Diveheart brings under water thrills for disabled divers

The non-profit scuba diving organization Diveheart boldly says of itself: “We focus on abilities not disabilities to instill the ‘can do’ spirit and it is our hope to inspire participants to take on challenges that before might have seemed impossible.”

On a recent Sunday morning, a group of five local youth with either autism or Down syndrome and their parents put Diveheart to the test to see if the organization could really build confidence, independence and self-esteem in children, adults and veterans of all abilities through scuba diving, scuba therapy and related activities.

The five included Sean Kennedy, 18, of Panther Ridge; Dustin McDonald, 15, of Grayhawk Landing; Sean Blaney, 12 of Rotonda in Charlotte County; Josiah Nowak, 11, Bradenton and Grayson Tullio, 14, of Lakewood Ranch.

On hand were four Diveheart scuba diving volunteers, including Corissa Leung, Diveheart team leader for the Tampa St. Petersburg area, which includes Manatee County along with dive coaches Christina Weger, Clint Seeley, Linda Miller and John Weidner, who is Miller’s husband. Seeley, Miller and Weidner are all from Parrish and attend Bayside Community Church.

“It’s fun,” Leung said of volunteering for Diveheart. “The kids love it. We work them individually and see how they do with the skills. We get them underwater and comfortable with all the gear and all the equipment. It’s different than anything they have done before.”

Also on hand for the unique program was Megan Freeman, a volunteer with Face Autism.

When it was over, both participants, parents, volunteers and Freeman were enthusiastic about the results even though the program was cut short by lightning in the area that morning at the John H. Marble Park swimming pool.

Diveheart plans on resuming the class for the four from 8 to 11 a.m. Aug. 6 at the pool, 3675 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton, Leung said.

Before the lightning, the four young men got into the pool with diving fins, wore real diving masks and went through an introduction to swimming underwater with a mask while breathing through a snorkel. In the next class they will be introduced to a regulator and tanks.

“We provide opportunities for kids with autism to express themselves, like art classes, bowling and roller skating,” Freeman said of Face Autism. “This is my first time doing this. It’s exciting to see there is another avenue where kids can be able to express themselves.”

“These kids were flying everywhere and having a blast,” Seeley said. “We’re gonna make these kids fish.”

John Cena would be proud

Sean Kennedy, a rising senior at Braden River High School who is the manager of the Pirates’ football team, is the world’s greatest fan of John Cena, the WWE wrestler, according to his mother, Betsy.

Kennedy was born with the genetic disorder Down syndrome, which causes a wide range of developmental delays and physical disabilities.

“We had a hard time getting a doctor’s authorization for this program because of the Down syndrome and he has asthma,” Betsy Kennedy said.

“We had our fingers crossed a long time not really wanting to make a big deal in case he wasn’t allowed, so we are super excited,” Kennedy added.

Summoning up courage he has gotten from watching Cena take on challenge after challenge, Kennedy muscled on his diving mask, large fins and snorkel and swam underwater like a fish.

When he came up under the tutoring of Weidner, he looked pleased with his effort and waved to his mother.

“I’m excited for him,” Betsy Kennedy said. “This is something he has wanted to do for a long time. I am excited that he is getting the opportunity.”

When asked if swimming with the snorkel and mask and flippers was a cool experience, Kennedy, who lifts weights at 6:30 a.m. nearly every morning with the football team and can bench press 200 pounds, gave a hint of a grin and a thumb’s up, about all the reaction one can hope to get from Sean, who is all business, his mother added.

If given the chance

Dustin McDonald, who attends The Pinnacle Academy in Bradenton, a school that has programs for kids who are on the autism spectrum, said something before his pool experience that was telling.

“I’m not like strong into diving but I can do it if given the chance,” he said.

“I think it will be an excellent experience just to get him to move his body in a different way and have the underwater experience,” Dustin’s mother, Edith McDonald, said.

Sean Blaney of Rotonda, who is also on the autism spectrum, exhibited the magic of human discovery when he stepped into the pool for the first time in his diving boots.

“Hey, my shoe is overflowing,” Blaney said.

Interested families who would like to come to the Aug. 6 event to see if they would like to sign up a family member for Diveheart are asked to call Leung first at 727-318-7422 or email corissa.leung@diveheart.org.

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Diveheart brings under water thrills for disabled divers."