OCCOQUAN, VA — April 17, 2024. Patriots for Disabled Divers (PFDD) is to receive a $30,000 research grant from the PADI Foundation. This grant will fund the first year of an ongoing research effort to study the effects of scuba diving on injured veterans. Though a wide swath of injuries will be included in the study, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are currently slated to be the focus. PFDD will partner with a panel of researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Divers Alert Network (DAN) to assist in experimental design and data analysis.
The first year will include data from up to 30 volunteer injured veterans, who will be monitored throughout their scuba diving experiences. The data generated from this study will contribute to the growing body of research on scuba diving’s therapeutic effects. Should the study prove successful, PFDD intends to continue the research over a multi-year cohort, suggesting it could become one of the most extensive studies of injured veterans on scuba. Funding Chair Merial Currer said of the initiative, “We founded PFDD on the belief that scuba diving is healing. We’ve seen this firsthand and amassed a mountain of anecdotal evidence. Now, we look forward to adding hard data to these first-person accounts.” The study’s first dives are scheduled for July of this year.
Founded in 2013, PFDD has been veteran-focused since its conception. The initial idea for this 501(c)3 non-profit was born when founders Jeff and Merial Currer assisted a paralyzed Marine in learning to walk again through hydrotherapy and scuba diving. Since that time, PFDD has made diving accessible to over 1,000 injured veterans across the nation through an ever-growing network of affiliate dive centers, all specially trained to work with injured veterans. This project will be the first formal scientific study the organization has spearheaded, marking a significant step forward in supporting the veteran community.
The PADI Foundation, which provided the grant, is also a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, separate and distinct from the commercial entity PADI, Inc. However, PADI, Inc. is the primary funding source for the PADI Foundation. Since 1992, the Foundation has awarded almost $4.7 million in grants to fund nearly 900 individual projects. In 2024, the Foundation awarded 41 grants out of over 300 applicants, of which PFDD was one.
For further information contact:
Merial Currer
Fundraising Chair, PFDD