The funny thing with change is the resistance to it... We fall into a rut where we are content and anything that threatens to upset that status quo makes us uneasy...

Dive training is no different. There has always been resistance at every level – first training non-military people to dive, resistance to octo’s , computers, to Nitrox etc. etc.

The next resistance level is e-learning (in PADI speak) - or online courses - doing theoretical dive training online.

Dive training has evolved from being a completely instructor led and an Instructor centred activity to a much more student centred activity – a process in which the student in a way decides how and when it is most comfortable for them to partake in the learning process. It is no more different than a person doing a degree through a correspondence university…

The days of spending hours in a classroom being bored by an Instructor explaining the same concept to the same guy for the fifth time are over…Multimedia, computers and the Internet has changed the way we give lectures and share knowledge forever. Students now have the option of going online, paying for and downloading course material, complete with videos, explanations and knowledge reviews. The instructor’s job is to make sure the student understands the theory by asking questions and administering exams then teach the student the one thing you cannot do online…to dive…Time is the one commodity we cannot make more off – we can however use our time effectively. Doing online courses puts the focus and responsibility of learning theory in the student’s hands – on their terms and their time – when ready they simply pitch up for the practical training, less work for the instructor and much more fun for the student!