NEWS & MOVIES ARCHIVE

A Summer day with diving for children with physical disabilities

Members of IAHD Adriatic responded to the invitation of Tanja Babnik from Primary School Ledina (hospital school divisions) and URI Soca, to take care of the activities at the final sports excursion of children with a physical disability called A Summer day with diving.

We gathered in Fiesa on Thursday,  21st of June 2018. Thirteen children and their assistants waited on us in front of the Diving Center Sharky. Among the participants was also Alex, whom we met in 2015. He then participated in a project Committed to steps at Debeli Rtic, when we first co-operated with the Primary School Ledina. This time, Alex enjoyed the action even more, because he made his first diving experiment in the pool, this time, he could watch the underwater world of the Adriatic Sea live, for the first time.
 
All the activities were conducted by four experienced disabled divers:
- Damjan Peklar, the first disabled diving instructor,
- Ales Povse Yoda, one of the best-disabled divers in the world,
- Peter Majcen LG, who has encountered and explored the underwater world at various parts of the planet,
- Matej Lednik, a member of the first Slovenian team in sports diving for the disabled.
 
The aim of IAHD Adriatic is to prove that only people with disabilities are capable, and can teach other people with various disabilities good enough. The minimum assistance they need this time were provided by instructors and assistants: Branko Ravnak, Alenka Fidler, Rajko Prelog and Manica Prelog.

First, Ales presented children many opportunities in the area of underwater photography and film for the disabled. The kids were impressed by the size of the screen and a Hugyfot underwater case for such a small camera as the GoPro Hero 6. He told them about his first steps in underwater photography and at the same time, he also told some of the interesting stories which he had experienced. For example, as soon as he examined the recordings, he found out, that more than half of the tracks were missing because he pressed the wrong button under water.

During the dressing, and when they were pressed into their diving suits, Damjan, Ales, Peter and Matej presented diving equipment and their various adventures they have experienced during diving. Then they demonstrated the first phase of the dive. The dive itself was very short, as they quickly returned to the children to take them below the sea level. Together they watched small fish and crustaceans, found some shellfish and a small Sea Anemone.
We also presented the IDA method to all participants. The method is one of the new tools in modern hydrotherapy. This is a tool whereby people with disabilities can do all kinds of things and make the first steps in an environment without gravity and take advantage of all the effects that water offers. With the help of the IDA method, disabled people can enter the world which was completely inaccessible, and which offers not only entertainment, but also possibilities for rehabilitation and recreation.

As always, the end came too soon. Disabled divers awarded children with diplomas for their first dive, a group photo was taken and ... The children went to the Piran aquarium where they met other inhabitants of the Slovenian sea, and the team of IAHD Adriatic made a real dive.
 
Thank you very much:
- Tanja Babnik, a teacher from Primary School Ledina (hospital school divisions), who organized a final excursion for the day.
- Ales, Damjan, Peter and Matej, who submerged children with a physical disability under the sea level and showed them that the borders are only in our minds.
- Dean Jelacin and the TV Koper team (Claudia Raspolic, Simona Horvat, Marin Marinovic) for their contribution and preparation of TV news for the Primorska  
  Chronicle and TV daily (Tuttoggi).
- Diving Center Sharky for support.
- Elios, Suunto, and AP Diving, who support our work.
- to all the children for their sparkling eyes, curiosity, courage and their big smiles.
 
TV Koper, Primorska kronika, 21. 6. 2018
Journalist: Simona Horvat
Cameraman: Marin Marinovič



TV Koper, 21. 6. 2018: Tuttoggi
Journalist: Claudia Rasmanovič
Cameraman: Marin Marinovič

21. 06. 2018