Karl's Scuba Adventure

Thanks to Big Tim Valentin and Dive Pirates, I was selected to receive a scholarship for scuba diving. Dive Pirates Foundation is a non-profit out of Texas that helps people with a physical disability find a new world to explore without needing their legs. The scholarship pays for you and your dive buddy to be certified, equipped and take you on the dive trip of a lifetime. My diving buddy is my son Jake. We finished our certification and were sent to be part of a group of about 85 people to scuba dive in the Cayman Islands.

We had all types of physical disabilities, stroke, paraplegic, quad, MS, amputee, etc. It wasn't just for vets but for anyone with a physical handicap.

We saw many amazing sights, fish, a shipwreck, coral, and rays. I think at my favorite dive, we had about 10 of us lying on the bottom of an arch. We watched a stingray hunt and captured mollusks under the sand.

I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed myself on this trip. This was easily the most fun vacation that I have been on. My son Jake and I are already making plans to do this again next year.

If you have any interest at all in doing this type of activity, I highly recommend it; you will not be disappointed.