Paralysed teenager qualifies as Open Water Scuba Diver

One brave teenager has proved that scuba diving holidays are not just for able-bodied divers, after he passed his open-water test last weekend. John Harris, a 17-year-old teenager from Petersburg, Michigan in the United States, was paralysed in a dirt-bike accident almost one year ago, and despite his disability the youngster has been working hard to learn to scuba dive.

John spoke of the underwater sport and said: “I used to swim all the time. I never thought it would be fun but it is. I like being free in the water."

At just 16 years old, John had a promising career ahead as a dirt-biker and was looking to enter an amateur-level national dirt bike competition. But the accident in July 2010, where he hit a jump badly on a dirt-bike track, left him paralysed from the waist down and his life then took a different turn.

"I remember being hurt, a helicopter ride, and [nothing more until] two weeks later," Harris explained, adding that he felt no pain despite breaking two vertebrae in his back. His father, Rod, spoke of his son’s bravery and the crash, saying: "I can't explain it, I have no idea why. But it is what it is. You just have to get on with it and all along, [John] has pulled us through this."

Following the accident, John was determined to find another goal so the family approached the Aqua Hut dive centre in Toledo where the owner Jeff Davis was able to offer adaptive scuba diving.

Along with his 19-year-old sister Ashley, John started to learn the basics of the popular underwater sport and last weekend he was certified as an open-water diver which will enable him to visit exotic scuba diving sites all over the world during scuba diving holidays.

The non-profit organisation, Diveheart, specialises in opening up the world of scuba diving to people with disabilities. Founder, Jim Elliot said that the sport not only boosts the disabled divers’ confidence but it also has therapeutic benefits.

Over the last ten years, Diveheart has helped thousands of disabled people learn to scuba dive including one woman who was deaf and blind and another lady who had no limbs. The organisation also teaches adaptive scuba instructors and dive buddies so that they can accompany divers on their scuba diving holidays.

"We've trained hundreds and hundreds of instructors and dive buddies. Then they go out there like the team in Toledo and touch the lives of others," Mr. Elliott said.

"We want to create a paradigm in a person's life. Now it's not [a young man] in a wheelchair, it's [a young man] the scuba diver."

John propels himself through the water using his arms and weights are attached to his ankles to balance the weight. The teenager might not be able to compete as a dirt-bike racer but thanks to the community’s fundraising efforts, a new modified bike will be available to him next month.

As for plans to take his scuba diving activities any further, John’s sister is currently training to be his diving buddy. "I want to see sharks, but she's too scared," he added.