I am a very patient person. I know this because I have raised three children! I am not sure that raising children makes you a better SCUBA Instructor but I know that it has definitely helped me.

Through the years SCUBA has afforded me the opportunity to meet many interesting people with varying backgrounds. As an Instructor I have realized a very important fact, SCUBA is a great equalizer. No matter who you are or what your background, underwater we are equal. Nature dictates we do not belong underwater because we were not born with gills. The key then is to adapt to the environment.

Each open water class that I teach is comprised of people with unique and various disabilities. I have discovered these disabilities can come in many forms for instance claustrophobia, diabetes, being a young teenager, a person with weak swimming abilities, Multiple Sclerosis, peer pressure, or a senior citizen.  Just because you are an able bodied person doesn’t preclude you from being “disabled” when underwater.

No Instructor or system of learning can teach an individual how to adapt to this new environment without patience and the right attitude. With this incorporated into the training the diver will become confident and learn to dive safely. Adaptation should be part of the learning process rather than an obstacle.

As fellow divers we must remember we all started at the same point when learning to dive. No diver can honestly say that they were not at one time or another handicapped by something physical or something perceived. In this regard we all share limiting handicaps. But we learn to adapt and overcome our handicaps and become capable divers.

Those of you that know me know that I feel that any person that has the desire to want to learn to dive should have the opportunity. I will not limit a person for any reason other than those limitations placed on them by a physician knowledgeable in dive medicine. If you have the desire to learn to dive then I will be happy to teach you. If you have a handicap of any kind I will work with you. If you do nothing else but try SCUBA diving in the shallow end of the swimming pool you will experience the freedom that only breathing underwater can bring. You will become equal with all divers.