Free as a fish
- Dreams must be lived -
Diving with a disability?
Is that even possible?
My answer to that question is a resounding
YES!
There are many people who enjoy diving as a hobby. Most of them do not have a disability. I dive anyway and am very proud of it. That's why I would like to share some of my underwater passion and hope to inspire other divers with and without disabilities to take up the sport.
How did diving become my great passion?
When I visited Rehacare in Düsseldorf in 2005, an international trade fair for rehabilitation, care, prevention, and integration, I learned about an association that offered diving for people with disabilities. During the conversation, the diving experience was made so appealing to me that I took part in a trial dive with the association that same year. When I arrived at the introductory diving session, I was greeted by several divers with disabilities, an occupational therapist, and a diving instructor. First, there was a theoretical introduction to the basics of diving. Then we moved on to the practical part. The four of us went into the water, where I was given various exercises to do, which I didn't find particularly positive at first. I was too excited and afraid of not being able to breathe. Due to my physical disability, I couldn't control the reflex of my nose to breathe in and out. The attempt was abandoned. However, the divers said I should definitely come back, as they would bring a full-face mask for me. That should do the trick. In the meantime, I was supposed to practice controlled breathing with a snorkel. I did so, and it didn't take long to see results.
After two months, I went back to the swimming pool where the introductory diving course took place and tried diving for people with disabilities a second time. This time with the full-face mask. The feeling was unique! For the first time, I felt weightless. After the dive, I felt a sense of relaxation that lasted for several hours. I knew immediately that I had discovered a new sport for myself.
I really wanted to dive. Now what?
Since the location of the introductory diving session was relatively far from my home in Bielefeld, I had to take the initiative myself. With a lot of passion and commitment, and not without a few stumbling blocks, I managed to establish diving for people with disabilities in East Westphalia. I now dive regularly at the Tauchclub Aquatica e. V. Oerlinghausen, where I helped set up the department where people with and without disabilities dive together. Since I was sure that diving was and would remain my sport, I gradually acquired my own diving equipment, some of which was custom-made and adapted to my needs.
So how do you actually dive as a wheelchair user?
Admittedly, it's an organizational challenge for me to do this sport, but only until I'm in the water. Then I feel as free as a fish. My assistants accompany and support me in putting on the diving suit, transporting the oxygen tank, and transferring me into the water, where they also pick me up again after the dive. In the water, two diving assistants trained according to the special IDDA guidelines (International Disabled Divers Association) await me and accompany me underwater, because safety must of course be guaranteed.
Diving only in the swimming pool?
Since I realized what diving can do for me, I have started diving outside the safe waters of the swimming pool. Of course, diving is a lot of work, especially when traveling, but my assistants are very supportive. I have now managed to experience a wide variety of underwater worlds. I was particularly fascinated by diving in the Philippines. The wonderful nature and the gigantic biodiversity of the underwater creatures made up for all the effort beforehand. Diving in Austria was a contrast to this and a completely different kind of challenge. With an air temperature of 8 degrees and a water temperature of 12 degrees, I was very glad of my perfectly fitting dry suit with undersuit.
Is all the effort worth it?
During diving and immediately afterwards, positive physical changes are noticeable that last for up to several hours. My physical disability improves significantly. The movement in the water does not put too much strain on the joints and the bone and ligament system, and there are also positive effects in the areas of coordination and fitness, as well as muscle building. Of course, it is generally necessary to undergo a medical examination before diving, but many people with disabilities would basically meet the requirements to practice this sport.
In addition to the rehabilitative nature of diving for me, it also has many social benefits. I have been able to make many contacts through the diving club and experience inclusion and integration within the club, because we divers also do a lot together outside the water. In September 2011, we set a world record in underwater table football, playing for 37 hours straight in a container. I didn't play myself, but I cheered on my diving colleagues and gave them mental support. That's what divers do for each other.
On another occasion, the freediver Christian Redl, known for his various world records, was a guest at our diving club. He gave a seminar on freediving. In this seminar, he taught us techniques that make it possible to control your breathing and hold your breath despite the urge to breathe, so that you can stay underwater for as long as possible on just one breath. Christian Redl had never dived with people with disabilities before and was initially very cautious and skeptical. However, the shared sense of achievement convinced him just as much as it did me and all the other participants. (Newspaper article 01/06/2009 Freediving – a sport for extremists or for everyone) This clearly shows that it's worth it! The indescribable feeling of weightlessness takes your breath away. And diving is the perfect way to experience it...
Your personal contacts:
So take the plunge and dive into another world! If this article has sparked your curiosity, then take a look at the homepage of the Tauchclub Aquatica e. V. Oerlinghausen, follow the diving club on Facebook, or simply get in touch with me and I will be happy to tell you more or advise you on specific questions – even outside of East Westphalia-Lippe.
