About the 2010 EOW-GIH Trip to Bonaire

Living in a wheelchair does not crush a young man’s desire to pursue a life of adventure, fun, and excitement. On June 18, 2010, the Eels on Wheels Adaptive SCUBA Club (www.eels.org) plans to take injured athletes supported by the Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Foundation (www.gridironheroes.org) on a life-changing week-long adventure to go SCUBA diving off the Caribbean island of Bonaire.

Before their injuries, the Gridiron Heroes were young athletes who loved being active and playing the game of football. Even with their disabilities, they still desire to live a full and exciting life.  Being able to enjoy an active sport such as SCUBA diving is proven to improve a person’s self-image and confidence, inspiring them to strive for greater success in both their personal and professional lives.

Besides the thrill and accomplishment of SCUBA diving, traveling with the Eels will allow the Gridiron Heroes to bond with many successful people who face similar challenges. It is common on an Eels trip for people to learn several new ideas (or tricks) to dealing with life as a quadriplegic such as how to deal with daily routines, new ideas for equipment, and new exercise techniques for staying in shape. Even if they were together in a place without the amazing scenery and without the diving, this time shared together would be a lasting treasure.

The special thing about the Eels on Wheels is that they provide all the resources necessary to enjoy a SCUBA diving adventure. They have experienced SCUBA instructors that train and certify people with disabilities. There is a team of medical professionals that travel with the groups to ensure any and all medical needs are taken care of. Each disabled diver will be matched with two trained and experienced dive buddies to provide a safe, fun, and relaxing experience underwater.

Dr. Chad Dieterichs, president of the Eels on Wheels, will be leading the trip to Bonaire. He has been with the Eels on Wheels since its beginning years, and has taken hundreds of people with disabilities diving around the world. Chad is an anesthesiologist in Austin and takes great measures to make sure everyone has an exciting but safe trip.

Bonaire is known worldwide for its ease of diving and for the amazing variety of marine life.  The dive boats have a large platform in the back where a person with a disability can safely sit at water-level to enter the water, and the resort's dive staff is trained and very experienced in working with people with disabilities. The fact that Continental Airlines flies directly from Houston to Bonaire makes traveling there extremely easy, even with the added logistics involved in traveling with a disability. All in all, a trip to Bonaire is the perfect choice for this adventure!