Eric from Kalamazoo MI

#12608

I was Certified 1987. Have logged dives in Hawaii, Bahamas, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Massachusetts, Canada and of course my home state of Michigan. I enjoy my wife and 4 boys who are starting to show an interest in diving. I am an avid photographer and videographer. I like hunting, dirt bikes and autos. I’m a professional grower in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The greenhouse I work at sells our product to independent garden centers all over the Midwest and southern states through our broker.

I really enjoy diving no matter where the location. Every location has something to offer you just have to know where to look. I’ll grub if I have too.

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Comments

Eric_R - 11/24/2019 8:51 PM

The Adaptive Diver Clinic in Grand Rapids was held Nov 23. The event is sponsored by Mary Free Bed, Adaptive Diving Unlimited, and Moby’s Dive shop in Grand Rapids Michigan.
We worked in teams of 2 and sometimes 3. There were several first time dive volunteers so we made sure each group had a certified dive buddy so newbies had a chance to learn the proper techniques.
There were 10 participants in the morning session and 10 in the afternoon session. We were briefed on each participants disability before each of the sessions.
Many of the participants were already known to us from previous clinics. We worked with each participant to make sure they could safely use scuba equipment and were comfortable in the water.
It’s very gratifying and rewarding to help these people do something that they might not ever be able to do. Since we’ve been able to secure more volunteers we will be looking to increase
participation by allowing 30 people to come to the clinic next year. If your interested in helping next year contact Adaptive Diving Unlimited on their Facebook page.

Eric_R - 11/18/2018 12:22 PM

We had the Mary Free Bed Adaptive Divers clinic yesterday in Grand Rapids . We had 17 individuals that showed up to do a discover scuba class. These people had various disabilities including amputation, paraplegia, quadriplegia, Cerebral Palsy , Down Syndrome, and Muscular Dystrophy to name a few. Several of us got our HSA Dive Buddy certification a month ago to help keep the clinic running smooth and be able to offer not only a safe experience for the participants but a fun one. The efforts pay big dividends to the volunteers when your able to help a person leave their disability at the edge of the pool and experience scuba diving. Moby’s Dive Shop, who helped sponsor the event, will be getting a few of these people to further their training to become certified scuba divers. Moby’s had a few instructors get certified to teach the HSA standards that will allow these people to scuba dive in open water. A few of us that have done this clinic are looking into getting another one started in the Kalamazoo area.
Ill post more info when I find out if we can get the resources in place as we’ll be looking for more help to make this a success.

SantaFeSandy - 11/22/2018 10:29 AM

Congratulations to all the divers and students for a job well done. Keep up the good work helping others to experience a gravity free existence, and true peace of mind. :-) [3

Smithsgold - 1/25/2018 11:36 AM

Happy Birthday !!!!! Enjoy

Eric_R - 1/25/2018 12:03 PM

Thanks!

Eric_R - 12/18/2017 11:00 PM

The set of photos was from a session in Grand Rapids Michigan. Adaptive Diving of West Michigan held a clinic to give disabled people the chance to dive. I volunteered to help out with several of my dive buddies. It was an incredible experience. We had people that were Paralyzed,Cerebral palsy,Blind,Down Syndrome,Brain damage and amputees. We had either two or three divers with each person depending on needs. Some started out snorkeling and some went straight to Scuba. Every person was able to scuba dive to their abilities and we brought a lot of joy to them and our selves. I’m already looking at getting a Certified Dive Buddy Card. I you ever have the chance to do an event like this I highly suggest it. It’ll be something you never forget.

pmedic73 - 12/18/2017 11:06 PM

I live in the Lansing area and would love to help out with something like that. If you have an event again, please let me know!!

Eric_R - 12/18/2017 11:20 PM

Ok

KimberlyPlayDough - 5/18/2018 1:38 PM

I would love to help also and live in the Grand Rapids area.

Eric_R - 10/26/2017 9:32 PM

My dive boat project finally to the point of usable. I still need to build a dive ladder and bench but she’s ready for some action.

Eric_R - 5/12/2017 6:25 PM

Wednesday was are first official WND. Wednesday Night Dive attendance was a record for the first one with 22 divers. Yahoo! My app made it so easy to track our divers. Looking forward to next weeks dive!

Smithsgold - 1/25/2017 12:24 PM

Happy Birthday !!!!

Eric_R - 1/25/2017 5:43 PM

Thanks!

Eric_R - 7/14/2016 10:28 PM

Did a paid diving job today. A local country club has a small marina and one of their boaters tied off on the Mooring line wrong and caused the buoy rope and chain to get entangled. I dove down to the end of the rope at 30’ and was able to reach down into the mud and untangle the rope from a bunch of studs sticking out of an old flat head V8 engine block that was being used as a weight. After clearing the rope and pulling it out of the weeds I returned to the weight to work on the chain. The 3/8 links had worked themselves over the studs sticking out and had wrapped around the block several times. I was able to work the block free enough of the mud to flip it over two times allowing the chain to fully extend and be attached to the buoy properly. The maintenance men were thrilled but I suggested to stop using blocks for weights or to to at least remove the studs from the blocks. Great dive.