According to the Pew Research Center, 1 out of every 10 veterans has suffered a significant injury while serving in the military. Of those, 75% were injured in combat. Those numbers suggest as many as 2.2 million injured veterans live in the United States. That’s a lot of people who could benefit from adaptive diving. Patriots for Disabled Divers is dedicated to providing adaptive diver training to as many of them as possible. Still, we couldn’t do it without our incredible affiliate dive centers. PFDD Affiliates are our boots on the ground all over America. They conduct diver training for injured veterans in their local area and incorporate participants into the greater diving community. We have a lot of quality dive centers running these programs, but we need more. If you think you’ve got what it takes, read on to discover how your dive center can become a PFDD affiliate.
Why Become a PFDD Affiliate?
There are a million reasons to become an affiliate dive center, but two reasons stand above the rest.
- Support Veterans. The big reason most dive centers take on the challenge of adaptive diving is to give back. Diving provides incredible benefits to those with physical and cognitive adaptations, such as injured veterans. Teaching injured veterans to dive through PFDD’s programs is one way to share those benefits and help improve the lives of those 2 million veterans who gave so much for our country.
- Build Your Business. PFDD’s diver training programs are offered at no cost to the participant, but that doesn’t mean you are expected to do them for free. We pay the standard rates for each participant we sponsor through your program. That said, you won’t get rich off of our programs. However, they offer in-roads to your local military communities and expand your customer base to a loyal, active population.
What Are the Requirements for Affiliate Dive Centers?
To ensure all our participants receive quality training as appropriate to their physical and psychological needs, PFDD requires all potential affiliate dive centers to meet the following minimum requirements:
- PADI 5 Star Dive Shop. Quality training and superior risk management are paramount to ensuring the safety of all our program participants. To ensure training is held to a safe yet attainable standard, all our affiliate dive centers must be current, insured PADI 5 Star facilities or higher.
- PADI Adaptive Instructor. Many of our veterans have unique physical or psychological needs that require dive instructors with adaptive diving experience. To ensure participants have access to instructors who can meet their needs, every affiliate dive center must have at least one PADI Adaptive Instructor on their staff.
- Training for Everyone. As any PADI instructor knows, the proper attitude is vital for effective diver training. To that end, PFDD will only accept affiliates who are open to training all students—with acceptable medical clearance—regardless of disability. Affiliates are expected to train students as far as the diver’s abilities allow within standards for each certification.
- Encourage Students to Continue. One of the biggest benefits of adaptive diving is socialization. PFDD affiliates are expected to encourage participants to continue diving once they have earned their initial certification. Additionally, affiliates should promote healthy lifestyles, camaraderie, and social events for all divers.
- Maintain a Quality Rental Line. PFDD diver programs are provided at no cost to the participant, and that includes rental gear. Affiliates are expected to provide safe, well-maintained rental for all required dive equipment for the duration of the course. This includes mask, fins, and snorkel. You are, however, welcome to explain the benefits of owning your own gear, just as you would any other student.
- Make Safety Your Top Priority. Scuba diving is an extreme sport made safer through quality training and vigilance. As such, we expect PFDD affiliate dive centers to prioritize safety. This includes adhering to PADI standards, using only safe and accessible training facilities, and selecting appropriate dive sites based on training standards and diver ability.
How Do I Apply To Be a PFDD Affiliate Dive Center?
Are you ready to become a PFDD Affiliate Dive Center? It only takes an email to get started. Contact us at jeff@patriotsfordisableddivers.org to express your interest. In the email, please provide a short bio for your dive center and a brief summary of why you want to become an affiliate. Potential affiliates are evaluated on regional need, quality of service, and attitude. Contact us today to get started!