Want to dive again, Need a swim ankle

[Bucnhot]

I lost my leg last year in a motorcycle accident and now I'm trying to get back into scuba diving. My insurance will not pay for a scuba ankle and my funds are limited. I was just hoping that someone on this forum would have a used or demo scuba ankle for sale or know someone who does. Please let me know in a personal message or reply to this thread. Thank you ... Happy bubble blowing!

 

[DocVikingo]

Contact Dhiran Patel at the mechanical engineering department of Brunel University ( Mechanical Engineering | Brunel University, London ) to see if he has any leads.

Best of luck.

DocVikingo

 

[Wingy]

You might also want to try MIT Engineering Department MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering - About MechE between their mechanical and biomedical engineering departments they should be able to help you or point you in the right direction. I have a couple of full legs and a half leg (not mine obviously!) that I use for lecturing purposes...if you can find someone stateside to adapt them to fit you you are most welcome to them. Postage might be a bummer tho. All the best!

 

[knotical]

Without knowing the details, this might not apply to you; but an option to consider is a technique used by a diver I knew who had a btk amputation. She used just one fin and crossed the other leg behind for added power. She became quite agile with her modified dolphin kick.

 

[Lizard Leg]

I'm a RBK and I use the Rampro swim ankle - Rampro - Swimankle - runs about $800 or so - can't remember off the top of my head. Mt prosthetist gave me a cheap SACH foot to use and so far this rig has held up for over 2 years. When I'm ready to enter the water, I loosen the front and outside top adjustment screws far enough to get my current foot module off (Otto Bock Harmony HD vacuum system), put the dive leg on, tighten down and I'm good to go.

I'm a big guy, so I don't walk with my rig - me and my normal rig with an HP120 ready for splashing in is about 340lbs which IMHO exceeds the limits this ankle can take, which means a slightly modified entry/exit. Shore diving, my buddy helps me get my gear to the water and floats it, or I use a cart to get it to/from the waters edge. On a dive boat, I sit on the swim platform and the DM sets my rig down behind me and I face roll in after donning the rig. If seas are calm, I just toss it overboard (don't forget some air in the BC!) and jump in after it and chicken wing in while descending. I also have a 10' paracord line with clips on each end - if seas are sporty, I'll attach one end to the tag line, one end to the BC and float it that way. Once in the water, flip the switch, and the foot goes to 70º plantar flexed. Reverse when you get back to the ladder.

Biggest issue for me is water getting in-between the sleeve/liner and skin, especially on the second/third dive. I use the Velcro knife straps, one on the bottom of the sleeve tightened down against the socket, and one at the top tightened down where the sleeve meets skin. So far this system is working great and have done up to 6 dives a day with no seepage of water loosening the vacuum.

I do practice and recommend swimming/diving without the leg on to be prepared. The dive leg pylon has a snorkel keeper on it, so if I do have to take the leg off at depth, I just clip it off so hands are free.

If you want more info, PM your number and I'll give you a shout.

 

[Akimbo]

There was a guy with his drysuit pulled up to his waist that walked aboard a friend’s dive boat in Monterey. He was all geared up on the swim step and ready to jump overboard except he only had one fin. I said something stupid to him and it turns out that he had a prosthesis on one leg.

He just hooked his prosthesis over his ankle and swam away. There was no doubt he could afford a special prosthesis but chose not to. He handled himself very well in the water and didn’t seem fazed at all. He doffed his fin and climbed the ladder like everyone else at the end of the dive.

The point is that you might want to try this method for several reasons. Cost is one factor but developing the skill in case the prosthesis fails is another.

Where do you live in California? The reason I ask is I am a volunteer with the Monterey Bay Veterans' working on their Lift to Freedom Project. This won’t solve your propulsion problem but sure makes getting in and out of the water easier.

The rendering shows an optional submersible wheelchair but it is only required for non-ambulatory divers.

 

[Bucnhot]

Thank you for your input, I will look into that ankle it sounds affordable. Thanks also for all the additional info, I know that this is going to be adventure and its going to take a lot of will to complete. The driver that hit me was going over 50 miles per hour and broke my pelvis in half so I have 4 screws holding that together plus the missing leg and a lot of other things causing pain. I am a strong willed person though and I think that my life has no limits. Thank you again, Joe Luthern

 

[tedshark]

Know 1 diver with one leg, I have never dove with this person, but I have heard that with the one leg he swims laps around most divers.
if I had to do something like this, one thing I would not want is a scuba fin, what I call a noodle, i would want something with capable of moving some water.

 

[Jax]

Welcome to ScubaBoard, Joe, and good luck!

 

[flots am]

I lost my leg last year in a motorcycle accident and now I'm trying to get back into scuba diving. My insurance will not pay for a scuba ankle and my funds are limited. I was just hoping that someone on this forum would have a used or demo scuba ankle for sale or know someone who does. Please let me know in a personal message or reply to this thread. Thank you ... Happy bubble blowing!

You only need one leg.

There are a number of monofins on the market for two legged people.

There's no reason you can't just pop a fin on your good leg and go diving, although you'll need some pool time to get the feel of it.