Thanks to the invention of SCUBA, countless numbers of people have been able to experience the wonders and beauty the worlds’ oceans offer.
And thanks to an organization called the International Association for Handicapped Divers (IAHD), people with physical/mental disabilities are also able to share the experience.
Many disabled people confined in a wheelchair find swimming a freedom that no other form of exercise offers. So, of course, scuba diving is the natural progression on from that, offering the same feeling of weightlessness but in an environment full of magic and beauty.
The IAHD began in 1993 and is a non-profit making organization. With the dedication and hard work of Klaas Brouwer and Frazer Bathgate, the IAHD now has over 250 Instructor/Divemaster members and operates in 37 countries across Europe, the Far East and North America.
Klass, who is President of the IAHD and based in Holland, joined the organization in 1999. Frazer Bathgate, based in the UK, is Vice-President and Director of Training and is himself, a disabled diver.Since it started, the IAHD have trained over 500 disabled people to scuba dive and numbers are steadily growing.
On October 15th 2003 Klaas Brouwer conducted the first IAHD Pro-training course in the Red Sea, Egypt at Undersea Adventures Diving Centre, Hurghada. Members of the diving center completed the course with Klaas, and Undersea Adventures are now able to offer disabled people the opportunity to dive in the Red Sea.
Hisham Eid, Director and Operations Manager at Undersea Adventures, Hurghada says "I would like to put Hurghada on the map for disabled divers. It is one of the top diving destinations in the world and my aim is to offer scuba diving to disabled people in a safe and professional environment".
After conducting the course Klaas says, "I am very happy that dive operators in the Red Sea are open to the idea that diving should be for everyone. The wonders of the Red Sea are for divers of all abilities".
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