Blind friend wants to dive...

[Bobbin-along]

I'm going to go out on a major politically incorrect limb here and say that a blind diver has no business in open water. They cannot be self sufficient underwater, cannot use standard gauges in case of computer failure, and will be so heavily dependent on their buddy that it creates a hazard.

If a blind person wishes to try it in confined water or a pool that should be possible, but in open water there is already a great deal that can go wrong. Without the ability to see your surroundings you put yourself and your buddy at higher risk of injury and almost guarantee that you will do some level of damage to the underwater environment.

This isn't about equal rights or treating people with disabilities fairly - this is about their safety and the safety of the other divers and environment they dive in.

Well let me also throw in the political incorrect towel as well. While you might like to think that blind and visually impaired people have no business diving, I think you might consider another angle. We let stupid people and those with no common sense get certified, so why is a blind person a bigger risk if their gauges are adapted to their needs, and they dive with a buddy (like many of us already do) and dive practical dives where they get the chance to appreciate the sea like we do? Seems to me the idiot who dives is more of a risk to themselves and others than say Matt, someone with visual impairments, or someone who is an amputee who follow good protocols.

Personally I'd rather dive with someone who has more than 2 brain cells to rub together even if he is missing his sight, a limb, or has diabetes. But hey that's just me.

As to resources, the ones posted are great places to start. If they ever make it up to the WA/BC border give me a shout we've got a great spot to take visually impaired divers and snorklers for a tactile/auditory experience.

 

[do it easy]

OK, I didn't read any of this thread, but for the OP, there are ways to dive with blind divers- with and without FFMs. It relies mostly on touch signals and protocol to lead them around. It is not impossible and some blind divers are quite good.
Story of a blind diver
Swimming with sharks

Nice point Bobbin-along- some people are more handicapped than others

 

[Captain12Pk]

First, is the seeing eye dog certified to dive.

Second, has his seeing eye dog taken a diver rescue class.

Third, and foremost, have you worked out a sound signal system so your dive buddy (the seeing dog) know when you are low on air....

Last I read, they do not have dive computers nor gauges made in braile...

I just Love ScubaBoard sarcasm...

 

[LindaBluedolphin]

There are varying levels of blindness. I once knew a diving couple when I lived in California, although legally blind the husband was a diver. I know he had some degree of sight, not really sure how much, but was still considered legally blind. Yes his wife did need to stay close, but he was a certified diver none the less. I thought it was awesome!

 

[Web Monkey]

ok my blind friend wants to dive i was wondering what special gear could he get so he knows how much air ect he has as he can read brail but a brail watch under watter isnt watter proof.. he wants to take the course after i told him i did it..

He'll need training, (as noted in some of the other posts), but being blind isn't a whole lot different than what a lot of us dive in on a regular basis.

This probably isn't something you want to do on a coral reef, but should be pretty exciting in a lake or quarry where the features aren't very dangerous or delicate.

With a good briefing, a blind diver could easily follow the bottom down to the edge of a wall, turn right, follow the wall to a big log resting on it, then follow the log down to my favorite logpile.

Since the vis generally ranges from bad to terrible, the blind diver would be on pretty much equal ground with his buddy.

Terry

 

[james croft]

I once had to arrest a elderly woman who was driving down a city street running cars off the road and bouncing off the median strip. I thought I had a drunk driver. She would not stop for me but finally got her car stuck by running over a tall curb. I went up and took the keys out of the ignition. Turns out she was on the way to the hospital to be with her husband. Problem was she was legally blind. If she would have had a co-pilot with her she could have done a passable job, but since she didn't it was an expensive and dangerous adventure.

The point is that if a person is participating in an activity which can get you or others killed or hurt if done improperly, then it imperative that it is done safely. If I was a blind diver I need to be sure that I realize that I am responsible for my own safety if something goes bad. I would have to realize that I must not depend solely on others to get me out of a bind.

I have to say the old gal had spunk......................I hate spunk!

 

[Diver Dennis]

A few years ago I was on a dive boat in Palau with two physically impaired divers. One was paralyzed from the waist down and the other was blind. I asked the blind girl how she liked diving and she told me although she could not see what the rest of us saw, the feeling of being weightless was incredible. She dove with one DM with her and her air consumption was the best of anyone on the dives.

The paralyzed diver was a man and he loved diving as well and except for propulsion had excellent buoyancy. He also had one DM but was able to pull himself through the water quite well using his arms.

They stayed well above the reef and did not damage anything, unlike some of the fully functional divers I have seen in the water. Although I wasn't helping, it still was a great feeling and a little humbling to see these two overcome their disability and participate in diving. Kudos to those who posted defending the right of handicapped people to dive or do almost anything else for that matter. The others? Try having an open mind and get rid of the tunnel vision. It's amazing what handicapped people can do given the chance.

 

[do it easy]

I went to the pool tonight to dive with some handicapped people. Diveheart has a program that reaches out to disabled veterans and offers discover scuba type events to see if they are interested. None of them were blind , but they were amputees and people with paraplegia. I think they all had a great time. One thing they had in common was that they were willing to try before they said impossible. It's such a small thing, but it makes a huge difference.

 

[Bobbin-along]

Thank you for working with Diveheart, it's a worthy program. I coach disabled sailing these days, yet another sport that people automatically discount people who have a missing limb, paralysis, or vision problem. But then there are moments where it's just too much fun to watch. At one of the last national championships for a one-design fleet I race in, the winner had a blind helmsman! How cool can that be? Kicked every able-bodied sailors butt. It was great.

Then again, I'm a big supporter of the Challenge America team that does ocean races on a specially modified boat complete with chair hoist and everything. The entire team is physically disabled and by golly they did something that many can't imagine doing able-bodied.

 

[Tigerman]

Im amazed how everyone assume that because you cant see, youre not aware of your surroundings..
Maybe this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpBm4KoWsrY will be a good place to start.. And yeah, Im sure some will say "thats fake"