Black water: Firefighters' dives often dangerous

Israel Infante begged emergency responders to allow a friend to dive into the murky, muddy water to search for his son’s body.

“I just want to find him,” the man said last week as he watched crews with the Mission and Alton fire departments floating on a small red boat nearby.

The 16-year-old had drowned in a retention pond near McCook, and the hours slowly dragged on as the Mission Fire Department dive team dredged the pond’s bottom in search for the lifeless teenager.

“People can get impatient,” said Capt. Joel Dominguez, a member of the 12-man team. “But it’s not as simple as holding your breath.”...[Link]

Army Using Extreme Sports to Help War Veterans

Secured with elastic cords to a railroad bridge more than 200 feet over a gorge south of Mount St. Helens, Portillo's mission was to dive over the edge. She pretended to throw up, getting a nervous laugh out of the troops behind her. Then, keeping her own anxiety in check, she bungee-jumped into the lush green below.

Dozens of soldiers in the 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment and the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team took the plunge that day last fall. Most had been recently deployed in Iraq. Few had bungee-jumped before.

As he stood at the edge, Sgt. Steve Damron felt a mix of trepidation and adrenaline that he likened to patrols through Baghdad. ''It's a chance to calm our brothers down,'' he said, ''to push that adrenaline out.''

That's the idea...[Link]

Dive Pirates group teaches physically-challenged to SCUBA dive in Cayman Islands

The Houston-based Dive Pirates Foundation returned from Cayman Brac earlier this month after successfully completing its mission of certifying 12 adaptive dive students during their open water adventure.

Once a year the non-profit organization of scuba diving enthusiasts sponsors those with disabilities with training, gear, and a paid trip to Cayman Brac to complete their certification.

This year’s trip featured 63 travelers including the recipients, their support teams and Dive Pirates enthusiasts.The event this year was especially unique because it was among the first dive groups to return to Cayman Brac following Hurricane Paloma that devastated the island last Fall...[Link]

Underwater Investigators Trained in Bay County

Every year we hear of disasters on the water.

Whether its a plane landing on the Hudson river, or a swimmer lost in the Gulf, working in the water can be very challenging.

Newschannel 7's Elizabeth Prann was lucky enough to catch up with students who are trained locally for these daring jobs.

UCSI, otherwise known as the Underwater Crime Scene Investigation Unit, is the first of its kind in the nation.

And these divers are called to duty all over the country...[Link]

Wounded war veterans find water the 'great equalizer'

Life on land for wounded Iraq war veteran Shane Heath is one where every step with the prosthetic leg can bring jolts of pain, every attempt to reach for something a reminder of the human arm that's no longer there.

Life in the water has been his liberation.

As a member of Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba, Heath, 29, has found himself able to explore the depths of the sea unfettered by his disabilities.

He's dived the waters of Guantanamo Bay, Puerto Rico, St. John, the Bahamas, North Carolina and Honduras, to name a few. Saturday, he made his 80th dive, into the cobalt blue waters off the coast of South Padre Island, becoming one of the newest aficionados of the sunken Texas Clipper, a World War II attack transport.

“All the aches, all the pains in your joints and everything, just go away,” he said after his first of the day's two dives more than 65 feet below the surface. “I can go down there and see all these amazing things, and I can do it by myself. I don't have to have someone to take care of me.”...[Link]

Firefighters train for underwater rescue

At the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, firefighters are training in underwater rescue.

"We can't ask for a better area to train for our dive rescue team," said Jamin Jenkins, district supervisor for the Gulfport Fire Department.

In a pool, 12 feet deep, firefighters are training for underwater rescue using a technique called line-tending. It's a technique where one person holds one end of a rope on shore while divers hold on to the other. The movement of the rope helps the person on-shore communicate with divers.

"Most of the time we're in zero visibility water; you can't really see what you're doing and you can't train in that environment cause you can't keep an eye on the divers," said Jenkins...[Link]

Scuba divers rescue struggling bird

Members of the Torbay Sub-Aqua Club said they were about a half a mile off the coast of England's Berry Head coastline when they spotted a bright blue budgerigar, a bird native to the Australian desert, flapping furiously in the water in an attempt to stay afloat, The Times of London reported Wednesday.

"I noticed something fluttering and bobbing up and down on the surface of the water some distance away," said Cathy Jackman, a member of the scuba club.

"We went off to investigate and realized that it was a bird of some sort. The
bird was flapping and disappearing under the water and had almost drowned as it clearly could not take off or swim."...[Link]

Scuba diving is therapy for wounded troops

It took nearly half an hour to slick up quadriplegic British Royal Marine Dominic Lovett with baby shampoo and tug him into a neoprene wetsuit.

Then six scuba instructors carried him on a mat from the sandy shore into the turquoise sea off the Florida Keys, where he briefly felt freedom from his injuries.

For 20 minutes, Lovett scooted around a shallow lagoon with a motorized propeller strapped to his air tank, making his first ocean dive since he was paralyzed from the neck down in a military training accident 15 months ago.

"Absolutely fantastic," Lovett said. "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."

"I'm so happy," said Lovett, one of three wounded British war veterans who joined a dozen wounded U.S. troops for a week of diving in the islands off Florida's southern tip in May...[TheWashingtonPost]

Diving With Wounded Warriors

Army Major Joe Claburn spiraled through a curtain of silvery bubbles. Retired Army Sgt. Shane Heath hovered motionless inches above a coral head waiting for a fish to come out of its hiding place. His one remaining hand gripped an underwater camera. Marine Sgt. Greg Edwards bounced slowly across the white sand bottom. He kicked up small plumes with the stubs of his legs. His slow-motion bounding made him look like Neil Armstrong moving across the lunar surface. Each man moved up, down, sideways, and diagonally in the water column with the grace of gravity-defying superheroes.

"The only time I don't hurt is when I'm underwater," said Claburn, and he should know about pain. A veteran of four missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, a bad parachute deployment crashed him into a tree, and then dropped him 85 feet to the ground, breaking his back, ribs, legs, tailbone and shattering numerous others. "The doctors gave me a 30 percent chance of walking, but I got out of my wheelchair eight weeks ago, and now I'm scuba diving. When I'm weightless the pain goes away instantly; it is truly amazing."...[TheDigitalJournalist]

SUDS diving program reaches out to injured soldiers

One of the great aspects of scuba diving is the ability to temporarily leave behind the stress of daily life. Once you slip the regulator into your mouth, let the air out of your BCD and slip into the beauty and solitude of the underwater world, you trade the pressures of everyday life topside for the chance to move weightlessly through another dimension. Many divers use the words meditative and therapeutic to describe their experiences.

The idea of scuba as therapy has become a reality for a very special group of men and women. As part of their rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, soldiers who suffered war injuries in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom can participate in the Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba program...[Examiner.com]

How HPD divers train to recover bodies and underwater evidence

A special team of divers trained in water recovery missions pulled four children out of a bayou over the weekend. While these types of emergencies are tragic, the men on the team work together to help bring closure to families.

In Braes Bayou, they train using a car abandoned long ago in the water, but the divers never know what they're going to encounter.

“A week ago, another officer and I were diving and searching for a pistol used in a homicide. He reached down under a rock and grabbed a five foot snake,” Glen Mayo of the HPD Marine Unit said.

Divers from HPD's Marine Unit are called approximately 30 to 40 times a year to recover evidence. What they recover ranges from guns and knives used in crimes, to stolen cars. But sometimes, they are called to recover bodies...[KHOU.com]

Group trains disabled in diving

Those who gathered Saturday in Albuquerque for the "Davy Jones' Locker Challenge" believe that disabled people can enjoy activities like scuba diving.

The goal was to provide free training to disabled folks who would like to become scuba divers, and to smash some stereotypes along the way.

Veronica Padilla said she had never thought about becoming a scuba diver. Her legs were taken when a drunk driver crashed into her.

It looked like life in a wheel chair might limit her options.

"Because you know we get that a lot. We go places and they're like, no, you can't do that. Do you need help with this," Padilla said.

But thanks to a scuba group named Dive Pirates, Padilla is now a certified diver, participating in the Davy Jones' Locker Challenge.

"We can do everything anyone else can. I mean, we have to modify things, but we can do it, and I think that's the stigma that we get is that we're not like you and we can't do the things you can do, and we can," Padilla said.

The event raises money to train other disabled or adaptive divers...[KRQE.com]

Solihull hero arranges US rehab for fellow soldiers

BRITISH troops wounded in the line of enemy fire are to benefit from pioneering underwater treatment, thanks to hero Solihull marine Matt Croucher.

L Cpl Croucher has organised a trip for three soldiers to fly to America to experience weightless scuba diving therapy.

The rehabilitation course has already helped dozens of US paratroopers and special forces who have been paralysed or undergone amputations to recover from their injuries and build better movement.

Thousands of pounds has been raised through sponsors and veterans charities for the trip to the Florida Keys on April 29.

The soldiers include Steve Hands, a former marine from Knowle, near Solihull, who suffered prolapsed discs in his back in 1996 while fighting in the Balkans.

He now suffers 30 per cent disability and receives a war pension.

“I’m not expecting this to be a miracle cure but if it means I can sleep a whole night without pain then I will be delighted,” said Mr Hands, aged 33.

“I can walk with the aid of medication but I would love to reduce taking it because it increases the risk of a heart attack.”

If the trip is successful, L Cpl Croucher hopes to be able to take more troops on the Deptherapy course in October...[BirminghamMail.net]

Enterprise Rotarians meet dive commander

Honor, courage, commitment, heritage, and tradition. Those core values are the focus for the commander of the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center as he annually oversees training of nearly 2,000 military divers.

Commander Timothy Richardt explained to Enterprise Rotarians Tuesday that as head of the joint services military dive training school in Panama City, Fla., he stresses to his staff of 250, “I want those five values taught.”

“Without an understanding of where we have come from,” Richardt said describing the December 7, 1941, surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the September 11, 2001, attack on the Twin Towers in New York City, “how easy it would be for something to happen again.”

Forty nations send military personnel to train at the Navy school, Richardt said. Currently, one class is solely filled with soldiers from 15 countries.

Salvage and recovery operations, port and harbor security, harbor and obstacle clearance, and salvage and recovery operations are among the 22 courses offered to trainees...[Esprisenow.com]

Scuba cop honored for Hudson rescue

You would think that nothing would fluster New York Police Department Scuba Team Detective Michael Delaney, who on Jan. 15 jumped out of a helicopter into the frigid waters of the Hudson to rescue survivors of US Airways Flight 1549.

But when Delaney pulled up at the Waldorf Astoria earlier this month to accept the New York City Police Foundation's Chuck Barris "Cop of the Year" award, the 32-year-old Yonkers native felt a little like, well, a fish out of water...[LoHud.com]

Ice-Diving Certifications Noted

Three divers from the Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue team completed their ice-diving certifications during February, which means they have learned the logistics and techniques particular to scuba diving in extremely cold water and an environment in which a diver can only surface through a small hole in the ice.

Receiving their ice-diving certifications were NUSAR Assistant Chief Paula Wickman and probationary members Brian Solt and Paul Nonnenmacher. NUSAR volunteers complete a training period of up to one year before becoming full members.

The skills acquired by these divers will be important if NUSAR is called on to rescue someone who falls through ice...[VoicesNews.com]

Hazardous Duty #2: The Houston County Rescue Team

The team was formed after a tornado tore through the town of Webb in 1963.Decades later, brave men and women are still carrying out the team's original mission.

"It doesn't take a lot of skill to want to help someone" says Chief Paul Grimes of the Houston County Rescue.

Those words come from a man who has been part of the Houston County rescue team for 4 years now.

Chief Paul grimes has a passion to help those that are in distress.

"When you get called upon, a switch turns on. You've got a duty to perform" says Chief Grimes.

Those duties include air, land, and water searches when someone is reported missing or in danger...[WTVY.com]

NYPD scuba divers save man saved from icy Hudson River

NYPD scuba divers braved the storm-tossed waves of the Hudson River Monday and pulled a suicidal man from the frigid water, police said.

A tourist watching the snow fall in Riverside Park spotted the man bobbing in the water just before 8 a.m. and cried out to a Parks Department employee.

"His eyes were open," said the employee, Herpreet Singh, who saw the man in the river and called 911. "He couldn't move his arms up because everything was frozen - too cold."

"After two or three minutes he was gone," said Singh. "I've never seen this happen in my life, I see it only in the movies."...[NYDailyNews]

Small steps, big effort

His breathing is heavy, and beads of sweat are running down his head. The workout is hard, but this is not physical therapy to Army Spc. Robert Andrzejczak. He treats it just like going to the gym back home in Lower Township.

They call it walking.

"Take small steps. We'll do one more lap, and that will be it," physical therapist Cristin Loeffler said.

Andrzejczak holds onto a walker. Loeffler holds onto Andrzejczak. That's how it works on the fourth day of having an artificial leg.

Andrzejczak, 22, of Mathemek Street, is one of the newer patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Some have been here for more than a year dealing with war wounds from Iraq and Afghanistan...[PressOfAtlanticCity]

Friends Save Life of Diver With the Bends

QUICK-thinking divers saved the life of their pal after he suffered the bends.
The South Tyneside diver was given oxygen and fluid before being airlifted by an RAF helicopter 70 miles to hospital for emergency treatment.

The 43-year-old could have had a fatal heart attack without the intervention of his diving group, who were taking part in a dive in Wales yesterday. Julie Cheeseman, watch officer with Holyhead Coastguard, said today: "The group knew their stuff and were well-prepared, which can be the difference between life and death."

The man had been out of the water at Dorothea Quarry, at Dyffryn Nantlle, Gwynedd, for 15 minutes when he experienced symptoms of decompression sickness including sickness and vertigo. The group gave him first aid, and alerted the coastguard at 12.50pm. The lake at Dorothea Quarry is up to 300ft deep in places and has claimed the lives of more than 20 people since 1994...[TheShieldsGazette]

Private Donation Enough to Equip 2 Divers for Calumet County

A private citizen Monday donated $7,000 toward rescue dive team equipment for Calumet County. Officials say the money from Joe Nelesen from the Chilton area will be enough to equip two rescue divers in Stockbridge. Currently the county needs divers from another county, such as Fond du Lac, for rescues on Lake Winnebago.

Nelesen says he was moved to make the donation because of the fatal accident earlier this month on Lake Winnebago when a pickup truck fell through the ice, killing 44-year-old Dan Kleinhans and Kleinhans's nine-year-old daughter Savannah.

The only survivor, seven-year-old Tiffany Dombrowski, is hospitalized but her condition is being upgraded from critical to fair. "Immediately I heard that they didn't have the right equipment for the rescue, and I was sick to think," Nelesen said.

"Being a diver, I know that with the proper equipment I think that the results could have been different." But his response to what happened is, so far, unmatched by any other...[WBAY]

Wounded soldiers get chance to become scuba divers

Dennis Cline and Sam Floberg have several things in common. Both are 30-something American soldiers who got ambushed in 2006 while fighting the war on terrorism in Afghanistan.

Cline lost his left arm; Floberg lost his right leg. Both spent considerable rehabilitation time at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. And now both are certified open-water scuba divers.

Cline, of Colorado Springs, and Floberg, of Fargo, N.D., traveled to Fort Lauderdale a couple of weeks ago to complete their scuba training with four staffers from the nonprofit organization SUDS, or Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba. The military men had finished their pool training at Walter Reed and completed their course work online.

They just had to display their skills in four open-water dives to receive their certification cards from SDI, a scuba training agency. South Florida Diving Headquarters in Pompano Beach provided boat transportation to local reefs and wrecks aboard the Aquaview...[MiamiHerald.com]

The Challenge of Air-Sea Rescue

When Captain Chesley Sullenberger and the entire US Air flight 1549 crew heroically guided their Airbus A320 to safe and successful water ditching on the Hudson River, they justly received accolades and praise for their calm demeanor and superb flying. In fact, the entire rescue was validation of all the training and practice that the entire NY/NJ emergency response community has done since the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001. Somewhat lost in all the media coverage was the skillful flying of the NYPD Air Sea Rescue aircraft that were responsible for saving two passengers that had fallen or jumped off the airplanes wings into the river. The rescue was an incredible example of skill, training and teamwork.

The Air-Sea Rescue Team

The NYPD provides 24 hour a day, 7 day a week air-sea rescue coverage with a crew of two pilots, a rescue crew chief and two SCUBA divers. In all of the assignments performed by the NYPD, the air-sea rescue is one of the most demanding, requiring incredible teamwork and crew resource management sills and abilities.

When the call is received and the air-sea rescue tones sound, the five person crew responds to the aircraft and performs a quick, yet practiced and methodical start of the aircraft. Once airborne, the crew receives additional updates and/or information while enroute to the scene. Often the initial calls can be confusing and ambiguous. In fact, the very first 911 calls for US Air 1549 were received from callers in the Bronx. The callers indicated that a commercial airliner was in trouble and was crashing. Naturally, the Air-Sea rescue aircraft was directed to respond to the Bronx...[Officer.com]

Motz earns Bath firefighter honor

Lifetime Bath resident Bob Motz has been a member of the Bath Fire Department almost all his adult life.

“He’s been a dedicated member of the fire department for 38 years,” said Bath Fire Chief James Paulett. “Despite his busy schedule, he always has time for the fire department. It’s one of the priorities in his life.”

Now Motz has been honored as Bath’s Firefighter of the Year for 2008. He was chosen by a vote of his peers.

“It’s very nice,” said a humble Motz, who has worked as a part-time firefighter and emergency medical technician since 1971.

Motz said he responded to more than 400 calls last year with the department. As a part-time member of the force, he is called when needed and also fills in for shifts for full-time staff.

Motz said his interest in firefighting began in high school. As a student at Revere High School in the 1960s, Motz knew former fire chief Larry Hershey.

“I was at their house all the time when I was in high school,” said Motz, who was friends with Hershey’s children.

When the fire department started up a scuba diving team in 1968, Motz was interested. He took a course with the team and became certified. Today, he still is part of the department’s team that is trained to enter water for searches and rescues...[Akron.com]

Maryville diver helps bring closure to shipwreck families in Michigan

On November 18, 1958, the Carl D. Bradley, a Great Lakes freighter, was heading home after her last run of the season.

"It was snowing. It was incredibly cold," explains diver Alan Williams of Maryville.

The Carl D. Bradley was caught in the middle of a fierce storm. Mother nature was too strong. The ship broke in two and sank.

Incredibly, two people survived. Of the 33 that perished, the majority were from the tiny town of Rogers City, Michigan.

"We're talking a town less than 10,000 people. Then, all of a sudden, 33 people are gone--everyone knew everyone. It was a major disaster for this town."

Today, the Carl D. Bradley is a watery grave on the bottom of Lake Michigan. After all this time, the pain is still very real.

"This is called a re-breather and this is what we used during the dives, because of the extreme depth," says Williams, demonstrating equipment at Rhea's Dive Shop in Maryville.

In 2005, with the 50th anniversary approaching, Williams, an expert diver and instructor, was called in to help bring closure. The mission: dive to the depths of Lake Michigan and retrieve Bradley's bell, the soul of the ship...[WBIR.com]

NYPD Divers Describe Dramatic Rescue

Swim Flight 1549 Passenger To Safety After "Just Another Jump Out Of The Helicopter"

That's how two New York Police Department divers depict their rescue Thursday of a passenger from US Airways Flight 1549 after the jetliner made an emergency landing in the icy waters of the Hudson River.

Detectives Michael Delaney and Robert Rodriguez are partners on the NYPD Harbor Scuba Team.

"As we got to the scene (in their chopper)," Rodriguez told Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen, " ... we saw that there was an airliner in the water. And at that point, we started to communicate to each other (using) hand signals and shouting in the helicopter to figure out what we were gonna do."

"We usually try to come up with some sort of a game plan while we're on the way to the scene," Delaney explained. "When we looked out of the helicopter, we saw how big the scene was. At that point, when the helicopter started lowering down into a hover, there were a lot of other boats, ferryboats in the area, and the aviation pilots did a great job of putting us in an area where we were out of their way.

"Yet, we saw one victim ... in the water that we wanted to get to right away."

Delaney, Rodriguez noted, is the pair's "lead diver, so he's out first. Then I follow his lead. He had an eyeball on the victim, and he went straight for the victim. And then I exited the aircraft after that and followed him."...[CBS]

Hudson rescuers defied icy waters

Rescuers spoke today of their dramatic battle to save 155 people from the near-freezing waters of New York after a plane crashed into the Hudson River.

Captain Vince Lombardi told how crew and commuters pulled 56 people onto his commercial ferry and gave up their own coats in a bid to keep them warm

Meanwhile NYPD scuba divers recalled "frantic" passengers on the point of hypothermia who needed to be dragged into the safety of rescue vessels.

Juan Rosario, who captained one of New York Waterway ferries that traverse the Hudson River, described his reaction as he watched the plane hit the water.

He said: "When I saw it I was in shock. But immediately we just sprang into action.

"I saw it going down slowly, almost like it was descending nicely. There was a big splash."...[TheIndependant]

Veterans and Students with Disabilities Dive into a New Adventure with the Aquarium of the Pacific

Aquarium of the Pacific and Diveheart to bring the weightless world of SCUBA diving to students with disabilities & wounded veterans on Friday, Jan. 16 at USC.

For the first time, students and veterans with disabilities will discover the weightless world of SCUBA diving. Many will leave their wheel chairs behind as they dive into a new adventure. On Friday, January 16, 2009 the Aquarium of the Pacific, Diveheart, and Cody Unser’s First Step will be taking the adult and teen participants with disabilities into the water to explore diving. Media are invited to witness participants plunge into this new experience.

WHERE: University of Southern California / Physical Education Building Indoor Pool
3560 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089 / Entrance #8 Jefferson Blvd (see map)
Suggested Parking: Parking lot #A

WHO: - College students with disabilities from USC’s Swim with Mike program, benefiting Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund
- Veterans with disabilities from throughout LA County
-Teens with disabilities from Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach
- Eric Castillo, Aquarium of the Pacific Dive Safety Department. Castillo spearheaded the idea of working with Diveheart to make this program possible.
- Jim Elliott, founder, Diveheart. His nonprofit promotes and facilitates diving and snorkeling for people with disabilities around the world.
- Cody Unser, founder, Cody Unser’s First Step. This college student is the daughter of race car driver Al Unser Jr. and became paralyzed at age 12. Her nonprofit introduces wounded veterans to diving and more.
- Jorge Enriguez, a diver and former New Mexico University football player who became disabled during his NFL draft shortly after graduation, Spanish spokesperson...[ZooandAquariumVisitor]

Heart recipients dive at a second chance

His wet suit is peeled down to his waist, exposing a jagged scar from his neck to midstomach. On his right leg, a tattoo spells out the name Jason. Another, on his left shoulder, is an anatomically correct drawing of a human heart.

Visible signs that Tim Niemenski, 39, has already lived a lifetime.

When Niemenski thinks about what Jason’s family endured, it nearly breaks his slightly used heart. But the muscle in his chest beats healthy and strong. Jason gave him this gift, this zest for life, this drive to try all the things he’d dreamed of trying before. Like scuba diving.

He’s not alone in his desire to really live — now that he knows he can. His scuba class, at The Dive Shop in Merriam, may be the first of its kind in the world...[KansasCity.com]

Diveheart seeks volunteers

Diveheart, an organization that enables individuals with disabilities to experience scuba diving, is seeking volunteers for several events. Certified divers and instructors interested in working with children, adults and veterans with disabilities are invited to training on Jan. 10 and 11. The Jan. 10 training will be at 5100 Main St., Downers Grove. The Jan. 11 training will be at Oak Lawn Community High School, 9400 Southwest Highway, Oak Lawn. For details, call (630) 964-1983

Group Teaches Wounded Veterans to Scuba Dive at No Cost

Back when he still had two legs in working condition, Michael Fradera had an aversion to water that might have seemed silly to others. 'I always had a fear of being in the water where there are big fish,' said Fradera, a muscular man with a stubbly scalp of dark hair.

These days, the Lakeland resident could readily be excused for avoiding water. He lost both of his legs when his Army vehicle encountered a roadside bomb in Iraq on Aug. 17, 2007.

Fradera, 31, has learned to walk with increasing assurance on a pair of titanium legs and prosthetic feet that fit into black sneakers. Swimming without legs, though, might seem an unnecessary risk.

Not to Fradera. He joined a few other veterans with lasting injuries in mid-December in a pool at a Lakeland dive shop for an introduction to scuba diving. By the time he left the water, Fradera had decided he wants to pursue certification as a diver.

Fradera first entered the pool at Deep Six Divers Services wearing his 'water legs' with rubber fins attached, but he soon decided the prosthetics were too cumbersome...[TheLedger.com]

Divers plunge into world of new understanding

Jim Elliott has been all over the world helping people with disabilities, but you have to get below the surface to understand his technique.

"Scuba diving is the most powerful sport for disabled people," he said. "There's no gravity, it's adventurous, and it gives them the chance to say 'Hey, I can do something amazing.' "

Elliott is the founder of the Chicago-based nonprofit Diveheart Foundation, an organization that offers educational scuba diving and snorkeling programs to children, adults and veterans with disabilities. Friday, Elliott brought his mission to Livingston County to work with scuba instructors in Brighton. After a three-day intense training session, which will conclude today, the instructors will be certified to teach people with disabilities how to scuba dive.

"We had a customer that came to us with a leg amputation wanting to get into scuba, and we didn't have the ability to teach him," said Tom Rhoad, vice president of Aquatic Adventures of Michigan in Genoa Township. "We've been looking for a program like this for quite some time."...[LivingstonDaily.com]

SUDS program helps wounded warriors with dive certification

For two years the Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba program has taught more than 100 injured veterans how to dive. The program is designed to assist returning veterans injured in Afghanistan and Iraq with their rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

The SUDS program uses the pools at Walter Reed for the initial training to the Soldiers and then completes the certification dives in open water.

Shane Heath is a member of the Wounded Warrior Project, a program that caters to severely injured service members during the time between active duty and their transition to civilian life.

Heath recently made his second trip to U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay with the SUDS Scuba diving program and felt that this time around was much better.

"I love coming to Guantanamo and diving," Heath said. "I really enjoy diving with all of the guys and folks down here, everyone was awesome." ..[U.S. Army]

Video: Wounded soldiers dive at Molasses Reef

Local businesses make "trip to remember" happen
More than a dozen wounded soldiers and their family members took part in a weeklong vacation to Key Largo this past week that ended with three days of diving along Upper Keys reefs.

Local businesses contributed to the soldiers' hotel stays, meals and dive trips in what has become a twice-a-year event. Organizer Fraser Bathgate called it a "trip to remember" for all who participated...[KeysNet.com]

U.S. Soldiers deployed in Iraq taking scuba lessons

There are not many similarities between a hot dry war zone in the desert and the peace and tranquility of scuba diving. But a local retired soldier is helping troops make that connection every day, and is making sure soldiers have something to look forward to when they come home It’s been said that there’s nothing more peaceful than what lies below the water’s surface. But members of the Indiana National Guard Cavalry Division, based out of New Albany, find themselves spending their days baking in the desert sun and dodging enemy fire.

Crowley opened a new business in New Albany called “Diving with Chuck” this spring. Among his most loyal and dedicated diving students are those studying online, thousands of miles away in Iraq. Every week, Crowley sends new study materials, including books, magazines and DVDs. Then the soldiers discuss diving, through instant messaging.

Crowley has already taken about half-dozen men from his former unit on diving trips, between deployments and when they’re home on leave. A diving trip to Belize is being planned for when everyone makes it home next year...[WHAS11.com]

Wounded Marine Uses Special Prosthetic Leg to Scuba Dive

KEY LARGO, Fla. — A 22-year-old Marine, who lost his leg after combat injury in Iraq, used a special prosthesis Monday to scuba dive in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Jeremy Stengel of Waterford, Wisc., is part of a group of 14 soldiers with war-related injuries participating in Warrior Dive through Tuesday. The event is organized by the International Association for Handicapped Divers in conjunction with a Key Largo dive shop and other area businesses.

Stengel said the water leg prosthesis is more waterproof than the one he uses on land and features an artificial foot that can be extended so a dive fin can be used as normal. Read more...