This move makes them the very first scuba diver training organisation ever to have set up a Dive Centre that’s . . . well, out of this world. Second Life is a 3D world on the internet. It resembles a computer game, but really isn’t in the game category. It’s actually more like a 3D platform, where you can walk around and talk to others through the character you control, you can buy clothes, a car or a yacht. Second Life even has its own currency that is exchangeable into real world money, and there are loads of things to do. You can go to a night club and dance, you can go to a concert transmitted live into Second Life or – as of now – you can go diving!

The brand new PADI Centre in Second Life lets users learn about everything from scuba gear to the world’s greatest dive destinations – and of course: it lets users click right through to PADI’s Open Water Diver eLearning programme, where they can study the theory part of the course and then choose a (real life) PADI Dive centre to do the in-water training with.

The now realized plan to go into Second Life was spearheaded by PADI International’s Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Douglas Nash. The PADI Center in Second Life was then created and designed by Scotland based Second Life design company, Fusion Unity.

Nash who, in collaboration with Fusion Unity’s Managing Director, Mark Duffy, has coordinated PADI’s Second Life project, says: “We have had a wonderful time working with Fusion Unity on this, and the PADI Centre in SL is big news. One especially great thing is that it ties in so nicely with our brand new eLearning programme on padi.com. By appealing to the more than seven million current SL users, this really has the potential to get more new people from all over the world into diving! And there are already loads of beautifully designed coral, marine life and scuba kit in SL, so scuba diving will definitely appeal to the residents. So I say: Forget about surfing the internet – now you can dive it!”

Although PADI is the first scuba diver training organisation to make the move into Second Life, it is a current tendency and lots of other businesses in different fields have done it.

In the news business, the BBC, Sky News and Reuters are amongst the ones to have set up in SL. Dell and other computer manufacturers have set up too. Nash notes that: “The way we see it, Second Life isn’t a here today, gone tomorrow kind of thing. It’s great because - like no other medium - it actually provides an alternative environment for those who use it. To me, Second Life was an obvious next step for PADI. Setting up our PADI Centre in SL is good for our dive centres and instructors - and of course for showing more people how to become divers in the real world themselves.”

If you want to find out more about Second Life and the new PADI Centre – check out www.secondlife.com. You can visit the PADI Centre by creating a free avatar there, then searching for “PADI” inside Second Life and clicking “teleport”.