Kona Honu Divers Offer Adaptive Scuba Diving in Hawaii

The Hawaiian dive company, Kona Honu Divers, is making scuba diving accessible for disabled people as it trains its instructors to be Adaptive Scuba instructors with the help of the Dive Pirates Foundation.

Disabled tourists will now be able to enjoy scuba diving holidays in Hawaii with the newly-qualified instructors enabling them to explore the magnificent underwater world.

Image by : Islanders Dive Center, on Flickr.

Owner of Kona Honu Divers, Glenn Anderson, explained: "As an SSI affiliated dive store, I was familiar with the Dive Pirates Foundation and started working towards making this happen; it was a perfect fit, with our military population here, it's a way we can give back to our community."

Kona Honu Divers is now a Dive Pirates Chapter after Anderson organised training with SSI Adaptive Instructor Stacey Minton from the Dive Pirates Foundation. Divers from Kona Honu can now offer adaptive scuba diving to the disabled members of the community and injured military veterans in the region.

Image by : Islanders Dive Center, on Flickr.

Sophie Wimberley, co-founder of Dive Pirates met with Anderson and the Kona Honu Divers team members.

"Kona Honu Divers has the three key elements of being a Dive Pirates chapter, a certified adaptive SCUBA instructor, access to possible recipients and a commitment to local fundraising to sponsor the recipients," she said.

"With this certification Kona Honu Divers can give back to its military community, and say thank you for their service."

Membership to the Dive Pirates Foundation enables Kona Honu Divers to receive support with equipment and locally-raised funds will help with the cost of offering scuba diving for the disabled.

Hawaii is one of the top scuba diving destinations in the world, with azure warm ocean waters that are home to a cornucopia of marine creatures such as turtles, manta rays, dolphins, monk seals, sperm whales, sharks, and thousands of species of fish and corals.

Image by : Emily Whale, on Flickr.

Kona Honu Divers operates two custom-built dive boats that drop tourists off into the sparkling ocean to explore over 80 beautiful sites during scuba diving holidays in Hawaii.

The Dive Pirates Foundation is dedicated to making scuba diving accessible to people with disabilities, allowing them to join the mainstream of divers. The Dive Pirates Chapters represent communities across the Unites States that offer adaptive scuba diving.