In the dive industry, whenever you hear about an exciting new technology, it’s usually something from an equipment manufacturer. But individual PADI® Members and Dive Center owners can be just as innovative!
Angelos Manglis, a PADI OWSI and co-owner of two PADI Dive Centers, developed MeDryDive, a free mobile app for Android and Apple devices, that allows people to explore dive sites virtually.
Currently, you can visit four dive sites in the Mediterranean, more will be added over time. As of this writing, you can explore:
The ancient shipwreck of Peristera in Alonissos, Greece
The Underwater Archaeological Park of Baiae in Naples, Italy
The Gnalić shipwreck at the island of Gnalić near Pašman in Croatia
The modern shipwreck Oreste in Budva, Montenegro
As the video above shows, MeDryDive has three interactive functions:
It unlocks augmented reality (AR) elements in an educational leaflet
It allows users to take a DryDive
and it includes a virtual reality (VR) game
When we asked Angelos, “What motivated you to create virtual underwater experiences?” He said:
“We wanted to provide both divers and nondivers a package of services and unique experiences. Since most people aren’t divers, we wanted to first give them a glimpse of the unique experience of diving and inspire them to “dive deeper” into this sport. We developed the AR leaflet and the Augmented Diving Application for use with a mobile phone and cardboard glasses as a low-cost way to try a dive at the Peristera shipwreck at Alonissos Island.”
For certified divers, virtual underwater experiences give them more insights and information prior to their actual dive.
Angelos, a part owner of Sporades Diving Center (Skopelos Island) and Ikion Diving Center (Alonissos Island) also noted, “Creating virtual underwater experiences gives our diving center a marketing advantage and an advertising opportunity to attract more customers. MeDryDive has more than 120,000 downloads to date.” (MeDryDive launched in March 2021).
VR Scuba Diving?!?
If you’re reading this article with a frown on your face thinking, “VR diving? Video games!?! Don’t we want people to get off the couch and in the water?” consider what sparked your interest in the underwater world. For many, it was a television program.
Today, an increasing number of people spend their screen time on video games and mobile apps instead of watching television, especially people younger than age 40.
More than 4 billion people play video games – including games on mobile devices
In a recent global survey, 52% of Millennials said gaming is their “top interest”
Video games are more popular than movies – and it’s been this way since 2009
Though VR hasn’t taken off the way many predicted it would, megacompanies Apple and Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) continue to invest heavily in VR technology.
Consider the Possibilities
Test drive this new technology by downloading the MeDryDive app and the AR leaflet. If you don’t have a VR headset, you can still enjoy the DryDive and serious game using inexpensive cardboard glasses designed to turn your smartphone into a VR viewing device.
Angelos describes the VR experience as, “unbelievable and thrilling the first time you try it. For me, taking off the headset had the same satisfaction as taking off your diving mask after a real dive at the same spot.”
If you don’t want to purchase anything, you can still take a virtual dive by going to meddiveinthepast.eu. Click on Virtual Tools from the menu bar at the top and choose a dive site.
Dive in the Past: A Serious Game
A “serious game” is a genre of video games that has a purpose besides entertainment. Serious games are increasingly used in the education, healthcare and tourism industries.
According to Angelos, Dive in the Past is the first underwater cultural heritage serious game. “It mixes underwater exploration with puzzles and quests, so it’s more interactive, engaging and amusing than the DryDive. This makes it more attractive for younger people, but it’s fun for adults, too.”
New Technology Reaches New Customers
While AR and VR will never replace scuba diving in real life, they can be effective tools to spark interest in scuba diving and enhance the diving experience. According to Angelos:
“The outcome of investing in this new technology has been very positive. We’ve had more social media follows, website visits and more visitors at the dive centers.
We’ve also had more than 6,000 people visit the Knowledge Awareness Center in Alonissos Island and the Digital Corner for CHRISTOFOROS wreck in Skopelos correspondingly. After completing a DryDive experience, more than half of the visitors expressed their intention to become divers. So you can imagine our thrill.
Through our presence in relevant exhibitions, we’ve also had interest from scientific diving students and experienced divers who want to collaborate with our diving centres on the scientific diving aspect of this technology.”
How To Create a VR Underwater Experience
Filming a VR scuba diving experience is easier than you may realize. Angelos and his team took several thousand photographs and used special software to create 3D renderings of each site because their project required a very high level of detail and resolution.
Anyone can make a simple VR video with a compact camera rig (such as a GoPro MAX) and some 360-degree video editing software. Learn how by either reading these written instructions or watching this video. If you have Adobe Premiere (or know someone who does), here’s an explainer video specific to that software.
Angelos recommends choosing your site carefully. Consider visibility conditions, the depth of the object and its size. For the four pilot dive sites, it took Angelos and his team 10-15 days to film and render each location.
“The object must be photographed from all directions and from three different distances. Strong light is essential,” Angelos said.
Also consider who can support your endeavor. Are there other interested dive operators in the area? A local tourism bureau? MeDryDive was co-funded by the EU COSME Programme with the two-pronged goal of raising awareness of Mediterranean Underwater Cultural Heritage sites and increasing tourism.
Want to use VR to promote diving without making a video?
If you see the potential of VR but don’t have the time or resources to make your own video, you can get a VR headset and utilize videos created by others including:
Follow MeDryDive on Facebook or Instagram to find out when new videos are released for their VR scuba diving experience. To learn more about the MeDryDive project, visit medrydive.eu.
The post How One Dive Center is Using AR and VR to Bring the Underwater World to the Surface & Attract New Customers appeared first on PADI Pros.
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