News
Paralysed firefighter achieves dream to scuba dive again
A fireman has beaten the odds by getting back underwater and diving with his BSAC club less than a year after the cycling accident that very nearly killed him.
Peter Lau from Baildon near Bradford has been a passionate scuba diver and BSAC member for 25 years, but a mountain bike accident in April 2014 left him paralysed from the chest down and dreaming of the day he could dive again.
Throughout repeated surgeries on his complex spinal injuries and intensive rehabilitation programmes, the thought of getting back in the water has kept Peter focussed and positive.
So when he took the plunge for the first time last week, with club members from the BSAC branch West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Sub Aqua Section, it is no wonder the 49-year-old Assistant District Commander for West Yorkshire’s Fire and Rescue Service was feeling proud and elated.
Peter said: “It was absolutely amazing. Just fantastic. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about for 11 months and I vowed I would be back in the water within the year and I have achieved that which is brilliant.
“Just being there with all my mates from the diving club and my wife Debbie was diving with me to hold my hand – it was quite emotional.
“We floated around for a bit and then went down under the water nice and slowly with complete control and it was like coming home.”
Peter’s accident happened on a weekend away in Wensleydale when his mountain bike collided with a car. His back took most of the impact of the crash while his rucksack dragged him further under the wheel.
He broke 11 ribs, punctured both lungs, fractured his scapula and suffered massive spinal damage. Emergency medics had to induce a coma to protect his lungs and Peter, a father of two grown-up children, remained in that state for almost a month before beginning the long road to recovery.
He spent many months at Pinderfield Spinal Rehabilitation Centre, and during his time there his passion for watersports led him to launch a snorkelling club in the hydrotherapy pool while he waited for doctors to give him the all clear to start diving once more.
Peter promised himself he would be back scuba diving within 12 months of the accident, and Wednesday’s 30 minute dive was enough to help him achieve his goal and reignite his love for the sport, although his dream was nearly shattered at the last minute.
He said: “After all the planning, when we arrived at the John Charles Centre in Leeds, the shallow pool was being used for something else so it almost didn’t happen.
“They only other option was to use the five metre diving pool but I’m a qualified dive instructor so five metres was no issue for me – but I suppose it was literally in at the deep end.”
After half an hour diving with friends from his BSAC group Peter emerged to a hero’s poolside welcome and with a renewed determination to continue diving.
Mary Tetley, BSAC Chief Executive, said: “What an inspiration Peter is and he embodies the passion which our scuba divers feel for the sport.
“I am so pleased to hear his news that he is finally back in the water enjoying himself and I am thoroughly proud of his fellow BSAC members for helping him achieve this.
“We look forward to hearing more about Peter’s further scuba diving adventures and wish him many congratulations and best wishes.”
Peter added: “A year ago this week I was diving in the Red Sea with a pod of 45 dolphins and I thought that was a pretty good way to end my diving career.
“I spent a lot of time lying in a hospital bed think that part of my life was over. But there are plenty of people out there who already do paraplegic diving and they’ve already done the hard work.
“Once we did the research and found the John Charles Centre, we visited and I was gobsmacked by the facilities there. Once I’ve had a few more sessions and worked my buoyancy out I’ll be sorting out a dry suit and trying a quarry and after that, who knows?
“It’s the first step in continuing the sport and it has totally reignited my passion for it. The thing to remember is that you can suffer a terrible event like mine but it is not something life-ending, just life-changing, and you just have to find different ways to make things happen.
“That is easier when you have the support of a group like BSAC because the people involved tend to be practical people. We’re a club and we help each other out and they can generally make things happen.”
Peter has a fundraising link for renovations to the specially adapted house he needs. For more information, click here.
Source: www.bsac.com
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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