PADI Americas
30151 Tomas Street, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-2125
800-729-7234, or +1 949 858-7234
http://www.padi.com
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Dear Fellow Diver;

We are watching things very closely to see what PADI can do to help the dive industry get back to business as usual.  I want to thank all of you who have sent me notes letting me know that you are still traveling, and still telling friends to get wet and try this cool sport.

We are currently evaluating incentives to encourage you to bring even more people into scuba diving, and we are asking other stakeholders in the industry to do the same.  Every study we have ever done indicates that word of mouth from friends and family brings more people into diving than anything else. So, stay tuned as we develop innovative ways to recognize and reward you for doing what you love to do anyway: tell people about the thrill and fun of scuba diving.

And, just a reminder. I'm still sending out checks to Fellow Diver Newsletter readers for $10.00 until October 31st .  To get yours, just sign up for any PADI Adventures in Diving, Rescue Diver, or Divemaster course, send me your receipt attached to your special Fellow Diver coupon and I'll send you a check. Download your coupon at http://www.padi.com/promo/dfd/ Just type in padidiver when asked for the password.

If you remember, a couple of months ago, we were trying to get Fellow Diver Newsletter readers to join us on Grand Cayman to dive with some huge country western music stars.  Well, if you didn't make it, you can read all about it in this month's issue of Country Weekly.  Travis Tritt and SheDaisy tell you about their great experiences as PADI Divers during Cayman Country.  You can also see story summaries on the PADI Today Home page at http://www.padi.com

Speaking of travel, as you know, the travel industry has been hit hard by the events of September 11th.  I just wanted to thank all of you who participated in our online survey at http://www.padi.com about your future travel plans.  As of this moment, 68 percent of divers taking the survey are not changing existing travel plans.  Of the 32 percent who are changing their plans, about 90 percent are only changing the dates or the destination of their travel.  That means only 10 percent of divers taking the survey are permanently canceling their trips.  Please do your best to support the airline, hospitality, and resort sectors of the world economy and book a dive trip soon.

According to our information, now that the summer dive season is winding down in the northern hemisphere, literally hundreds of PADI Dive Centers and Resorts are gearing up for PADI Seal Team programs.  Earlier this year, PADI launched this program for kids eight and older.  They get to do AquaMissions like Creature ID, Environment, Navigation, and Snapshot specialist.  Check it out at http://www.padisealteam.com/what.asp  or call your local PADI Dive Center.  If you take your children, nieces or nephews into a PADI Dive Center or Resort and sign them up for the PADI Seal Team program, I'll do my best to get them on the PADI Home Page where more than 10,000 of your fellow divers will see them every day. Just send me a photo or two of them taken during the program, along with the name of the PADI facility. You can send photos and stories to me a brianc@padi.com

Until next month, get a friend (signed up for The PADI Open Water Diver course) and go diving!  They'll thank you for doing it!

Brian Cronin
Fellow Diver