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A
deaf dive master and a graduate of marine and freshwater biology is
helping teach deaf, hard of hearing (HOH) and hearing people to dive.
She speaks, lip-reads and signs and thus will be able to provide a
unique service. This is a sailing and dive liveaboard owned by a
Dutchman. They realised there was a lack of facilities specifically for
deaf and HOH people who want to dive, so they decided to act on this.
From personal experience, she has been a diver for 9
years has found herself in many frustrating situations whereby she was
not able to understand everything that was being said in dive clubs.
Unfortunately, this scenario was repeated around the world. In addition,
when she first took up diving, she had to have one-to-one lessons as she
found it too difficult to follow the classes and had to pay more money
for this service. Deaf and HOH people need to be in an environment
whereby they know they are guaranteed to understand what is going on
around them.
She
is determined to increase the level of access together with Frank, the
Dutch owner, who has also taught many deaf and HOH students. The mix of
experience and expertise between them both makes them well equipped to
cater for the deaf and HOH market.
A liveaboard is simply
when you dive, sleep and eat off the boat. Some of the best dive sites
in the world are in remote locations so it is not possible to make day
trips. What is even more unique is that this is a sailing boat, so you
will be able to hoist the sails and sit at the helm of the yacht, apart
from kayaking, swimming, fishing and snorkelling! And since this will be
your home for a week, laptop computers, DVDs, digital cameras and
stereos will make your stay even more comfortable. Dive courses, whether
it is open water, advanced, or rescue will be taught in the clearest
manner possible. They will give you as much time to ensure you complete
your courses successfully. Hopefully this will give everyone the
initiative to take up this wonderful sport, and not let their hearing
loss stop them.
This is not only for deaf
and HOH people, but for anyone who wishes to dive one of the best dive
sites in the world – the Similan and Surin underwater world in Thailand.
Its waters are frequented by manta rays, whale sharks, and leopard
sharks amongst the many. We will attend the next one-week liveaboard
trips next Easter 2005 – 20th to 27th March
and 29th March to 5th April. She may also
come over Christmas 2004 depending on demand!
To take advantage of this unique service and for a
holiday of a lifetime, let’s go and dive!
For more information, please
e-mail
us.
We are currently open for
bookings so please book as early as possible to avoid disappointment!
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