Wheelchair User Learns to Scuba-dive

An Irish wheelchair user has defied his disability by learning to scuba dive.

Gary Allen, from County Galway, was diagnosed with spina bifida as a child.  Having spent most of his life using a wheelchair Gary has never let his disability hold him back.

Wheelchair no Barrier

Gary first experienced scuba-diving at a ‘come and try it’ event in County Cork and was hooked.  He found the water gave him a sense of freedom he had not experienced before, commenting: “It’s the medium where our physical constraints can be somewhat minimised by the lack of gravity.”

Gary added: “The sensation of absolute weightlessness on my first scuba-dive is something that I don’t think I will ever forget.”

Wheelchair notwithstanding, Gary is now a qualified open water diver with Galway Dive School.  On learning to dive he said: “Surprisingly enough, for me anyway, the skills you need to learn for scuba-diving are pretty much identical for everyone, no matter what your ability or disability.  Some skills need a bit of tweaking but that’s about it.”

Overcoming Difficulties

“It was quite funny at first because I’m pretty active and so I have a big lung capacity.  It means that they were working with all sorts of combinations of weights to get me to sink!  For the first little while, I had to concentrate on breathing normally.  When it came to making my way down to the deep end, the effort involved made me forget about the breathing – to the point where being underwater seemed completely natural.”

Gary’s instructor, Charlie Brehony, commented: “It was a two-way street for me, as I learnt a lot in terms of adjusting details to help Gary reach his goal.  I’ve enjoyed watching him progress from a complete novice to a qualified open water diver.”

With the Galway Dive School providing specially adapted equipment it is hoped more wheelchair users will be encouraged to take up the sport.