In a first-of-its-kind initiative, 13 visually impaired students and staff associated with the National Association for Blind (NAB) recently got an opportunity to get scuba diving training in a swimming pool facility near Dona Paula, in order to familiarise them with the wonders and nuances of scuba diving.
The initiative was jointly organised by Drishti Marine & Dive Goa and NAB at the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS) pool in Dona Paula. The goal was to help visually impaired individuals to experience the feeling of weightlessness underwater, the freedom of movement and the sounds that define the underwater world.
While scuba diving is typically associated with stunning underwater visuals, this initiative focused on offering participants a tactile experience of the adventure sport, with assistance of trained personnel from Drishti Marine, a state government-appointed body mandated with preventing drowning along the state’s coastline, Dive Goa , a scuba diving training establishment at Condolim and NIWS, an autonomous institution that functions under the aegis of the Union Ministry for Tourism.
Navin Awasthi, CEO of Drishti Marine, shared: “Rajiv Somani, the founder of Drishti Group realised that with the resources available at Drishti Marine, we were in a unique position to offer this rare experience to individuals with visual impairments. We are thrilled to see them enjoy and engage with the experience today.”
“We wanted these students to enjoy an adventure. The adventure of being underwater with a sense of touch and feel of the scuba diving gear and water,” emphasised Cdr Arun Patil, Director at Drishti Foundation .
During the activity, participants were given the chance to familiarise themselves with the scuba diving equipment. The experience included lessons on how to breathe through the mouth using scuba gear, underwater signals and the purpose of each piece of dive gear.
Commenting on the safety protocol, Debanshu Das, chief training officer at Drishti Marine said, “To ensure the safety of the visually impaired, we had two divers in the water. Two were outside the water and one was in-charge of overall safety.”
Shaurya Tarni of Dive Goa, the only dive instructor certified by the Disabled Divers International (DDI), who conducted the training programme, said: “The aim is to provide a tactile experience to the visually impaired trainees and I think we succeeded, as so many of them did not want to leave the water today.”
Ajay Patil of Dive Goa, who was the second instructor conducting the training, further said “This is a very enabling experience for the visually impaired individuals as it was an entirely new experience of being under-water. It was empowering in many ways.”
Prasad Panderphale, a participant from NAB, said, “It was an incredible experience. It gave me a sense of confidence and peace.”
Ashok Ranjan, committee member of NAB, who coordinated on behalf of NAB ,added, “Our students rarely get adventure opportunities, so we are elated. We are grateful that they could experience this unique adventure.”
This initiative by Drishti Marine and NIWS in association with Dive Goa marks an important step in making adventure activities more inclusive and accessible for visually impaired persons.
