For Immediate Release
Contact: Theresa Brown Cortez (210) 347-9383
Barbara Thompson (832) 212-1967
June 8, 2007
PIRATES CELEBRATE SUCCESSFUL TRIP WITH NEW ADAPTIVES/OLD PROS
The Dive Pirates Foundation just returned from its 3rd annual Caribbean trip honoring three newly-trained adaptive divers who completed their open water certification along side three returning adaptive divers, and more than a dozen dive instructors and supporters.
“Once I finished my certification dive, my very next dive was with all of the other divers on the trip… I could hold my own,” said Sean Barr, USMC retired (quadriplegic) of Houston, who is a senior project engineer with Acergy. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of the staff from Reef Divers and the Dive Pirates volunteers helping me get on and off the boats, helping me with the basics so that I could dive with everyone.”
During the weeklong trip six staff members from Reef Divers, the dive operator in Cayman Brac, went through training to become SSI Adaptive Instructors by Stacey Minton, SSI Course Director. |
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The Brac Reef Beach Resort has made the commitment to retrofit three of its rooms to accommodate disabled visitors, as well as reserving the 40-room facility for next year’s Dive Pirate’s trip. Foundation co-founder Sophie Wimberley observed that “the support of the staff of Reef Divers is both heart-warming
and over-whelming. What might have at first appeared to be extra work for the staff quickly turned into a lot of fun and discovery for everyone.”
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“So much happened during this trip, beyond the incredible success of our divers; Reef Divers was certified as an SSI Universal Referral resort facility for Adaptive Divers, The Brac Reef Beach Resort is helping us plan for next year, the whole Cayman Brac community has embraced us and together we can continue to offer this adventure to those who might not ever think scuba diving was something they could do,” said foundation co-founder Barbara Thompson.
Mary Brandes, owner of Brac Reef Beach Resort, attended the final night awards banquet along with her family and stated “We embrace you and your program and are so happy we could share this part of paradise with you. We will continue to improve our resort for better access and can’t wait for next year.” |
“Its taken a while to get certified, but it was worth it,” said Natalie Mink, 16, who two years ago started lessons to learn how to swim with webbed gloves to maneuver through the water as cerebral palsy keeps her from having full use of her legs. “This week I went diving with my Dad, he is not leaving me behind.” |
Returning adaptive divers on this trip were Eric Alva, USMC retired (amputee) of San Antonio and Shawn Unruh, USMC retired (quadriplegic) of Albuquerque, NM. Students on their first open-water dive after completing their training were Sean Barr, USMC retired (quadriplegic) of Houston, Leland Walker, USN retired (quadriplegic) of Albuquerque and Natalie Mink (cerebral palsy) of Houston. Peter Gamble, USN retired of Tucson is a paraplegic diver who joined the group for the first time after discovering Dive Pirates through its website.
Next year’s Dive Pirate adventure is planned for June 7 - 14, 2008, as the foundation now turns to raising money and sponsoring new students, many of whom will be Iraqi veterans, with gear, lessons and a trip that starts a lifetime of diving.
The Dive Pirates Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing Scuba Diving to persons with disabilities and joining them with the mainstream of divers. Its vision is to create a community of adaptive divers that will dive and travel in the mainstream world of scuba diving through education and overcoming obstacles. |
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-- DIVE PIRATES-- |
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