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Eels on Wheels, Austin, Texas Adaptive Scuba Club

Activities

Throughout the year, Eels on Wheels participates in a variety of activities. From Discovery Scuba Events to trips to the Bob Bullock State History Museum Imax to helping out at Adaptive Sport Camps, we do it all!

Peaceable Kingdom - 2006

Lake Cleanup - 2006

Training Events - ongoing



Kristen listens to Davin's
pre-dive orientation.

2005 Discover Scuba Event at the Northwest YMCA

We had tons of fun working with St. Davids Wheelchair Fitness Center and the Northwest YMCA to introduce children and adults with disabilities to the sport of adaptive scuba diving.

May 2005 Scuba Experience.
Eels at the YMCA N. Austin.
20+ Divers Take the Plunge.

-story by patti parnell


Pre-dive equipment review.

St. David's, YMCA of Austin and Eels on Wheels teamed up together for a Discovery SCUBA event held May 14 at the Northwest YMCA. Over twenty individuals with a variety of disabilities participated in the event. After the participants signed in, they headed over for a pre-dive briefing with Jane Moore. Jane explained to each person how a BCD (buoyancy compensator) worked, what a regulator was and how it worked, and how to communicate with the instructors. Each new diver was fitted with a mask and a BCD before beginning their diving adventure.

Dive instructors Davin Cordell, John Robertson and Harris Casey each took a participant out for their SCUBA adventure. First, the instructors explained to the divers what to expect and then the divers got to fulfill their "Urge to Submerge". Once the diver felt comfortable, dive instructor and student headed toward the deep end of the pool. There, divers had the opportunity to swim around underwater and get comfortable with the equipment. They had their picture or video taken by Eels photographer George Cummings. After about 20 minutes the diver's adventure was over. While they might have wished the experience to have lasted longer, each diver left the pool with a smile on their face a mile wide.


Just keep swimming,
just keep swimming!

Some individuals like Kristin, Whitney and Jon were experienced divers as they had each attended other Eels on Wheels diving events. Many like Sammy and daughter Janie, husband and wives Virginia and Keith, and Crystal and Thomas, and friends Shelly and Carol were brand new to diving. Ty, Megan, Jill, Sofia, Doug and Jo, all certified divers, and Mike Haynes from St. David's came to help out with the event.

Many thanks go to the YMCA for providing the facilities for the event, to St. David's for co-sponsoring the event and to Austin AquaSports for providing the dive equipment.

Site created by AIR Austin 2005. Site last updated April 2007.