I am interested in learning to Dive, but I am landlocked and I have physical disabilities

[diversteve]

another reason to go to Florida

Which facility in the world is #1 in Adaptive Scuba Instructor Training?

 

[Pettyfan45]

if your sister accidentally drops her regulator - she has both her octo and yours to breathe from while she recovers it.

Someone with a normal range of motion will be tuaught to reach behind and locate the primary 1st stage hose near the 1st stage then keeping it between your fingers - as you pull your hand forward, the reg comes with it.

You're also her buddy usually so can help her.

As a accommodation I don't see the downside to a short tether either but I'm not your instructor. People who dive a certain style are taught to donate their primary and keep their octo on a bungee around their neck for their use.

Tanks are either provided by the boat operator or can be rented, You can't effectively fly with them anyway due to TSA regulations requiring the valve to be removed for transport so most occasional divers don't bother. In 3 decades I've never owned one.

Many people rent for years - especially occasional divers. Most rentals are decent jacket style bcd's and standard 1st/2md/octo regulator setups with gaugues. Some operatorswill provide a computer also for use on the dive and to help them monitor your dives.

Many people buy mask/fins/snorkel as part of class since you want those items to fit well so you're not bothered by leaks etc. during training and rent everything else fro a while. If it works out that you dive often it makes sense to buy/be familiar with your own gear.. I know several people who dive on cruises - they rent from the cruise operator - usually it's included in the price. Just about every dive operator has some sort of rental option - it's pretty standard.

The only exception in your situation would be any needed accommodations such as moving the inflator to the right side - that's not normally done as part of a rental. Also no one that I know of rents a BC with an I3 inflator that I'm aware of - they're only on premium models that typically are not in rental fleets.

If you get medically cleared to dive, start with a Discover Dive thru a shop as they will provide all the gear in the price. Don't buy a lot of expensive gear that is going to sit in the closet most of the time. Also once you buy a regulator - there are annual/bi-annual service costs even if it's not used - the rubber parts decay over time. .

With advance notice some operators may be willing to provide special accommodations as needed, just don't show up expecting it without prior contact.

On the tanks thing, yeah I was looking at baggage fees for them and yeah $75- $100+ per tank each way on a 1 week trip there is no way my sister and I could dive enough to make that worth it, if we closer to an ocean it might be worth it but flying with one is not cost effective at all.

As far gear goes, once we get medically cleared I want to look into getting us prescription masks and snorkels to start (we still just use them in our pool while we figure other stuff out). Fins on the other hand might take some experimenting at a dive shop (whether we take Superlyte27 up on his gracious offer or we first find a more local dive shop that offers Discover SCUBA things to start) with CP affecting both my legs and my sister's right leg, I don't know we can use normal fins or if need to use the webbed gloves that have been discussed in this thread and for my sister I have no clue, on the PADI youtube page about a man who lost one of his legs and he use a single freediving fin to propel himself that might be an option to look at I am not sure. If we don't have to get my sister her own BCD and regulator at the start than we can use that money in other ways like back up prescription masks, good gear bags, a GoPro (or similar camera) , and maybe our own dive computer ( my sister is not great with technology so instead of dealing with potentially different computers everytime we dive it would be for easier to have the same one every time)

Also for my sister her left is her "good" side and her right is her "bad" side, we want as little as possible on her right side.

For the thing about advanced notice to see about special, oh yeah most definitely I subscribe to the 6 P's: Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance lol.

 

[teonchagi]

With left being her good side I don’t think she’d need anything custom as far as the bcd. The inflator is controlled with the left hand.

 

[diversteve]

One computer to consider:

It's perfectly functional for recreational diving and has a larger than standard text size and big buttons. Affordable also
Suunto Zoop Air/Nitrox Wrist Computer

While it's good to own regulators - make that a lower priority as yiou'll have routine service requirements to keep it in warranty. Plus they're basically the same for rec. diving.

Tanks also - besides the cost to fly them - which no one I know does - you also have regular inspections, a 5 year hydro test and steel tanks need to be tumbled periodically to remove inside rust. The price of the tank itself is actually one of the cheaper parts of owning them. You're right that they only make sense if you do regular local diving - many shops charge almost the same for a daily rental or for a fill,

an instructor is not going to want you using a GoPro during class either as it's a distraction. When you get to that point some of the off-brand clones have the same video quality for much less money.

 

[Pettyfan45]

One computer to consider:

View attachment 478123

It's perfectly functional for recreational diving and has a larger than standard text size and big buttons. Affordable also
Suunto Zoop Air/Nitrox Wrist Computer

While it's good to own regulators - make that a lower priority as yiou'll have routine service requirements to keep it in warranty. Plus they're basically the same for rec. diving.

Tanks also - besides the cost to fly them - which no one I know does - you also have regular inspections, a 5 year hydro test and steel tanks need to be tumbled periodically to remove inside rust. The price of the tank itself is actually one of the cheaper parts of owning them. You're right that they only make sense if you do regular local diving - many shops charge almost the same for a daily rental or for a fill,

an instructor is not going to want you using a GoPro during class either as it's a distraction. When you get to that point some of the off-brand clones have the same video quality for much less money.

Do dive computers require annual servicing or just replace the battery if it starts dying?

 

[diversteve]

just the battery and usually the o-ring also. Most are sold together as a kit for under $20. and are user replaceable.

I have a Gekko which is the previous version of the Zoop and do mine.Once in the past 5 or 6 years. LCD based displays are low power - it's only the OLED models that need frequent charging and most of those recharge in the case. They also start around $899+

Nice thing is they all tell you when it's needed.

 

[Divemaster Internship]

I also think you give it a trial

 

[Pettyfan45]

So finally got to see my doctor, she doesn't see anything medically that would provent me from leaning to dive

 

[diversteve]

getting closer to you...
Oak Lawn is outside of Chicago.

Launching of Diveheart Scuba Experience programs for Fall ...huge success

 

[Painter]

I also have a physical disability, with weakness in my legs and constant pain, though I can walk unassisted. I do have enough strength in my legs to climb up a dive ladder
with tank on an 14lbs of weight. Most of my dives have been with dive operators and the employees on the boats have been very helpful.

I did have an issue with a shore dive in cold water. It was a very long walk from my car to the water in a full 7mm suit and over 20lbs of weight, so by the time I got in the water I was exhausted and out of breath...not a good way to start a dive. I have since learned some ways to make that easier.

Though I am always in some pain, the weightless feeling of being in the water, with the added joy of experiencing the underwater world makes it well worth the hassles. I did all of my OW class work online and then did my dives with a trainer in 20ft. of water in the Virgin Islands. It was, in my opinion, and excellent introduction and if you can afford to get to a warm water destination, I would recommend it.