COVID-19 has really crapped up 2020 hasn’t it? Surely you have had plans canceled and missed some major events due to all the closures. The great thing is that the internet has stepped up. There are more webinars, online courses, and entertainment than ever before. If you felt isolated before quarantine, you have probably felt more connected now than ever before. People have time for each other. You have the freedom to explore hobbies; do things you’ve always wanted to do.

That’s where scuba diving courses come in. Sure, it’s still not possible to travel wherever you want and get your first (or next) certification just yet. However, now courses are even more adaptable and effective. By starting the theory online, you can be ready to travel and enjoy the ocean the minute travel becomes safe again.

Interested in getting Open Water Certified? Check out this video:

It’s been possible to do online theory for a range of the PADI scuba diving courses for some time now. The idea behind it is great and is the preferred method for many dive shops around the world. One problem with online theory is that it isn’t always the most intuitive program for students and many of them get through it, but don’t exactly understand (or remember) the things they read.

This is where the twist comes in. Quarantine has made Zoom a wildly useful app for all kinds of virtual gatherings and it has made its way into the scuba industry.

While you go through the online theory for your course, you can ‘meet’ your instructor and get one-on-one tutoring via Zoom meetings. Although the concepts of any recreational course are not super complicated, the information makes a lot more sense when someone helps you to apply it to real life as you are learning.

The great thing about doing theory in this way is that you can spread your knowledge development over several weeks and actually absorb the information you are supposed to learn. Too often these courses are rushed based on flight schedules and dive shop logistics. This means that people come out of courses having ‘finished’ the course, but may not be able to recall some of the finer points of the theory.

Once you start working through the theory, you have a full calendar year to complete the confined water skill practice and open water dives. This means that you have plenty of time to wait out whatever safety quarantines still await all of us around the world before shopping for flights.

Here at Azul Unlimited, we are excited to adapt to this new way of teaching and get to know our students even better than we have in the past. We have worked hard to step up our online teaching game on YouTube so our team is trained to support you through your online courses.

Take the theory portion from the PADI recreational courses (as well as Divemaster) and then join us for diving later in 2020 or early 2021.

Also available: the full certification course for the Project AWARE Specialist is entirely available online as well as our Photo/Video/Editing Workshops. Dive into new courses from the comfort of your home.

Interested in joining a course? Email us and we’ll get you sorted for your next ocean adventure!