I was recently perusing a forum board for scuba divers such as myself. A topic that I found particularly interesting was a post made by a man who runs a company called Diveheart. The idea behind the company, founded by Mr. Jim Elliot, is to provide and support educational scuba diving programs that are open to any child, adult or veteran with a disability, with the hope of providing both physical and psychological therapeutic value to that person. Diveheart works with individuals who have a variety of disabilities, including physical and developmental disabilities, vision and hearing impairments, amputations, traumatic brain injuries, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and more. Diveheart seeks to help its participants “Imagine the Possibilities” in their lives.

Now, having been apart of volunteer organizations, primarily in the youth sports field, I must admit that this is an amazing idea. Mr. Elliot has been able to recruit worldwide various dive shops, pools, and divers to help with his effort in giving an amazing experience to someone. Even if it is just one person, he has no problem helping them have the same experience as any non disabled diver.

Being zero gravity under water can give the greatest feeling in the world, especially if a person would normally not be able to experience it. Whatever it may be, for this short period of time, the person receives a therapy by showing them the possibilities they can achieve in their lives. In fact, for those with physical impairments and rely on the necessity of a wheelchair, may even have healing effects as it could help certain range of motions, chronic pain, PTSD symptoms and circulation. Recently, a study by Midwestern University showed that people with autism have great success with scuba diving. It could be due to the idea behind not needing to communicate with someone other than a buddy, not having to be too close and interact with someone and having a low level of stimulation creating a sense of sensory freedom. But then again, I'm not a medical professional.

When you put on all the gear, dip into the water and take your breaths, we lose sight of everything going on around you in life and enjoy the beauty of the world around you. It gives people, who may normally not think about it, a true peace of serenity. The best part about Diveheart is the fact that it strives incessantly to be free of charge for those wanting to do it. While pool dives virtually cost nothing, and those who want to do them can do in for an infinite amount of times, for those of an adventurous spirit can always pursue more challenging avenues and do trip based dives with the organization helping in any way they can.

As I said before, I have worked for several youth and disabled programs in the past. Being able to help by putting a smile on one of their faces or by giving them some freedom they never assumed would be possible is the greatest pleasure in the world. I would never ask anyone to do so but, if you feel like you would like to contribute to this cause, please follow the link here.