Disabled/Handicapped divers

[wldake]

Welcome to the club! I hope you have a long and enjoyable diving career! And I hope that, like me, you can move away from Wisconsin (Mequon) and head to the tropics!!!

I never knew those islands existed. Looks like a fantastic place to be!

 

[wldake]

It took him a little longer to work his way up the steps and when people were around I would tell him to hurry up and he'd tell me to go to H@ll he was crippled.

I had to laugh at this. Too funny.

 

[Saipanman]

I never knew those islands existed. Looks like a fantastic place to be!

It has it's ups and downs. But the diving is great! Buy your gear, fix your weighting and come on over!

By the way, don't freak on the air consumption. I know I don't know you and I wasn't there, but I imagine you'll get better just by being more comfortable (not that you're necessarliy uncomfortable, but heck, you're new) in the water.

When I'm instructing (worrying about others and what loops they're gonna throw into the dive plan) I burn through TONS more air than when it's just a fun dive. TRUST ME (famous last words, I know) on this. Get better, get Zen when you're diving, and your bottom time is gonna increase DRAMATICALLY.

 

[Matt the Aquaman]

Hi Wayne, my name is Matt. Welcome to the board! I have made many great friends here and feel it is the very best board for divers out there! I have done alot of research in handicapped diving groups and these 2 are the most helpful, or at least they were the most helpful for me. http://www.diveheart.org/ http://www.eels.org/ You can say that Matt Johnston referred you, they know me well. I am working hard on my diving dream. I have Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy and I am a quad as a result of that. For me to dive, it would be quite a bit more complicated than the rest of the handicapped divers. I want to dive more than anything and I will be soon! Where do you live in WI? See you around. Have agreat day. Safe diving from Matt.

Click here to greet a new member! :happywave
No experience needed and it feels great!​

 

[snorkelcorey]

Hi,to all divers/snorkellers out there. My names's Corey, and I have a slight disability myself. But, I'm just like every body else. My problem is that I have a slight problem with my mental disability. Plus, it took me a long time to mature because of it.The bones in my arms are fused, so, are the bones in my knees. But, I don't let that stop me from doing some thing I want to do, whether it's Snowboarding, or playing Hockey in the winter. I'm thankfull that in spite of my slight disability, I'm alive. Plus, I don't let it stop me from planning on going for my ow course, next summer. I started snorkelling this summer. Plus, in the summer, I skateboard.

 

[wldake]

Where do you live in WI?

Hi Matt...I've read quite a bit about you on this board and on your website. I've met thousands of individuals will all kinds of disabilities and it sure is great to see you making the best of what most might say is a terrible situation. You remind me of a friend of mine that had a similiar disability such as yourself. I roomed with him for a couple months when I was in rehab.

Let me know when you start taking up collections for your dream. I will be happy to contribute.

I live in South East Wisconsin in the town of Waterford village of Tichigan.

Take care...

 

[Sideshow Rick]

Hi Wayne, I'm t-12, and trying too... Looks like my fearless leader, Jeff, put you onto his website showing my log. We didn't get to the open water this year, and it's really going to be a grind getting through this winter, but next year, Look Out!

I too notice the sensation of not having a low enough center of gravity and a feeling of wanting to "tip over". As you say, it's better when your moving. I don't have all of my own personal gear yet but was thinking if i had my own tank to hose clamp a small empty cylinder on top of the tank for additional boyancy "on top" may perhaps help to stay righted. And as you say, keeping the weights front helped too.

Much to experiment with,

Rick

 

[NauticalbutNice]

I'm not disabled myself, but my regular dive buddy is a dyslexic. A lot of people kind of say "but that wouldn't affect you in the water" but it does. Not only does she have to have a visual dive plan (can't tell her left from her right - descriptions no good!) but sometimes her memory can be a bit off. And the written part of her OW water had to be read to her by our instructor. Mind you she scored higher than me!

She inspires me! I've never met such an enthusiastic diver.

Nauticalbutnice :fruit:

 

[wldake]

Hi Wayne, I'm t-12, and trying too... Looks like my fearless leader, Jeff, put you onto his website showing my log. We didn't get to the open water this year, and it's really going to be a grind getting through this winter, but next year, Look Out!

I too notice the sensation of not having a low enough center of gravity and a feeling of wanting to "tip over". As you say, it's better when your moving. I don't have all of my own personal gear yet but was thinking if i had my own tank to hose clamp a small empty cylinder on top of the tank for additional boyancy "on top" may perhaps help to stay righted. And as you say, keeping the weights front helped too.

Much to experiment with,

Rick

Hey Rick! Wish you all the luck in your OW certification. From reading your log it seems to me that you will do just fine. You'll find that you'll be doing most of the stuff in OW that you are doing in the pool. The best part of that is you have already done it and should be familiar and not too difficult. We spent quite a bit of time in the pool but since my OW checkout was October 30-31 in Wisconsin; that time was a bit shorter; much to my wifes liking as she got real cold.

Your idea sounds good. Only things is the added drag but if it was to make getting in control of balance much easier I would consider it. Let me know if you try something on that order.

I have been looking into a DIR rig such as Halcyon or similiar which can come with a aluminum or stainless backplate which adds weight to the middle of your back. Then I could shed some of the other weight I was wearing and be able to strategically place weights where I will need them. I was also turned onto some diving shorts with pockets. I could wear these and then put a little weight in each one of the pockets to keep my legs and butt from floating. For me it all about streamlining. I go 6'1" and about 220lbs so swimming through the water with as little resistance is a good thing. I didn't really notice how much I was dragging in the pool because we really didn't swim around that much. In my OW checkout we got to swim around for quite a distance and I noticed how much I had to work to get around. Might have been that I didn't have my webbed gloves on (which are of the same design as the ones you are using) but only regular gloves because of the cold (water was around 54F and outside temp was around 50F).

I think we are going for some pool time soon to start looking at equipment. We have a trip planned for Cozumel in January and I'd really like to have things figured out before then.

 

[Sideshow Rick]

Hi Wayne, I was thinking that with the back inflate it would help to keep trim also, and it worked ok once we were in the water and all geared up but putting the thing on was a trip. trying to feel behind you through bits and pieces of webbing, with gloves on, I had a heck of a time figuring it out, so it seems easier for me to just use the jacket. I thought the back inflate would also be less restrictive; well, its hard to say that I noticed a difference as it's so much fun either way...

I exercise quite a bit and i think this helps alot, that is, in not getting winded while "pulling" yourself about. I don't have the size you do though, I always thought i was 5' 11" but it turns out I'm only 5' 9", not quite sure what happened to the other 2.

usually we used some weight around the ankles (but only when I had on neoprene) and as my tank got lighter Jeff would put 2 ankle weights around the back end of the tank wich helped but other than that it was just the weight in the BC. we also needed weight on a belt for the snorkeling which was a suprise. You struggle like hell to stay on the surface as though your gonna sink if you don't but then when you do want to swim to the bottom you gotta carry lead with you, go figure.

Rick