Underwater Photographer Alexandr Kushnir

Handicapped diving in Ukraine becomes reality

One day I’ve got to the basketball competition among wheelchaired handicapes. I was impressed, how do these people find powers to live! Not to sit in a small apartment, drinking and looking in the window. Moreover, their fervour on the way to the basket. That huge wish to help with which they were running in a hurry on their way towards their friend who felt down. And all this in spite of that they have to struggle with every square centimeter, not only in this game but in everyday life.

Strong will of those people really shocked me, but also those things I saw and felt. Indifference of all the people around, indifference of the society not only towards the invalids, but also towards themselves. Many healthy people don’t realize what abilities they’ve got. But in spite of that they spend their lives sitting on the sofa with a bottle of beer in their hands.

My love towards diving made me think that it’s possible not only to touch a beautiful underwater world, but also to avoid the gravitation. I’ve shared my suggestion of organization of diving for people with violation of locomotorium with Oleg Prohorov. I’ve got his agreement in three seconds. Probably Oleg simply wasn’t able to believe in such a possibility.

Firstly we planned to organize diving at the Odessa’s seaside. But unexpectedly hot year completely cancelled the ability to see anything under the water. Even for the experienced divers absent vision is a bad factor. Moreover, what can we say about a person who dives for the first time? In addition, Odessa’s beaches were not created for the invalids.

During the preparations, we have found so many obstacles that we’ve decided to organize diving at Crimea seaside. That idea seemed so wild that we had no doubts in turning it into reality.
To make this huge project come true one need an exact organization. My experience in organization of the tourist camps connected with diving was not enough for such a task. Ordinary things for a usual person can become insuperable obstacles for invalids, especially at the Crimea seaside.

As the searches of the recommendations in such arrangements led us to nothing, we decided to concur and it was necessary to try everything on ourselves: to find a convenient place for diving, to work through the technology of the safe diving. A place for the camp, frontier guards, local authorities and many other things. Also we needed diving instructors who were ready to help people for free. To be honest we had no problems with this at all. Divers — this is a strange nation - severe, but kindhearted. You see, diving is like a reconnaissance — you won’t dive with no matter whom.

I’ve suggested taking part in this project to a race-driver and diving instructor Oleg Savchenko. There was just one word instead of reply — when?

At 7 am we’ve moved forward. Oleg Prohorov — ex-fighter pilot — completely refused to sit into my car; nothing helped me to induce him. Later, I’ve understood why. This is a usual thing for Oleg Alexandrovich to change a place from a car to a wheelchair. Different stuff in another car, such as height of a baffle and width of a door, can make additional problems.

Oleg’s true navigator is with us — Oleg’s wife. A person, as thousands of true and devoted companions, without whom life of people with limited abilities would be much more difficult. These people deserve an individual gratitude. On my opinion they make everyday exploit, not enough noticeable, but it can not be overestimated.

Just a few hours of flight — on a car with a manual control — and we are in the Mecca of all the divers of CIS — Cape of Tarhancute.

This is a unique place. It looks like the nature has created this place especially for diving. Clear water, amazing landscape and Crimea sun. Rehabilitation? No! A real trip with hardships and beauty of nature. A unity of power and spirit. And now, can you imagine the feelings of a person who has troubles even going out of his apartment. And frequently the world is limited with our own imagination and view behind our windows.

Oleg Savchenko and Andrew Shumilov have been waiting for us on the spot. We drove along the seaside together, found a place where it was easier to get to the water. Having planned diving for the next day we went to spend the night to our friends to the diving school “Amfora”. Its leader is well-known uncle Vova. He is a yogi, and he is Vladimir Savchenko. Reception was so hospitable that it’s difficult to describe it. They are wonderful people! To tell the truth, experienced divers didn’t believe when they saw a man changing his place from a car to a wheelchair and who is going to dive in a place far from civilization.

In the morning we’ve got on the spot, gathered all the necessary equipment, made a briefing, labour-rent of initial skills. And then, we went to the sea. Time flies by insensibly. Life boils among the stones under the sunlight. The sea “wind” swings many colored algae. Shoals of fishes flash by. Still alive and not ruined by civilization world did its work.

When we went out to the shore we all had a happy condition: everybody had its personal condition, but a sincere one. Even tears of happiness didn’t pass around the women’s part of our team. For the sake of this it was worthy of all those hardships.

While we were sharing our impressions, some people with wide smiles upon their faces came to us. It turned out that they were divers from Check Republic. They were sincerely impressed with courage of Oleg Alexandrovich. Live talk, interchange of addresses. It’s impossible not to be happy with this. People, who risk with their health and life all the time, know what the real values are.

And back to Odessa. The start was done. And as Oleg Alexandrovich said,

“The Sea — this is an environment which took away your infirmity of movement. There is no medicine from this for many others, but we have found it and we will lead the others, make them follow us. There, even at a shallow depth, I have found a new inspiration.”

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