Welcome

[gmhicks5867]

On Behalf of Jim Elliot the founder of Diveheart I would like to say welcome to our forums.

What is Diveheart?

The Diveheart Foundation was founded in Early 2001 and is a non-profit tax exempt ( 501-C3 ) national organization chartered in the state of Illinois. The purpose of Diveheart is to provide and support educational SCUBA diving and snorkeling experience programs that are open to any physically impaired child or adult in the hope of providing both physical and psychological therapeutic value to that person.
It is the CAN DO spirit that the Diveheart Foundation hopes to instill in all its participants. Giving them the confidence and independence that allows them to face their own life challenges and overcome barriers that before might have seemed insurmountable.


Through SCUBA diving the Diveheart Foundation supports and facilitates programs that teach children and adults with physical impairments to fly. Thanks to the wonder of the water column the oceans and lakes of the world become the forgiving weightless environment of outer space, giving perfect buoyancy to a child or adult who would otherwise struggle on land.

What do we do?

In the Chicagoland area we work with multiple rehabilitation institutes teaching Disabled children to SCUBA as well as having a program to work with Disabled Veterans called Diveheart Military Wounded. In addition we hold regular HSA/SDI classes to teach able-bodied persons to be buddies for disabled divers, or DiveMasters and Instructors.

Jim Elliot also travels across the world to work with resorts and training facilities to enable them to better support the disabled community as well as promote better awareness of their needs.



Just in the last year, Diveheart has conducted buddy/instructor training in China; Australia; Navy Seals in Coronado, CA; and numerous other locations. We have also been featured in a children's show on the Inspiration Network called Discovery Jones Expeditions.

So Welcome to all to our portion of the forums. Please feel free to ask any questions about our programs or just tell your stories about your work with the disabled.



Gary Hicks
SDI Scubility Instructor 10924
HSA Instructor 2421