Disabled Diving at Beaches Turks and Caicos

Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa becomes the first to welcome disabled guests above and below the Turks & Caicos.

The dive team at the Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa has gone a step further to enable disabled guests by receiving their Handicap Scuba Association (HSA) certification this week. Under the guidance of recognized Course Director Mark Rausch of Poseidon Handicap Scuba Adventures, the team of 12 instructors underwent vigorous training in a three-day certification seminar to update their skills, which enables them to teach handicapped persons to scuba dive while addressing their special needs.

The course further offered insightful theory, followed by a series of confined and open water exercises, designed to simulate disabilities by ”acting out” the parts. This exercise created an atmosphere where instructors actually experienced what it is like to be a physically impaired diver. Rausch, who is also President and Founder of Poseidon Handicap Scuba Adventures and holds a Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certification commented, “Scuba diving for the disabled is a reality,” he continued, “The HSA is empowering those for whom the physical, social and recreational enjoyment of diving might otherwise have been foreclosed.”

Michael Clark, Beaches Resorts Water Sports Manager, who was pleased that his department received this special training commented, “Scuba diving is the sports where gravity is not an issue,” he further stated, “we are delighted to be able to offer our disabled guests the full value of our ‟Luxury Included‟ facility including equal water sports opportunity that caters to their special needs.”

The Providenciales based dive shop is the first in the resort chain, as well as the Turks & Caicos to receive HSA certification training. With this new certification, resort instructors are now certified to train physically challenged individuals to dive.

The course included certification standards such special training considerations, lifting techniques, wet suit donning and paraplegic and quadriplegic training. Other training elements of the course included familiarizing instructors with psychological adjustment to disabilities such as spinal injury, traumatic brain injury, Cerebral Palsy, amputations, hearing and sight impaired, Multiple Sclerosis and Muscular Dystrophy. Handicap Scuba Association is made up of over 4000 underwater educators, with disabilities and supporting members, located in over 45 countries.

The handicapped Scuba Association is dedicated to insuring that the people with disabilities are given the same opportunities to receive quality training, certification, and dive adventures as every other dive enthusiast.

Beaches Turks and Caicos also features:

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Sweet 16! Sixteen specialty dining options with everything from Caribbean to Japanese, Italian to French, Seafood to Sushi. Guaranteed to satisfy any desire

7000-sq-ft retail village offering guests high-end jewelry, fashion, candies, souvenirs, art gallery featuring international and local artists.

Beaches very own Pirates Island themed aqua-playground hosting one of the Caribbean most comprehensive water parks featuring nine slides, lazy river, surf simulator, water cannons, cranks and spray features

Beaches offers Turn Down Service for all rooms and suites of their 614 rooms.

Exclusive Butler Service in Beaches top suite categories. Trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers, your Butler will take care of every detail.

Kids of all ages can enjoy fun and games with Elmo and friends from Sesame Street as well as a full program for each age group.

15 minutes away you can visit the worlds only Conch Farm. Explore the fascinating process of farming the Queen Conch, “Strombus Gigas” from fertilization to harvest.

Team members from thirty-five different nationalities providing a true melting pot. Languages spoken by team members include English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Swiss, Creole, and Dutch.

X-BOX360 Games Garage all refurbished with plasma screen equipped with XBOX360 and the latest games on the market.

At Island Breeze Travel – we are Certified Sandals / Beaches Specialists and we have access to additional info at the resort through our on the ground contacts. For more information about Beaches Turks and Caicos, email us at info@island-breeze-travel or visit us on the web at http://www.island-breeze-travel.com