Inaugural Adaptive Diving Week aims to make ocean adventures accessible to all
As much as I love playing on the water, I keep thinking I’d like to play more under the water. That’s gotten me thinking: Can amputees learn to scuba dive?
As an amputee, I’ve found that being on the water is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors. Whether swimming, snorkeling, or kayaking, I don’t need to wear my prosthetic leg for water sports. Water recreation makes it easier for me to get around. Having one leg ceases to matter.
For 2025, Anthony and I are looking into learning how to scuba dive, and to get certified. Not only do we want to get certified. We want the kids to try it out as well. As our travels take us to more places that have amazing diving, we’d like to take advantage of those opportunities to explore more underwater worlds!
About PADI adaptive diving and inclusive scuba certification
“Water recreation makes it easier for me to get around. Having one leg ceases to matter.”
Disability-friendly scuba diving instruction from PADI comes together in inaugural Adaptive Diving Week
To figure out how our family might get trained and certified in diving, we’ve been looking into options from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, or PADI. With a global community of 6,600 dive centers and resorts, 128,000 professional members, and more than 30 million certified divers to date, PADI is the world’s largest purpose-driven diving organization.
They’ve also been doing the work to make diving, training, and certification more accessible to people with disabilities. That includes adaptive swimming instruction for amputees like me.
In conjunction with the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed annually on Dec. 3, PADI has unveiled its inaugural PADI Adaptive Diving Week, Dec. 1-7, 2024.
Adaptive Diving Week celebrates the stories of divers who have overcome challenges to explore the ocean, as well as the dedicated PADI Members who have made those experiences possible.
“PADI has long been committed to creating opportunities for people of all abilities to explore and protect the ocean,” says Kristin Valette Wirth, Chief Brand and Membership Officer for PADI Worldwide. “We were founded on the belief that the oceans should be accessible to all, with PADI Adaptive Diving Week being an opportunity for us all to reflect on the impact the sport has on the global community.”
Disability dive accommodations: What is adaptive diving, and is it for amputees?
Adaptive diving means adjusting skills and instruction so they work for that diver as they are. The diver learns what to take into account for their disability, and how to use diving equipment and training to dive as independently as they can.
PADI instructors continually refine and add ways to work with people who have physical, psychological, or mental challenges. Can amputees learn to scuba dive? On that question, instructors trained in adaptive techniques get amputees like me to a yes.
Globally, one in six people, around 1.3 billion individuals, experience some form of disability. For many, physical or psychological barriers have limited access to activities that others may take for granted, such as scuba and freediving. However, these activities can be powerful tools for healing, empowerment, and personal growth.
For me as an amputee, I view diving as a way to experience more of the world. I want to share those underwater wonders with the people closest to me: my husband and my children.
Ways PADI continues to increase inclusivity and expand scuba diving access to people with disabilities, including amputees
PADI began instruction in 1966. They’ve always looked for ways to bring diving training and confidence to a broader scope of people. These efforts at disability-inclusive marine tourism make underwater adventures more accessible. That can be something many people with disabilities might never have thought possible.
- Adaptive Techniques Specialty helps dive professionals adapt their training techniques, whether working with a diver facing mobility challenges or someone overcoming cognitive or psychological barriers
- Adaptive Support Diver course trains divers to assist buddies with physical or mental disabilities
- PADI Adaptive Service Facility (ASF) accreditation spotlights PADI Dive Centers and Resorts that demonstrate excellence in providing adaptive services and infrastructure for divers with physical, psychological, or mental challenges
ASF accreditation was only introduced in 2023. Over 50 PADI ASF now exist worldwide, and more facilities are doing the work to gain ASF accreditation.
Adaptive Diving Week around the world
During Adaptive Diving week, PADI Adaptive Services Facilities worldwide are showcasing how meaningful diving can be for divers who have disabilities. Here are 3 examples:
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Kids Scuba is hosting an adaptive diving workshop and community experience
- Florida, USA: Nova Southeastern University is holding events with the university’s disability services team to raise awareness of adaptive diving.
What adaptive diving means for our family and for me as an amputee
For years I wondered if diving would work for me as an amputee. I love kayaking, or checking out coral and fish while snorkeling. But whether watching Aster snorkel for the first time in Mexico, or kayaking the kids out to snorkel a shallow shipwreck in Michigan, I’ve felt more and more determined that I want more out of my underwater adventures.
PADI offers programs so any diver, including kids as young as 8, can learn the ins and outs of diving. Understanding that PADI has programs designed to help people with mobility disabilities learn adaptive scuba diving techniques is all the more motivating for me as an amputee.
Can amputees learn to scuba dive? You bet. Our family is now exploring our options to learn to dive and get certified. And I will unlock a new way to experience the world as a traveler with a disability.
PADI Adaptive Diving Week
Want to know more about adaptive diving?
