padi business academy testimonial · ocean has always been her driving force, and this has led to...

This article was written and submitted by Alexandra Dimitriou, who attended the Limassol PADI Business Academy in 2014.

Alexandra Dimitriou is a dive center owner in Agia Napa, Cyprus. She became a diver in 1992 and received her bachelor’s degree in Oceanography at Plymouth University in 2003. Her love of the ocean has always been her driving force, and this has led to the natural progression of becoming a diving instructor in 2005. She is currently a PADI staff instructor and owner at Scuba Monkey Ltd.

Alexandra DimitriouCyprus Business Academy 2014

PADI Business Academy Testimonial

1: Marketing isn’t a bad thing, you just have to know your audience and be able to

take a personal approach. By knowing who your audience is you can better serve them, and this is a service like all others. You can make it an enjoyable one – both for yourself and for your prospective guests. The PBA taught us how to get the knowledge of things like website keywords, using online tools that have been at my fingertips since the beginning, but until the academy, only my web designer had ventured into this realm on my business’ behalf. Sure – my web designer explained things like google analytics to me, but Mark Spiers (PADI’s VP) gave talks and ran workshops which allowed a true practical application that led to greater understanding. Brilliant. I feel more in control, I feel calmer about the future and much much less confused.

2: The PADI Pro website. I have used this site for close to 10 years and I honestly

thought I understood all the tools available to me. Clearly not. The PBA went through every tab in the minutest detail and it was a shock to discover all the features that have been available to me all this time and had not been utilizing to full potential. Simple things like how enter your address into the store locator properly and allow your dive center to become searchable using navigation

systems and smart phones. Cyprus, as the last split capital in the world, is notorious for being hard to navigate using standard GPS…..the PBA showed me such a simple fix to a problem that I have endured since I opened my doors in 2012

3: Social Media. I was the youngest participant in this PBA, and I have been

brought up in a technology rich environment (my father always shows off that he owned the first computer on the island in the early 1980’s). I honestly thought that this element of the PBA would be something that I could learn little from…after all, I already blog, link everything to the website, twitter and Facebook….what more could there be? A lot as it turns out. Marc went through every element of each platform that I already was active on…..and taught me little quirks and tweaks that could even further my marketing success. Things like scheduled posting on Facebook and how to highlight an important post are all features that have been at my fingertips, but have failed to use. The PBA not only taught me the value of these features, but also how to use them immediately. Great. I was definitely taken down a peg or two, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I have joined most other social media sites, such as Instagram and flicker and Pinterest…..I have been a member for quite some time…however the PBA again made me feel like a speck of dust in the internet wasteland by informing me about the demographics of users of these sites. It worried me to hear that Facebook was soon becoming outdated, that the Y2 and Z generations already considered this platform for the older generations. Scary isn’t it? The academy taught me that staying current to new trends will be an essential mode for dive center survival. This information did not make me loose heart however – again Knowledge is power and power means control. Workshops allowed us to use free tools like Animoto and Mail Chimp to better serve our guests and encourage them to be more interactive over all social platforms.

B ring it on…. The PADI Business Academy slogan of “Harness the Power” is true to

its word…..I feel positive and energized for the 2015 season. I would recommend it to anyone – regardless of the size and history of their dive center.

PADI Business Academy

I recently went to the PADI Business Academy (PBA) in Cyprus and I simply had to share this positive experience with all of you. As a relatively new dive center owner I have had a steep learning curve making the transition from instructor to owner. Today’s marketplace is

hugely different to that which I learned in my Business A-level in the UK – oh so many moons ago – the PBA was such an eye opener to ways to move Scuba Monkey onwards and upwards. The PBA opened my eyes in three major ways:




Participating at the PADI Business Academy was one of our smartest tactical moves last year. We can see a direct line from the experience gained at the academy to our success

of 2012 and receiving the award. We implemented almost 100 % of what we learned to our local point of view. We very much like that PADI is embracing these topics with both seminars and on PADI Pros Site. You learn to use tools you didn’t even know existed, which can be crucial for a diving centers marketing and communication in this modern age. Also, we were able to contact the PADI speakers anytime we had questions throughout the year, very flexible and service minded indeed.

The two days that I spent at PADI Business Academy could not have been spent better. Over the duration of the course we covered many different aspects of running and

developing a successful Dive Centre, which has enabled me to implement changes and in turn should see an increase in profits and productivity for my center.

The course presented by PADI EMEA staff; who were all very enthusiastic and knowledgeable; provided me with some very useful tips on Social Media, Website Development, Customer relationship management, Pricing Strategies and much more. Even though I had a lot of the social media and CRM systems in place the academy helped me to fine-tune them in order to get the maximum effect for the dive center. Unlike before they are now working to their full potential allowing me to focus on other aspects that are crucial to the development of the business. As a result of more effective CRM I have seen a noticeable increase in revenue through the center, which alone is worth the academy fee.

At the end of the first day we all went out for a meal, which was an opportunity to talk informally to the PADI staff and further develop a long lasting relationship with the business development team. It wasn’t only the EMEA staff that were helpful; I also enjoyed meeting and spending time with other like-minded people in the Dive industry who all had their different ways of doing things. It is always nice to see how other centers operate and working together in the dive industry, in my opinion, is a must. It is very reassuring to know that there is a team of people who are able to assist my business from the other end of the phone who are always happy to help.

I can’t thank the EMEA team enough and highly recommend the Academy to anyone who is serious about running a successful dive center.

Since attending the PADI Business Academy in 2011 and seeing 100% increase in certifications in 2012, Prodykk Oslo went on to enjoy a further 75% growth in PADI certifications during 2013. They are now one of the top 10 PRRA certifiers in the PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa territory.

Kjetil AstrupBusiness Academy 2011

Michael Turner Reefers and Wreckers LtdUK Business Academy 2014




The PADI Business Academy is a turning point. In two consecutive days, we were provided with the knowledge, guidelines, workshop & secrets related to the business of dive

industry. You benefit from the social media to upgrade our private business. It was conducted in fluid manner taking a shape of specific presentations & workshops based on realistic business cases & accumulated experience. All were employed to raise the level of business management of the dive industry & was delivered in a very professional and effective manner. Thank you PADI for your unprecedented care, thank you all expert presenters & thank you all participants. I highly recommend this program for dive centres and resorts, it is an exciting experience.”

First of all it was nice to meet people from PADI EMEA and to network with other dive professionals. With the tools I learned during the PBA, we managed to increase the numbers of certifications with more than 20% compared to last year! I can highly recommend the PADI Business Forum to anyone working in the dive industry.

Mohamed BuhemdiNautilus Diving Kuwait, Kuwait Dubai Business Academy 2014

Mikael Rosendahl Råå Aqua Resort, SwedenSweden Business Academy 2014




We attended the PADI Business Academy this year in Durban and we found it to be very worthwhile and informative course. If you are wanting to take your business

to the next level then this is one course you need to try! The PADI staff were efficient, knowledgeable and very open to discussion and helping in whatever way they could. We found that we learnt to use tools we knew existed, but we didn’t know how to use effectively. They helped to provide us with some very useful tips on Social Media, Website Development, Customer relationship management and Pricing Strategies along with a few others.

Since attending the PADI Business Academy we have seen some really positive increases in sales and especially an increase in awareness of our centre. We are getting enquiries from

all over the world now for courses and information about our local diving area. Our website has been more effective and gained attention due to the changes implemented and we are expecting the business to continue to grow. We really appreciate all the time and effort that the EMEA team put in during the course and also all the follow up assistance after the course. We would highly recommend the Academy to anyone who is wants to improve or expand their dive centre.

I attended my first PADI Business Academy some two years ago. I was impressed by all the aspects of the presentation and the new social media marketing ideas it gave me. I left the

academy feeling excited and ready to implement the ideas I had learnt into my dive business. After having made the changes to the various social media campaigns and to my website, I was amazed at the increased activity and business it brought to our dive centre. Social media and marketing trends are constantly evolving so with in mind I attended a second PADI Business academy some two years later. I was pleased to find that the presenters had the latest information on hand for social media trends the new marketing ideas that pertained to the business of diving. I implemented these tweaks to my business plans and I have already seen positive results on all my social media and marketing campaigns. The PADI Business academy has brought new business and fresh ideas to my business and helped with its continued success.

Mark WeaverManta Marine,East London, South Africa South Africa Business Academy 2014

Patrick Voorma Calypso Dive and Adventure, South Africa South Africa Business Academy 2014

padi business academy testimonial · ocean has always been her driving force, and this has led to...

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