Page 100 - AlertDiver_Summer2011_web

MEMBER TO MEMBER

Tips, advice and updates from your fellow divers

I

magine you saw a couple preparing to do a shore dive of a beautiful beach in the Caribbean. In the blazing hot sun, the husband carries both sets of gear down to the waterline, while his wife waits patiently in the surf to don her delivered gear.

What would you think if you saw it? Would you think it the action of a gallant gentleman? Would you consider the possible reasons behind the action? Or would you simply assume the woman was lazy?

When divers witnessed my husband and I enacting that very same scenario on a beach in Bonaire, they openly called me a “lazy cow,” advising “he should make her carry it herself,” though they speculated “she is probably so unft she can’t manage to walk with her gear on.” I was mortifed by the comments, but the truth is I didn’t have a lot of options. My spine is fused from the L4 to the S1 vertebrae, supported by a network of titanium. It is the result of more than two years of struggle, pain, surgery and recovery. It is a miracle I am even able to walk let alone take part in the outdoor activities I love so much, including hiking, skiing and scuba diving. Te only concessions I have had to make to my rebuilt back are a few limitations and a need to adapt.

For example, I can no longer carry the weight of dive gear; I have to enlist the help of others to transport and hand my gear to me in the water. I make a point to call ahead to dive operations to advise them of my special needs, and I introduce myself to the divemasters on every boat to ensure they know of my condition so they can decide how to proceed. Most of them have a preference on whether to put me in the water frst or last, but all are willing to help ensure I get there. Yet uninformed divers still feel free to share unsolicited opinions or make disparaging remarks. Because I continue to hike and ski as often as possible, I appear outwardly ft. I do not look at all “diving disabled.” But the fact is that my spine surgery has left me with a need to adapt, and I do. I am not alone. Tere are more and more divers in the water adapting and dealing with some sort of medical problem that once may have meant the end of diving for them. So don’t be too quick to judge; before you write of someone as lazy, make sure you know the truth of the situation. Don’t ridicule — ask if you can lend a hand. Celebrate the advances in medical science that allow many to continue diving or doing whatever else they love to do. After all, one day it could be you. AD

Adapting or Indolent?

Make sure you know before you judge.

B y F i o n a C o l d r i d g e