Adaptive Diving

Diveheart Malaysia is part of the US-based non-profit organization Diveheart in Chicago, which focuses on helping disabled persons become certified divers through the adaptive diving techniques specialty training of the Professional Association Diving Instructors (PADI).

RHB Banking Group’s managing director and chief executive officer, Mohd Rashid Mohamad, said the bank was the first banking group in Asia with its own team of employees who are qualified PADI Adaptive Techniques support divers.

The objective of the program is to build confidence, independence and self-esteem in the lives of children, adults and veterans with disabilities through the sport of scuba diving, scuba therapy and related activities.

 

The purpose of the program is to provide and support educational scuba diving programs with PADI courses—such as the PADI Seal Team, PADI Junior Open Water and the Open Water Diver course—that are open to any child, adult or veteran with a disability, with the hope of providing both physical and psychological therapeutic value to that person.

"To see the nervousness and uncertainty change to pure joy and euphoric smiles, when a person with a disability have conducted the first successful dive,... can move the most experienced diving instructor to tears”.

That´s how Flemming Thyge describes the emotion that has led him to dedicate much of his life to develop diving with disabilities worldwide.