old gaffer
Contributor
I posted this on the Special Needs community forum and got zero replies so I thought I would ask here. Has any diver or dive shop owner (Dave, Christie) had any cochlear implant recipients as customers or as a fellow diver on the dive boat? I put off getting an implant as long as I could because of my love for diving. CI manufacturers will not warranty their implants for diving but have finally done some testing in the chamber without any failures. DAN doc's say to stay above 100ft. Still would like to know if anyone has any first hand experience with someone diving with one.
I was implanted in my best ear (30% residual hearing left) I plan on getting my worst ear implanted next (0% word recognition with minimal residual hearing left). I was implanted in October and it is a work in progress. Voices are very unnatural robotic and high pitched but I can hear them. All my Christmas CD's might as well be Alvin and the Chipmunks! Really miss listening to Gordons Crystal Flavola CD. They say music is the last thing to improve with the implant. I was told not to even think about diving for at least 3 months post OP. I do feed and cleans at the Duluth Great Lakes Aquarium so that will probably be my first dive with the implant which will be a good place to test it seeing as it is only 24' deep.
Gaffer (Tom)
I was implanted in my best ear (30% residual hearing left) I plan on getting my worst ear implanted next (0% word recognition with minimal residual hearing left). I was implanted in October and it is a work in progress. Voices are very unnatural robotic and high pitched but I can hear them. All my Christmas CD's might as well be Alvin and the Chipmunks! Really miss listening to Gordons Crystal Flavola CD. They say music is the last thing to improve with the implant. I was told not to even think about diving for at least 3 months post OP. I do feed and cleans at the Duluth Great Lakes Aquarium so that will probably be my first dive with the implant which will be a good place to test it seeing as it is only 24' deep.
Gaffer (Tom)