HSA Handicapped Scuba Diver Training
Handicapped Scuba Association International (HSA) was founded by
Jim Gatacre in 1981 and is considered the world's leading authority on recreational
diving for people with disabilities. Headquartered in California, HSA is a non-profit
organization that has extended its underwater educational programs worldwide.
Operating as an independent diver training and certifying agency, HSA is internationally
recognized and was developed in conjunction with two major certifying agencies PADI
and NAUI.
Scuba Emporium offers HSA training at both locations. Training includes time spent
in the classroom learning the basics of dive theory and time spent in our heated
pools learning the essential skills needed for diving.
Five Open Water training dives are required to complete the certification. In some
cases, depending on the level of the diver, a PADI certification can also be issued
at the same time.
Training can be done on a one-to-one basis, or in some cases, done as a part of
a group setting. Contact Audra for
more information.
Open Water Certification
Open Water training programs for people with disabilities are taught with a high
margin of safety using teaching techniques developed with over 20 years of continuous
research and feedback.
Disabled students are trained and certified according to the HSA Physical Performance
Standards and a Multi-Level Certification system that allows training to people
with a wide range of disabilities, including paraplegia, quadriplegia, blindness,
and those with high-functioning brain injuries or mild mental retardation.
Student diving proficiency is based on ones ability to assist another diver in the
water. Level A divers are certified to dive with another diver; Level B divers are
certified to dive with two divers; and Level C divers are certified to dive with
three divers, one of which must be trained in diver rescue. After meeting the requirements
for Open Water certification, some divers, regardless of their level, go on to obtain
Advanced ratings, both through HSA and other training organizations.
Dive Buddy Program
The HSA Dive Buddy Program allows able-bodied divers the opportunity to expand their
underwater world to include sharing it with a disabled partner. Dive buddies receive
a wealth of training and knowledge, including time in the water during which you
"act out" disabilities, actually experiencing what it is like to be a mobility or
sight-impaired diver: a sensitizing experience at the very least.