disabled friendly destinations

[Jim Lapenta]

Hi everyone. Many of you know my fiance is in a wheelchair and does not dive. She does however like to go out on the boat and we had a fantastic time at Amy Slate's in key Largo last month . So much so that we booked the same week for next year:11doh: and I hope to take as group down from our shop or if anyone here would be interested . What I'd like to know however is personal experience that anyone with similar circumstances had with other resorts anywhere. She wants to go somewhere we can use our passports.:11: I would love to go to Bonaire but since my understanding is that most of it is shore diving it's not an option since I cannot leave her alone on shore. If she were just a nondiver it would be different. she would be able to find another non diving person and do some shopping or whatever. If we do not go with a group we need to go somewhere that she can accompany me on the boat. I spoke to Christi in coz and due to the size of her boats it's not feasible. If anyone knows of other destinations outside the states let me know. I've checked with HSA and they do a Bonaire trip but again I guess we are primarily looking for boat dives that can accomodate and will not mind having a wheelchair on board. Amy Slate's was fantastic for this BTW !

 

[do it easy]

I dove with Cap't Slate at the Atlantis dive center, and they are accessible as well.

I heard through the grapevine that the a large resort chain is going to make ALL their resorts accessible! I'm not sure of the timeline, and this could just be a rumor.

I'll see if I can get my hands on a list of places...

 

[Doc]

CoCoView on Roatan. www.cocoviewresort.com

Let them know what you need. The ramps get placed down, the dive staff makes magic. Wheel chairs are a common sight. Everybody gets treated the same.

Jim, as referenced above from "DiveHeart" has been down a couple of times.

 

[divingjd]

Divi Tiara on Cayman Brac. We were there in February and there was a disabled diver on the boat with us a few days. Resort staff and dive staff are very helpful. If you need anything special, just talk to Max, the manager. He is super-helpful. I think if you get a first floor room, there are no steps to navigate anywhere on the property. I could be wrong about that, but there sure aren't very many. It's a fun place to stay and dive, the diving is great, and the food is pretty good. The front page of their website currently has a link to a story about disabled divers: http://www.diviresorts.com/divitiara/resort.asp.

 

[DiveMaven]

You don't need your passport, but Maui is a great place to put on your list for someday. Lahaina Divers will even certify your fiance if you want, they are HSA certified instructors, DMs, and their boats are large, roomy, and have handicapped accessable bathrooms. We've seen wheelchair bound divers on the charters before and apparently it isn't an uncommon thing for them.

 

[ScubaCrow]

In Grand Cayman, Red Sail Sports has a disability trained Instructor. I dived there with a paraplegic diver. That experience ranks as one of my favorite dives. The diver rolled right up to the boat and did two dives with my sons and me.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Jim,

As you've already chcked with HSA http://www.hsascuba.com/, you might want to see what Eels on Wheels http://www.eels.org/home/ and the Adapted Scuba Association (ASA) http://www.enablelink.org/include/disability_organization.php?pid=&cid=&subid=&aid=2508&atype= may have to offer.

On Roatan, the Bay Islands Beach Resort http://www.bibr.com/ is well known & regarded for its services for the physically challenged diver.

If you're interested in international venues, IAHD http://www.iahd.org/en/index.htm often can make recommendations.

Best of luck.

DocVikingo

 

[Aeolus]

They are fully whellchair accessable for divers or non-divers. I was not overly impressed with their operation, but that was mostly due to rather poor boats. I have heard that they have been replaced.

DSDO

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Aeolus,

The boats were replaced several years ago. The old ones were ratty beaters, weren't they?

Still wouldn't be among my top choices on Roatan, but they are decently set up for the chair-bound diver.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[dvrliz1]

Doc,

We have someone here on Bonaire that specializes with persons with disabilities and snorkeling. PM me for more info if you would like.

Liz