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North West divers to offer SDI Scubility training to Vets
A group of dedicated Pacific North West dive instructors recently completed SDI Scubility training to teach scuba to disabled divers. Eight dive leaders in Seattle have joined together to form the Scuba Northwest Association for Veterans Underwater (SNAVU), an organization dedicated to bringing scuba diving to disabled veterans. SNAVU is working with the Seattle VA Medical Center.
Geoff Sutton, an SDI Instructor-Trainer and Scubility Instructor, trained two new Scubility Instructors and five new Scubility Divemasters and Assistant Instructors in three days of training.
The training consisted of academic preparation to introduce the dive leaders to the spectrum of physical disabilities that impact divers. This was followed by confined water training where the dive leaders practiced swimming both with and without scuba while simulating being disabled. The swim practice was followed by scenarios where dive leaders practiced being an instructor, an assistant and a disabled diver, rotating positions in their teams. Finally, the group went to the open water and practiced handicapped diving scenarios in the chilly waters of the Puget Sound.
The new Scubility dive leaders found the training both fun and challenging. Said Melissa Duncan, SDI Scubility Divemaster, "I am thrilled with the opportunity to be involved in a program that will provide exciting life changing experiences to veterans." New Scubility Instructors include Dominic McLaughlin and Randy Williams; new Scubility Assistant Instructors include Jan Shaw and Meg Strong; and new Scubility Divemasters include Melissa Duncan, Mark Miceli and Dave Newman.
The group spans a wide diversity of diving and life backgrounds and members include a firefighter, a registered nurse, two environmental consultants, an engineer, a retired Coast Guard diver, and two self employed business owners.
Says Sutton, himself a disabled Iraq veteran, "It was truly a pleasure to work with these strong dive professionals. Their commitment to making a difference in the lives of disabled veterans is remarkable."
SDI donated training materials and certification fees for the group, and Underwater Sports, a Seattle scuba retail facility, donated classroom and pool facilities for the training.
For information about Scuba Northwest Association for Veterans Underwater, call Geoff Sutton at (206) 999-4935. Information is also available by emailing Geoff at geoff@dcsdiving.com.
For information about SDI training, contact International Training at (207) 729-4201 or on the web at International Training :: Home ::. Scuba Diving International (SDI) is the sport diving certification branch of the world’s largest technical diving agency, Technical Diving International (TDI). Also included is Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI), the only global public safety certification agency.
Others follow… SDI leads!
A group of dedicated Pacific North West dive instructors recently completed SDI Scubility training to teach scuba to disabled divers. Eight dive leaders in Seattle have joined together to form the Scuba Northwest Association for Veterans Underwater (SNAVU), an organization dedicated to bringing scuba diving to disabled veterans. SNAVU is working with the Seattle VA Medical Center.
Geoff Sutton, an SDI Instructor-Trainer and Scubility Instructor, trained two new Scubility Instructors and five new Scubility Divemasters and Assistant Instructors in three days of training.
The training consisted of academic preparation to introduce the dive leaders to the spectrum of physical disabilities that impact divers. This was followed by confined water training where the dive leaders practiced swimming both with and without scuba while simulating being disabled. The swim practice was followed by scenarios where dive leaders practiced being an instructor, an assistant and a disabled diver, rotating positions in their teams. Finally, the group went to the open water and practiced handicapped diving scenarios in the chilly waters of the Puget Sound.
The new Scubility dive leaders found the training both fun and challenging. Said Melissa Duncan, SDI Scubility Divemaster, "I am thrilled with the opportunity to be involved in a program that will provide exciting life changing experiences to veterans." New Scubility Instructors include Dominic McLaughlin and Randy Williams; new Scubility Assistant Instructors include Jan Shaw and Meg Strong; and new Scubility Divemasters include Melissa Duncan, Mark Miceli and Dave Newman.
The group spans a wide diversity of diving and life backgrounds and members include a firefighter, a registered nurse, two environmental consultants, an engineer, a retired Coast Guard diver, and two self employed business owners.
Says Sutton, himself a disabled Iraq veteran, "It was truly a pleasure to work with these strong dive professionals. Their commitment to making a difference in the lives of disabled veterans is remarkable."
SDI donated training materials and certification fees for the group, and Underwater Sports, a Seattle scuba retail facility, donated classroom and pool facilities for the training.
For information about Scuba Northwest Association for Veterans Underwater, call Geoff Sutton at (206) 999-4935. Information is also available by emailing Geoff at geoff@dcsdiving.com.
For information about SDI training, contact International Training at (207) 729-4201 or on the web at International Training :: Home ::. Scuba Diving International (SDI) is the sport diving certification branch of the world’s largest technical diving agency, Technical Diving International (TDI). Also included is Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI), the only global public safety certification agency.
Others follow… SDI leads!
