Thumbs Up for Scuba Divers!

By Dan Burke, 13 September, 2018

Group of 14 in Scuba Gear in the corner of the pool smile and waveBrian organized the scuba experience at A-1 Scuba in Littleton. A certified diver himself, he found satisfaction in sharing the sport he loves with his friends and fellow Center students.

A group of seven Colorado Center for the blind students took a scuba lesson on August 31, thanks to the enthusiasm, organization and experience of one of their peers, Brian Bussard and A-1 Scuba and Aquatics Center in Littleton. In fact, A-1 donated the lesson, including gear and instructor time!

Bussard, who came to CCB as a student six months ago, is already a certified diver. He has been for 10 years and loves the sport, but hadn’t been diving in the two years since he became blind, so it was as much his own motivation to get back to the sport as his desire to share it with his fellow students that resulted in his setting up the entire adventure.

“It was really satisfying to share this (scuba diving) with my friends,” he said. From the looks of these photos, everyone found it a pretty satisfying experience!

Thanks to A-1 for working with Brian and our students!

With her instructor Carol, Annette Gives the thumbs up.

Loren decided to try snorkeling. Here he is in the pool with his instructor AnnaMarie.

Danielle and instructor Rita surface near the edge of the pool.

Abdi (6 feet, 8 inches)and Lynn (not so much) partner in the pool to prove, not only that blindness need not hold you back, but there are no maximum or minimum height limits to enjoy scuba diving.

Students paired off with A1 instructors for their practice dives.

Two women in wet suits stand inside a swimming pool

 

A young man in diving mask and snorkel gives the thumbs up after surfacing with his instructor

 

Two women at the surface of a pool with diving masks pushed onto their foreheads

 

A tall young man in t-shirt stands with his petite, wet-suited instructor in the shallow end of the pool

 

Four pairs of divers, some at the surface, some just below, and some on the bottom of the pool