The Diveheart Foundation was begun in 2001 to help those with disabilities — children, adults and veterans — build confidence and independence through scuba diving.
According to their website, Diveheart “provides and supports educational scuba diving, surface supplies gas (SSG), snorkeling and related experience programs, which are open to any child, adult or veteran with a disability, giving them the hope of both physical and psychological therapeutic value while building confidence, independence and self-esteem, thereby enriching their quality of life and human spirit.” The oceans and lakes of the world become forgiving weightless environments, allowing a child or adult who might struggle on land the feeling of perfect buoyancy.
Some amazing experiences have taken place because of the foundation’s work. In 1962, Gabe Spataro coordinated the delivery of the Christ of the Abyss statue to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Florida. Now 80 and legally blind, he had a chance to ‘see’ the statue for the first time in May 2013 thanks to Diveheart.
Terry Thomas, an Iraq Marine veteran confined to a wheelchair, was able to stand again underwater, when the feeling of weightlessness kicked in and he looked down at himself and the position that he had assumed. It was all made possible because of the efforts of Diveheart volunteers.
Disabled students from the Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education (ICRE) joined South Florida divers and Diveheart buddies and instructors in Key Largo in July 2013; watching the kids smile, enjoy and savor the time when they felt weightless in the water was priceless.
Much of this would not be possible without the generosity of sponsors such as Doubletree, Southwest Airlines, Dive Tech in the Cayman Islands, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, scubaboard.com, and over 20 more. But efforts like this take much more than just sponsorship. More volunteers, fundraisers, donations and purchase of the newest website item, children’s book “ScubAbility,” make the work of Diveheart that much easier. By working together we can make Diveheart stronger and help it to reach a wider group of people, and share with them another world.
For more Information about Diveheart go to diveheart.org.
