PADI Introduce The Reactive Program August 28, 2014 by lukesheppard

Up until now if you’ve been feeling a bit rusty and want to brush up on your skills you needed to take a PADI Scuba Review Course.  PADI have now introduced a much faster, more prescriptive, streamlined program to get you diving again. 

WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE OLD COURSE?

The PADI Scuba Review is designed to ensure that each diver has up-to-date knowledge and practice of diving skills and theory if they haven’t been diving in a while.  PADI recommend that you take a Scuba Review if you haven’t been diving in over six months, many PADI Dive Centres around the world will require you to take a Scuba Review before they take you diving.  This is great as it ensures that all divers are at a high level when they go diving in open water, however the Scuba Review Course is fairly rigid; requiring you to complete one of the following:

• PADI Scuba Tune-up Guidebook,
• Scuba Tune-up Online, verified by current eRecord,
• PADI Open Water Diver course quizzes,
• PADI Open Water Diver course final exam,
• PADI Open Water Diver Online Quick Review

WHAT’S CHANGED?

PADI ReActivate Program is a much more prescriptive review that only targets key skills and any areas that need attention. First you complete an interactive quiz that you download from PADI onto your mobile device or computer, after this is completed you go to your local PADI Dive Centre and complete the five mandatory skills and any others you or your Instructor feel you need to practice. It’s a much more streamlined system; allowing you to complete the theory in your own time at home and a water skill session that is targeted to your needs.  When this is all completed you will receive a new Cert. Card with your ReActivation date on the back. 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

If it’s been over six months since you’ve been diving and you’re planning a trip, you need to purchase the digital theory review from your dive centre (who will give you an access code) or through the new PADI App.  Once downloaded you will be presented with various realistic diving scenarios through text or a video and you will need to answer a multiple choice question on each scenario.  Correct answers will progress you through the scenarios and incorrect responses will explain the correct answer and ask a similar question to ensure that you have understood. After completing all topics you complete the ReActivate Quick Review online, when answered correctly you will be presented with a certificate that you need to present to your dive centre when you need to complete your water skills. The Water Skills can be completed in Confined or Open Water with an Active PADI DiveMaster or Instructor.  They will check your Log Book, ask what kind of diving you have done and if there are any specific skill you would like to practice. During the Water Skills part you will have to assemble your equipment, enter the water and:

1. remove,  replace and clear the mask
2. become neutrally buoyant and hover
3. use the weight system’s quick release to become positively buoyant in water too deep to stand in
4. ascend using an alternate air source and establish positive buoyancy on the surface
5. perform a CESA

After this your Instructor will help you to practice and SCUBA skills you would like to practice. When this is all completed your Instructor will process your ReActivation where you can choose one of your SCUBA cert. cards (including specialty ratings) to be ReActivated.  When this is done your new ReActivated card will be sent straight to your registered address in the post.

WHEN CAN I REACTIVATE?

ReActivate is available now in English, other languages will be available by the end of the first quarter 2015.  By 1^st October 2015 ReActivate will take over from the Scuba Review program.