Scuba Diving for the Disabled

It is the only sport where gravity isn't an issue - and as such is proving to be a wonderful way to boost self confidence and build the belief that there is life after tragedy. Doctors are also beginning to pay heed to the possibilities it provides for physical improvement in the disabled and also for research into how it may help those with brain or spinal cord injuries.

Programs for the disabled are offered by a few trained diving instructors, who display patience and humour in their efforts to help their disabled students become proficient.  In some cases students who are unable to move their legs on land are able - with a little help - to move them underwater and even direct their movements.  To them it is like flying underwater and the restrictions they endure above water are stripped away or greatly reduced when diving.  Quadriplegics who rely on an electric chair for mobility, likely don't have much arm muscle, but they may retain some muscle in the wrist or shoulder.  Underwater some Quadriplegics can move their arms back and forth for propulsion.  Doctors have noted that diving can increase circulation, stretch lung capacity and introduce more oxygen into the muscle tissue.  Weak or atrophied muscles can be exercised during a dive to be able to move underwater.  As adaptive scuba diving instructions is more readily offered at various locations - individuals can discuss the possibility of scuba diving with their doctor or physical therapist.  For more information you can contact the Handicapped Scuba Association.

War Veterans returning with injuries are offered the opportunity to participate in various sports programs but the one which has become the most popular is the diving course.  People with Multiple Sclerosis have found that time spent diving, offers some relief from their condition, even if only temporarily.  However this shouldn't be undertaken without first getting the all clear from your doctor.

But scuba diving for the disabled isn't just for those who suffer some degree of paralysation - it is also available for the blind and the deaf.  Deaf people are taught in sign language which is one of the good tools for underwater communications.  Blind divers are directed by touch and hand pressure is used as a signal.   But no matter the disability, all seem to enjoy the freedom of weightlessness they experience in the water.

Some hotels have locations in the Caribbean which offer diving for the disabled with newly certified instructors.  Both the Grand Cayman and the Aruba offer this activity to quadriplegic, paraplegic and blind divers.  At both locations they have wheelchair ramps that cross the sand to the dive boat -which is capable of carrying the diver and the wheelchair.

Gradually, with more interest shown by the disabled and the medical community, the number of resorts that offer this kind of facility will grow and the prospect of new treatments being developed is very possible.