What disability? There are no barriers when you combine a PADI Open Water Diver Course and Borneo Dream | Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
For many of the population, as human beings, we take most things in life for granted. We take for granted having two arms to hold things, two legs to run and walk and a mouth to talk.
But what if you were physically disadvantaged, or if you had a missing limb or physically challenged in another way? Is this going to mean that you will never be able to learn to scuba dive and take those magical breaths underwater?
The answer is that disability truly is no barrier when learning to Scuba-Dive with PADI and Borneo Dream.
Meet the legendary Gordon Farmer – Let’s learn to dive with Borneo Dream, Malaysia
Gordon made contact with us at the Borneo Dream office a few weeks ago stating that he wished to earn his PADI Open Water certificate. On the surface, this seemed like an everyday request that the sales team get at the dream office. However, this was no ordinary enquiry.
The fact is that Gordon is an amputee, having tragically lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident a few years ago. Having previously won the isle of Man TT races, Gordon was already a legend in his own right, but now he was going to take on his latest challenge of learning to scuba dive with one leg.
We caught up with Gordon at the end of his 3-day course who gave us an incredible insight as to what his Open Water Course was like.
Father and Son Take the Plunge – PADI Open Water Diver Course
“After I lost my leg, a lack of ability is quite a big thing on land, but as soon as I got into a swimming pool I realised how mobile I was. I had actually tried diving a few years ago, so when I came to Borneo I decided I would like to try a scuba course”, said Gordon.
Gordon, who completed his Open Water Course with his 17-year-old son Billy, said that he found the theory easy, although some of the initial challenges that he faced physically were easily overcome thanks to his Instructor Amir.
The unique PADI system allows for adapted entry and exit techniques for students with physical challenges. Gordon went on to say, “there were some slight hurdles to face getting into the boat and on the first day, getting balance underwater when doing the first few skills, but other than that I faced no issues whatsoever.”
Dream-boy and PADI Instructor Amir commented at the end of this unique course, “Gordon was a natural both on and in the water, actually even managing to keep up with his son Billy on the 200m swim test! Underwater, once he found his balance he was the perfect student with excellent buoyancy and smooth fin kicks, using the seated and back roll entry methods to get into the water.”
In conclusion, Amir said, “We hope to encourage more and more people like Gordon to join this course, and on behalf of the dream team here we welcome all of them.”
From the dream team, we offer hearty congratulations to Gordon and his son Billy and welcome to our world of PADI.