One-legged divers?

[Guba]

One of the captains of the Fling (a dive boat servicing the Flower Garden Banks, Gulf of Mexico) has one leg and he can outdive you, me, and most likely 90 percent of the people on this board. I cannot tell that it slows him down a bit, and that's including a sometimes difficult climb up the ladder in 3-4 foot swells. He's an inspiration to just about everyone who has the privilege to be in the water with him. He's also a great boat driver and a great guy to have on a trip. Way to go, Cap'n Ken!

addendum (added later) Wups, sorry to be a repeat...I just backtracked and read some of the other posts where this fellow was mentioned. I'm glad to see we're all in agreement about him. That just goes to show how truly remarkable the fellow is, that he should make such an impression on so many. That we all could be like that!

 

[cudachaser]

People with disabilities compensate and in many cases over excel able bodied divers. I'm instructor with neuropathy...I cant't feel my lower legs...No big issue in the water....proper fin technique...all propulsion comes from the abdomine or thighs. I make my students carry my camera to the dive site. I've thought of bailing from teaching...but I have 43 years of active diving....I have to pass this knowledge to new divers...So what if I do classes wearing crutches...I'm still superb in the water

 

[Cheekymonkey]

My friends dad is a very succesful recreational diver out of Ft. Pierce, and one legged, awesome guy.

 

[lazyturtle]

I acutally have a very funny story about a one legged diver:
When I lived in Turks and Caicos I had a one-legged guy come out on the boat. We talked about how it worked for him on the way out to the dive sites. He had a modified prostetic leg that would hold a fin (I think he had made it himself). I watched him put it all together and off he went.
So while the divers were down I was setting up snacks for between dives. When I walked down into the cabin what did I see? I saw a leg (complete with a pant section and shoe) sticking up from behind a pile of bags. I freaked out thinking that it was a drunk guy who had passed on in the cabin overnight! (I have NO idea why I didn't connect the diver with the prostetic leg and the leg in the cabin....kinda makes me look dumb huh?). Once I realized it was his prostetic leg I laughed, told him about it between dives and he laughed pretty well too.
Diving was no problem for him.
I also (at the same job) had a diver who arrived in a wheelchair. The woman was paralyized from the waist down, but had no concerns with going diving. Her husband towed her around the site and she had those hand fins you see lap swimmers wearing. It was awesome. The toughest part of the whole trip with her was getting her on and off the boat from the dock. From the water, she got pulled out, much like you'd do when rescuing.

So the point of these two stories:In my experience handicap divers do just fine.