Wednesday, 12 November 2014

Reactivate your Scuba

There is a new course being released by PADI for all those scuba divers out there who haven't been in the water for a while...ReActivate!

What is PADI ReActivate?


diver refreshes scuba skills in water with instructorIt is stressed to divers from the very beginning of their Diving journey that, should they endure a period of scuba inactivity, they should refresh their skills before jumping back into similar kinds of diving from before the break.

In days gone by, this would mean taking a Scuba Review, which involved a theory refresh with the Scuba Review manual (or Open Water quizzes and Exams) and a pool session to practice all those Open Water course skills before hitting Open Water again.

This has now been replaced by the PADI ReActivate Course.

How is it different to Scuba Review?


The PADI ReActivate course knowledge refresher is completed online using the reActivate Touch or ReActivate Online depending on whether you wish to use a PC or device. Completing this and mastering the scuba diving knowledge, shown through completion of the ReActivate quick review, earns the diver a Reactivate Certificate.

The new reactivate cardHowever, to earn the full ReActivate card you must also complete the in-water, confined skills session.

Unlike the Scuba Review, this is not simply a case of completing mandatory skills. The aim of the ReActivate program is to focus on the student's strengths and weaknesses, so the whole program is more personalised and focused on the individual.

Instructors are required to browse the student's log book and conduct a pre-dive interview to determine

  • how many dives the student has made and the conditions/environment they were in
  • How long it has been since the last dive made
  • What the student believes will help them to improve their scuba diving
  • What skills the student wishes to practice
instructor discusses skills with student to see what she thinks are strengths and weaknesses


Following this, the instructor would be required to observe the student divers as they plan the dive, assemble the diving equipment, complete the pre-dive safety check, enter the water, equalise, descend and achieve neutral buoyancy providing tips and reminders as they proceed. Any skills needed will be demonstrated and the diver can practice until mastery is achieved.

The required skills on the course include:

  • Remove, replace and clear the mask.
  • Become neutrally buoyant and hover.
  • At the surface in water too deep in which to stand, with a deflated BCD, use the weight system’s quick release to pull clear and drop sufficient weight to become positively buoyant.
  • Ascend properly using an alternate air source and establish positive buoyancy at the surface. Act as both donor and receiver.
So, as an upgrade to an existing course, the Reactivate program should be a much better way to improve the skill and confidence of a diver who has been out of the water for a while. The personalised approach is much more efficient than the "one size fits all" method employed in the current Scuba Review.

This course is available from PADI instructors effective immediately but mandatory switch from the Scuba Review will be October 2015

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