One-legged divers?

[Gary D.]

Way to go weremermaid. I admire anyone with that kind of fight.

We have a local guy around here with only one arm and one leg which are both on the same side. He is a great diver but it took some work from his sidekick to get everything working.

I have only dove with him a few of times and he's good. I haven't seen him in a few years so I don't even know if he's still around. He's older than me so that makes dirt look younger.

Gary D.

 

[mogwai]

Saw a guy when i was on holiday in Egypt at the Red sea who had one leg and was diving.

 

[Michael Schlink]

There was a guy, I think his name is Kenny, used to DM on the MV Fling, running to the Flower Gardens. Hell he could out dive anybody on the boat. I met wife in The Caymans, she was diving with one leg because she had broke her other leg(ankle) and had a removable cast. Dove with one fin, no problem. Probably one of the reasons I married her!!

 

[weremermaid]

recently I recieved a call from one of our staff wanting to know if we could teach a one legged guy.

the sales person said "thanks.... and by the way,, he's blind" then hung up...
It turned out I met the guy on the dock before and after the dive. He was really a cool dude, and said that the best thing about diving for him was listening to the fish.

His blindness opened my eyes a little, and my ears too.

Mark, that comment touched me. Thank you for sharing.



Meanwhile, a gossipy deaf story:
I was hanging out with a divemaster in Singapore and he mentioned some common friends, a group of deaf guys. He said that when he was training them underwater, they kept signing and gossiping. He had to make them stop signing so they could concentrate on their lessons.

I guess they were all excited to be diving for the first time and were busy chatting underwater. Suddenly the tables were turned on the normal guy who couldn't speak!

I think scuba divers should all learn to sign enough for a few sentences, might come in useful some day.


A Singaporean dive group also has an intro to scuba course for the handicapped and I think they filmed the pool session too, some years back.

Cherrie

 

[JRO]

I ran into a guy in GC that was minus both legs, yet could beat most of us in race. Proof of this occured as he passed me in a tail chase for a photo/video op of an Eagle Ray. Needless to say, niether one of us got the shot/footage, amazing how slow they look as they're pulling away from you.

He seemed to use standard fins (although I could be wrong, I did not investigate), although his prosthesis seemed unique to me. He seemed to be able to lock both the ankle and knee joints into place for diving and unlock them at the end of the dive. In addition he did use webbed gloves. I also don't recall him needing any help in getting in or out of the water.

This thread does seem to show what can be accomplished, despite percieved limitations.

Jeff

 

[Cudabait]

There was a guy, I think his name is Kenny, used to DM on the MV Fling, running to the Flower Gardens. Hell he could out dive anybody on the boat. I met wife in The Caymans, she was diving with one leg because she had broke her other leg(ankle) and had a removable cast. Dove with one fin, no problem. Probably one of the reasons I married her!!

Mike, I'm almost certain his name is not Kenny. I have know him and his most gracious wife for several decades. As you stated, he can do anything. I have seen him do anything you can think of.

As a matter of fact he is still doing it all. He is truly indiscribable! I would work with him on his dive boat anyday. Cudos to our very own Capt10 and the other heros we have on this board!!

Regards,

 

[Turtleguy9]

OK, I did a search before posting this, but didn't find any significant discussions. Please point me to it if this has been discussed before...

I was out skiing yesterday and as I was riding up the lift at one point I saw several one-legged skiers pass beneath me on the slope. I am impressed with the will of these folks not to let the loss of a leg stand in their way of living their lives and doing what they want to do. Being a diver, this set me to wondering if a person could continue to dive if they lost a leg. It seems to me it would be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to fin well enough to dive effectively.

Anybody have any thoughts?

As a full time dive guide / instructor in Hawaii for 10 years, I have had quite a few opportunities to dive with amputees.
Aside from the entering and leaving the water part, they did remarkably well. I did have a problem with a double leg amputee, with his own scooter. He raced off like a madman, and then his battery died. We towed him back. The other problem guy was a double amputee, with one arm and one leg.
With arm and leg on opposite sides, he had trouble staying stable, and moving at all. For him to dive would require totally perfect conditions.
Aloha Turtleguy

 

[SamDiver14]

There is an awesome dive master on the MV Fling that runs in the Texas Flower Gardens. The guy only has one leg but he had all of us hopping around trying to keep up. If having only one leg slowed him down I am glad it did because he just moved around too fast.

 

[Cudabait]

Sam,

He ain't a Divemaster....he's THE CAPTAIN on that vessel. He's been diving since dirt,(before you were born, according to your profile) former instructor, etc. etc. etc.

Yes you are absolutely correct... he truly is an awsome person. I have known him and his lovely wife (diver, boat captain, PHD, herself ) for several decades. I would dive or go on a boat with CAP10 anytime, anywhere!

Regards,

 

[SamDiver14]

Sorry Cuda,
You have to understand that he didn't really talk to us much about himself. All of those guys that run that boat get along so well it is hard to tell who has what job, except for the cook of course. Just wondering, is it always normal for the cook on a live aboard always seem a little nuts?