AD 2016 Q3

The Cody Unser First Step
Foundation organizes dive
trips for injured veterans
and other disabled divers
in destinations such as
the Cayman Islands and
the Florida Keys.
Opposite: Cody Unser
became paralyzed at age
12. When she began
diving a few years later
she became a passionate
advocate for the sport
and for the benefits it
can offer people with
disabilities.
PHOTOS THIS PAGE COURTESY CODY UNSER FIRST STEP FOUNDATION
include bladder and kidney infections, pressure sores,
osteoporosis, scoliosis, bowel maintenance, heart
problems due to poor blood circulation, depression and
anxiety, fatigue, pain and loss of muscle mass. These
conditions can often seem to be the dominant forces in
the life of a person with a disability. Even simple awareness
of these issues by dive staff can really make a difference.
Jacques Cousteau once said, “From birth, man carries
the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to
Earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface
and he is free.” For the paralyzed person, this feeling of
freedom is greatly enhanced, because diving releases
not only the bolts to earth but also the bolts that lock
the body to the wheelchair.
In 2011 CUFSF teamed with Paralyzed Veterans of
America, researchers from Johns Hopkins University and
our dive instructors to certify nine paralyzed veterans and
to study the neurological and psychological effects of scuba
diving on paralyzed people. It took 10 years to convince
my neurologist and neuropsychiatrist that the sensations
I was feeling at depth warranted medical investigation.
The study seemed to document the improvements I felt
underwater in other divers, too. Most participants with
PTSD symptoms reported some relief, and the researchers
believe it is worth continuing the study.
LOOKING AHEAD
CUFSF’s adaptive scuba program will continue to bring
together the dive industry and medical professionals for
a future in which dive professionals around the world
will understand all kinds of disabilities. Each person
with a disability has specific needs, and adaptive diving
requires instructors who will be patient and able to think
outside the box to make the experience possible. Divers
with spinal cord injuries, for example, may need a certain
weighting strategy to improve their trim, while divers
with visual impairments may require sensory training.
Through scuba diving, not only can I achieve
freedom from gravity, I can also share an experience
with my family that requires relatively little adaptation.
Historically, people with disabilities have faced
limitations to physical activity not only because of
physical barriers but also because of inadequate
resources and knowledge among professional
facilitators. This is why it is so crucial for the dive
industry to see the impact it can have in evolving the
sport to not simply include people with disabilities on
dive boats and underwater with everyone else, but to
do so with a deep understanding of what a person with
a disability experiences on a daily basis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 53 million Americans have some form
of disability. Scuba diving provides an opportunity to
enhance self-worth, independence and confidence; it
can be a catalyst that makes formerly impossible things
in life possible. CUFSF will continue conducting dive
research studies, training dive and medical professionals
and bridging the gap between the dive industry and the
disability community. I have enjoyed seeing the dive
industry embrace this community; it’s not always easy, and
sometimes it gets political, but those of us living with a
disability are not going away anytime soon. AD
SHARE YOUR STORY
Do you have tips, advice, travel strategies, dive techniques,
lessons learned or other words of wisdom to share with your
fellow divers? Alert Diver wants your story! Email it to
M2M@dan.org, or mail it to “Member to Member,” c/o Alert
Diver, 6 W. Colony Place, Durham, NC 27705.
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