14 DAY TRIAL // Scuba diving is mostly known around the world for the fact that it can make people more relaxed, and more in tune with the calmness of the oceans. Floating near the bottom of the sea, with none of the familiar sounds of civilization ringing in their years, those who practice the sport say they feel a strange sensation of relief and freedom. But, for soldiers who have been wounded in the line of duty, scuba diving has the potential to become their only way out of the wheel chair. Troops that are paralyzed from the neck down and confined to a wheel chair for the remainder of their lives can get to experience the sensations of being free once again.
In a calm and turquoise-colored sea off the Florida Keys, in the United States, some of the soldiers who have been wounded on battlefields around the world get to experience the pleasure of diving near the shorelines, accompanied by instructors, and moving again forward, even if only with help. Each of the men has a small propeller on the back of their air tank, which ensures a constant and pleasant movement. Throughout each session, the wounded individuals travel back and forth in the calm waters, while the six supervisors guide their every move, so as to keep them safe.
The Warrior Dive, held in Key Largo twice every year, is a recovery program for former combatants, designed to raise people's awareness on the benefits of the scuba diving therapy, if not on the body of the soldiers, then at least on their minds. Having experienced a significant surge in popularity, the event now includes patients from the U.S. Army's Fort Campbell, in Kentucky, the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Maryland, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C.
In addition to the psychological benefits, proponents say, the scuba diving therapy can also have a number of other useful effects on the body. For instance, because it is almost weightless under the waves, people can exercise long-forgotten muscles, and build up some strength in them, without having to physically stress their joints, as they would have had to, had they done these exercises on land. In addition, because the otherwise-unused regions of the body are activated, the blood flow also becomes stronger, averting risks for diseases affecting the circulatory system.
The most amazing thing about these type of centers, which are starting to appear in other locations in the US and the UK as well, is that they offer a place where people in the same condition, former combatants who have lost one limb or the other, can come together and experience the wonders of being free again, Reuters reports.