Adaptive / Mobility Challenged Liveaboard

[aquabluegreg]

Adaptive / Mobility Challenged Liveaboard

Hello ScubaBoard Divers.

Help!
I have a male and female couple considering a liveaboard. The male is paralyzed from the waist down but has good upper body strength. Both are certified. The female is planning to get her divemaster certificate with the adaptive diver internship (PADI).

I am looking at every liveaboard that I offer to try and find one that might accommodate a mobility-challenged diver. I fully understand the challenge of ships ladders, upper and lower decks, doorways, limited cabin and ensuite space. I am looking for any first hand experience.

Has any one on SB been on a liveaboard that accommodates adaptive divers?

I do know Legends on the Red Sea has a diver lift on the dive platform but cabins are not suited to wheelchair use.

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[Barmaglot]

Perhaps not what you're looking for, but a few years ago, I went on a short trip on VIP Shrouq out of Sharm el Sheikh, and I was sharing a cabin with a guy who had dwarfism and some kind of leg condition that had him using crutches almost full-time. In the water, he had hand paddles for getting around. The crew helped him get in and out of the water and put the gear on/take it of, so they're evidently open to handicapped divers, but a wheelchair... that's probably a bridge too far.

Maybe get in touch with this group? Etgarim-Challenge | Etgarim-Challenge - they have a lot of experience in the field, and although it might not be directly applicable to North America, they'll probably have contacts to share.

Another possible point of contact is Dmitry Knyazev at Дайвинг для инвалидов. Парадайвинг. Обучение дайвингу инвалидов - he's based in Russia, specializing in training of disabled divers.

 

[aquabluegreg]

Thanks, I appreciate the leads..!

 

[Aviyes]

I think the Kona Aggressor has some wheelchair accessible rooms. Might be worth checking out.

 

[Manatee Diver]

I am curious to see what you find.

I don't have an issue getting in and out of the water, thanks to my water leg. But at night I basically need a wheelchair accessible room so I can shower and go to the bathroom.

 

[aquabluegreg]

So far not much luck. Message from the Aggressor was "no ships in the fleet are suitable for adaptive divers." I am still looking.

 

[Manatee Diver]

So far not much luck. Message from the Aggressor was "no ships in the fleet are suitable for adaptive divers." I am still looking.

Strange because I remember them advertising building all new boats so they had at least a couple of cabins being handicapped accessible.

 

[Aviyes]

Strange because I remember them advertising building all new boats so they had at least a couple of cabins being handicapped accessible.

That is what I had seen in my internet searches as well. Return on investment must not have been there.

 

[Invader]

Looks like you *could*... what about investing in a narrow airplane style chair to navigate thin passages?

 

[Ryan_ph1l1p]

Hi, any updates on this feed? I’m wanting to get into diving but have an issue with my left leg that would cause issues getting back into the boat unassisted