Disabled Diver

[Jason3213]

Hey guys/gals, wife is currently undergoing classes for an HSA card. We are going on a carib cruise in july and I am trying to plan the activities. Stops are in Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize(not planning to dive there) and Coz. Any info on dive shops in these places that could help would be appreciated. One thought i had was renting a scooter and towing her along. As a new diver myself, i am concerned that the "load" of towing her manually and the risk of currents may be too much for me to handle. Any suggestions, remarks or concerns would be nice.
Thanks, Jason

 

[Web Monkey]

Hey guys/gals, wife is currently undergoing classes for an HSA card. We are going on a carib cruise in july and I am trying to plan the activities. Stops are in Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize(not planning to dive there) and Coz. Any info on dive shops in these places that could help would be appreciated. One thought i had was renting a scooter and towing her along. As a new diver myself, i am concerned that the "load" of towing her manually and the risk of currents may be too much for me to handle. Any suggestions, remarks or concerns would be nice.
Thanks, Jason

The only real suggestion I have is to make specific arrangements with dive shops on the islands, well before your cruise.

The cruise lines will generally just say "no" to anybody that doesn't fit their standard physical requirements, as will the shops if you just show up and they're not expecting anybody that might need extra assistance.

Your best bet would probably be Grand Cayman. You might want to check with the HSA (or here) for a recommendation to a shop that would be happy to work with you, then give them a call or drop an email.

Terry

 

[Garrobo]

Cozumel would be great since it's primarily drift diving. If she can handle the decent, buoyancy and ascent part she should be OK so long as the operator and boat crew knows what to expect ahead of time. You might want to hire an extra DM to go along and help her. Main problem would be getting her back on the boat if she is disabled to the extent that she wouldn't be able to accomplish it alone. I took a friend with me on a dive trip to Key Largo a couple years ago. He was a diver befoe getting screwed up in an auto accident about ten years ago. He is OK with his upper body but his legs were only about 50%. He fell off the side backwards on entry. Then we took off his gear in the water and helped him pull himself back in like a big grouper on re-entry. We all had a good time of it, especially him. Just plan ahead.

 

[seaducer]

Just out of curiosity are you planning, or have you taken an HSA buddy course? Depending on your wife's disability she may need assistance or consideration that is not covered in the typical scuba course. Being that you are both new divers the course will allow you a safe way to get acquainted with these needs underwater.

Some boats have low wide swim platforms that will make reboarding easier, others only have something like a tuna door and would be harder to negotiate, especially in rougher seas. You might want to contact the op to see if they have pictures of their boats. Also the benches, some have really wide benches and others you can barely fit your but on with the gear.

Morning dives will tend to be calmer, as winds in most locations are worse in the afternoon. Perhaps if you can find an op that goes out early this would also be best.

Scooters can be very dangerous as you can change depths without really noticing. Also, any dive site with current is likely to be a drift dive, so you shouldn't have any concerns fighting it. You get off the boat, descend for the dive and the boat is there when you ascend.

I would also make sure before you go that the dive op and boat crew are aware of your needs and can accomodate you before you pay. Some captains will not wish to take on the added risk (even if only perceived) or simply cannot handle anything other than the normal diver.

Obviously planning a dive vacation is going to be more involved for you, but also is the potential that it will be more rewarding and therapeutic. Just make sure you get all the training you can, and keep your skills sharp by diving often. And have fun...

edit to add...I have been to coz and Belize both, I think you would have a better time in Cozumel, the diving in Belize is very nice but there was more swimming involved. Cozumel was straight up drifting, you are using your fins only for positioning.

 

[Hotpuppy]

I would recommend making prior arrangements..... On the one hand, a smaller operator is going to be more accomodating.... and less cookie-cutter. On the other hand, a smaller operator may not be able to accomodate easy access.. Like seaducer said, reboarding could be a nuisance.

I have dove with Native Sons on Roatan and they were fantastic. Same thing for Eagle Ray Divers on Cozumel.

I understand that CoCoView has moon-bay's (interior re-entry/entry) on some of their boats. That might make it very convenient for your wife to enter the water and exit because a couple of people may be able to assist her out depending on the bay configuration.

Good luck and it's great that you *and* her are diving. In the water she should experience an awesome degree of freedom with proper buoyancy.

 

[Jason3213]

I will work with her HSA instructor on my role as an assistant, for now I am staying out of the picture as she learns the basics. I will also get a scooter certification prior to using one, and am considering it more for a shore dive possibilty, as well as tooling around our local quarry with her. I am looking for dive OPs that can accomidate us and im fine with a couple 40-50 ft dives myself. I have 21 dives and half the classes for AOW so far so im far from a good diver but i take it seriously. She would need help up a ladder or onto a boat, but could do half of it on her own. I wlii look into the OPs refered here, Thanks hotpuppy. and thanks to everyone else as well.