One of the positive aspects about learning to dive with PADI is that the standards have been designed with inclusivity in mind. They allow instructors the freedom to think outside the box when assisting divers with limitations. This ensures they achieve certification, often with simple technique changes.

At Aberdeen Diving Services we currently have a student named Lee who is an above the knee amputee. He is already a certified diver and is in the process of completing his rescue diver course with us.

In order to assist Lee in getting certified we have gone through a process of discussing his limitation and how it affects him in the water. We have gone through the skills required to pass the course, as per the PADI standards, and with his input we have worked out ways to adapt the techniques we usually teach.

Alongside this ADS have been liaising with Dr Bruce Carse, who is a clinical specialist in gait analysis and the lead on designing Lee’s prosthetic leg which is intended for diving.

Andy Watson – ADS company director, has been on hand to discuss and answer questions about movement points and how the prosthetic would work under pressure.

Prosthetic legs are usually tested to a depth of 5m, but Lee’s certification level currently allows him to dive to 30m. There have also been discussions around emergency procedures in relation to the risk assessment for warm and cold-water diving.

ADS believe strongly in equality and this is a fantastic and highly rewarding learning process for our instructors, and the organisational knowledge we are building is something that will be a huge benefit to our future students.

We would like to get the message out to all divers that having a limitation doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t dive and get certified. If you have a physical or cognitive limitation, or know someone that does, then please get in contact with us if you wish to learn to dive, and we can have a discussion over how we could make it work.

For any PADI Divemaster’s or Master free divers reading this, there is an adaptive technique specialty course you can take, providing you have completed the emergency first responder primary and secondary care course within 24 months.

For certified divers there is an adaptive support diver specialty course, which will help you learn how to better assist a dive buddy with limitations.