(WSVN) – Diving is a popular sport here in South Florida, but for some divers, it is so much more. 7’s Heather Walker shows us why in today’s 7Spotlight.
This might look like a typical dive group.
Kenny Menendez, adaptive diver: “The structure down there was great. There is a lot of life.”
But for these divers, time spent underwater is about more than seeing sea life.
Kenny Menendez: “To be weightless is fantastic, yeah. I don’t have my chair.”
Kenny and Sabrina use wheelchairs after accidents left them unable to use their legs. Both say being able to dive underwater opens up a whole new world.
Sabrina Dionne: “When I’m scuba diving, everything moves, and then I’m also standing up a lot of times in the water. So that feeling alone is amazing.”
Today they are out for a dive in Pompano Beach, courtesy of a nonprofit group called Thresher Aquatics.
Volunteers introduce people living with disabilities to the world of scuba diving.
Sabrina Dionne: “I love the ocean, I grew up in Florida. I wanted to just kind of do more, but at the time, I didn’t know that it was possible.”
Kenny was an experienced diver. He actually worked at a dive shop before his accident.
Kenny Menendez: “I have paddles I use for my hands now. Obviously, my hands are a lot more busy now.”
But even for first-timers like Sabrina, it’s easier than it looks.
Kenny Menendez: “It’s not tough at all. You see Sabrina and I doing it; it’s doable.”
They tell us their time underwater provides too many benefits to list.
Sabrina Dionne: “It has changed my life. It has changed my life in so many ways.”
It has helped them feel better physically.
Kenny Menendez: “I like to pull myself through the water as fast as I can, because when I start from my head, it pulls everything else, and I feel like it’s pulling all my vertebrae apart from the rest and stretching myself out, which is nice, which I can’t really do on land.”
Sabrina Dionne: “When you have chronic pain the way that I used to, scuba diving takes that all away.”
And they feel better mentally.
Sabrina Dionne: “That, for me, has been huge. You know, I’m somebody that has a lot of anxiety, and so, when I’m underwater, it goes away. Because when I’m there, it’s just me in the bubble.”
These dives are also life-changing for the volunteers.
Aria Cross: “I cry every time underwater. I do.”
Thanks to donations, this entire experience is free. So far, they have paid for more than 750 dives.
Aria Cross: “The majority of people that have a disability are on a fixed income, so taking care of your daily necessities — food, shelter, you know, cellphone, insurance — you know, a lot of those things you could barely get by, especially nowadays.”
Aria Cross has been an adaptive dive buddy since Thresher started four years ago. She loves seeing the divers enjoy their time underwater.
Aria Cross: “I find that it’s the best thing, you know, just to be able to give back, because underwater we are all the same.”
And that feeling is priceless.
Heather Walker, 7News.
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