HSA Certification Course

HSA Dive Buddy

The HSA was founded in 1981 by Jim Gatacre and is now the world's leading authority on recreational diving for people with disabilities. The HSA "Dive Buddy Program" offers able-bodied divers this opportunity to expand their underwater world to include sharing it with a handicapped partner. An HSA certified Dive Buddy receives nearly as much information and skill training as an instructor, except the training focuses on recreation, not instruction.

Instructor Berg of Good Roll Model, Inc. Demonstrating body positioning   

 The first day of class was jam packed with instructional and video material of amazing disabled divers such as paraplegic and blind divers. Our studies included health and dive considerations of a variety of illnesses, injuries and conditions. Discussions on adaptations, meeting performance requirements and different diver credentials/levels depending on the divers ability. 

Simulation: Able-bodied diver assists blind diver.

Our second day was a full day all day in the pool. We simulated being a blind diver, paraplegic and quadriplegic diver. Then we reversed the role and were the able-bodied divers assisting the disabled diver.  Simulating a blind diver I found the experience to be peaceful and relaxing. We used tactile signals such as stop, up, down, air, time and depth, etc. I swam the pool perimeter with my able-bodied diver both of us communicating to each other using our tactile signals. I found myself quickly developing a sense of trust with my able-bodied diver. 

Simulation: Able-bodied divers suit up a quad diver

Simulating a para diver I was amazed to find out  how my legs float without fins and the importance of having the proper weight on my ankles to maintain a horizontal position. A para diver has use of  their upper body. They are able to perform the basic dive skills required for scuba diving such as: inflate and deflate BCD, clear ears and mask, check their gauges and communicate to the other divers. The Para Scuba Diver  does not have the use of their legs so they use their arms for propulsion through the water. I was amazed at how different and tiresome it is to swim and push my body through the water just using your arms. 

Simulation: Two Divers assist a Quad Diver


Simulating a Quadriplegic diver for me was the most humbling and trust-invoking experience. Three able-bodied divers, a primary and secondary are required to assist a quad during a dive then a third is a buddy for the divers assisting the quad.

 The able-bodied diver’s are responsible for the preparation and assisting the disabled diver for the entire dive: Suiting up, gear assembly and the dive itself.  

The able-bodied diver’s have to multi-task all the basic dive skills on himself as well as for the quadriplegic diver. Once geared up properly and in the water there is a series of challenging skills that must be performed. The primary diver deflates his BC, then deflates the quad’s BC, clear quad’s ears, then clear own ears, adjust buoyancy while continually communicating with the quad diver as the Quad and primary and secondary able-bodied divers descend. This task is repeated all the way to the bottom. This is an amazing task load for a simple procedure.  Once down you have to be careful not to put the quad diver into an uncomfortable position so they don’t get inadvertently injured.

Once everything is ok then it is time to dive. The secondary assistant helps with leg positioning, then we did the circuit in the pool with our simulation quad. We swim, swim, adjust our BCD to descend, then adjust quad’s BCD, clear quad’s ears, then our own ears, swim, swim inflate our BCD, then inflate quad’s BCD all the while watching quad’s face for signs of issues or problems. Continually communicating to the quad diver “OKAY”? With nods, shrugs and blinking we continue our pool dive.   The primary diver is holding on to the quad’s tank secondary diver is helping with legs and watching for dragging of the feet so not to injure any toes.  This is a very busy process. 

Open Water HSA certification in Hudson Grotto

The third and last day of our HSA class for the completion of HSA Training  was in the Hudson Grotto to review and execute our skills we had done in the pool as mentioned above.

I loved taking this class!  The volume of learning in the three days was phenomenal! The instructors Michael and Felicia Berg of Good Roll Model, Inc were amazing instructors! I can not recommend enough the the value of this training! We are looking forward to using our HSA skills December 17 & 18th 2011 in Weeki Wachee Springs and assisting the disabled. There is Freedom in Diving.