help new divers put on and adjust their scuba equipment.
• Skill performance requirements are conducted in shallow water before moving to water too deep in which to stand. You may not engage in any other activities, such as taking photographs or video, while supervising participants.
• Demonstrate and have students master Inflation and deflation of a BCD at the surface
• Directly supervise new divers as they breathe underwater and swim around in shallow water. When comfortable, take them on tours in deeper water as appropriate.
• Debrief divers
• Promote your PADI Scuba Diver, PADI Open Water Diver Programme or Scuba Connect Programme
• Register your DSD participants online

In a nutshell! – Conduct a PADI DSD any time a customer wants to experience diving in a pool or confined body of water. The only required inwater skill relates to BCD use on the surface. There is no maximum or minimum time requirement; this is left to you. How simple is this!

DSD - Open Water Dive

 Do this if your DSD's want to do more, or their first experience is conducted from a boat or surface support station.

• Participants complete and sign the DSD Brochure.
• Have participants complete and sign the Discover Scuba Diving Knowledge and Safety Review. (Until incorporated in the revised DSD Brochure, you may download the DSD Knowledge and Safety Review (available as a free download from the PADI Pros site homepage). 
• Before the dive a PADI Instructor: Conducts briefing on equipment they'll be using; explain risks of diving, breathing and equalization rules, aquatic life, limits of the programme.
• Practice the following skills in shallow water with a PADI Instructor:
• Inflation and deflation of the BCD at the surface
• Breathing underwater
• Regulator clearing and recovery
• Mask clearing
• Equalization techniques
• Hand signals/underwater communication
• Finally conduct the participants on a tour of the dive site.

Conducting Discover Scuba Diving first experience, from a boat or surface support station.

 If conducting the Discover Scuba Diving program in a location where shallow water in not accessible (e.g. off a boat, dock or other surface support station), new divers may learn and practice skills by using a descent line, horizontal bar or platform that is within 2 metres/6 feet of the surface. If using a descent line, the ratio during skill practice is one participant to one PADI Instructor (1:1).

Credit for PADI Scuba Diver and PADI Open Water Diver courses

 If your DSD participants have done the Open Water Dive, it can be credited towards the Scuba Diver or Open Water Diver course - A good incentive for your divers to do more! Additionally, you may decide to conduct Confined Water Dive One skills with the participants. In this case you can credit this additional learning towards Confined Water Dive One of the PADI Scuba Diver or PADI Open Water Diver course.

Final Idea – If some of your DSD market have enough time, why not start you regular Open Water Diver Courses following the DSD's programme (Dive Today), and slip in the DSD participants. Conduct the DSD briefing, both Confined and Open Water Dives and let the DSD participants join Academic One. At the end of the day you can explain that after one more day they can become a Scuba Diver!

Review the DSD Instructor Guide in the PADI Instructor Manual for further detail and information. Please note changes incorporated in Training Bulletin Q1.09 and Q4.09.

DSD Facts – why you should use this programme

 Want to earn $60 and get a DSD participant diving?

 Conducting and registering DSD's also allows your PADI Dive Centre to benefit from the PADI Scuba Connect™, programme. Through Scuba Connect, PADI Dive Centres and Resorts can earn $60 US for each Discover Scuba Diving participant that enrols in the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online. Student divers may choose to complete their training with your facility or, as with a travelling consumer, may complete the inwater portion of the course with a facility closer to home. To get details of the Scuba Connect programme visit PADI Pros site homepage or read the Scuba Connect article on this blog. 

While the conversion from the DSD Programme to PADI Scuba Diver or PADI Open Water Diver may differ between domestic markets and resort markets, it has been proven (and it's still the case) that the proper conduct of a PADI DSD programme brings new customers.

 With the introduction of the new DSD experience in 2002 the conversion has increased to 8.5% new divers in main European markets.

 In the resort areas, the conversion is lower at between 2.9 and 5%. The difference being that the actual number of participants is much higher by far when compared to mainland Europe.

 By conducting and registering your participants of PADI Discover Scuba Diving you will enable PADI to communicate to these participents and encourage them to take up a PADI certification programme.

 What needs to be considered:

•  A DSD experience is the most successful programme to generate new customers, especially if the centres are using freshly certified divers to share their experience at the end of the DSD. It's within PADI standards to have a PADI Open Water or Advanced Open Water Diver helping with the logistics of organizing equipment and other materials used in the programme, motivation and registration at the end of the DSD experience. (They can't supervise, be used as a certified assistant or in any way conduct the experience or any of its elements.) The registration ratio is very often close to 80% if the emphasis is well positioned (end of the programme).
•  A closer analysis of German Dive Centres in 2006 has confirmed that the DSD is crucial for the good health of a business. Centres who conducted the DSD experience and actively promoted the Open Water Diver course during the experience found a significant uplift in their business.
•  In a resort environment, sometimes the programme is only conducted as a fast "benefit" and there is no follow-up being done at the end of the experience. In resorts where the conversion effort is made not only during the experience but also at the end of the programme, the registration into a PADI Scuba Diver or PADI Open Water Diver course is close to 70%.

Have fun, and by using the programme correctly you will create new divers and potentially reaps great rewards.