A DIDIM scuba centre – Okenos Diving – was instrumental in giving introduction dives to several disabled people from three different countries as part of a month-long EU-backed festival in the resort.

Okenos Diving opened the “Disabled Free Festival” in Didim by officially certifying Mr Kenan Önalan (blind), the adviser to the Turkish Ministry of Family & Social Politics, as an IAHD Level 1 diver.

Staff also performed adaptive introduction dives with several disabled participants from 3 different countries.

Disabled Free Festival” was held as part of a one month long project co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, where 30 (disabled) volunteers set up and organized several activities with the goal to integrate people with disabilities in teaching and learning new skills.

The opening event visited by many locals as well as the Mayor and Governor of Didim, started with the qualification dive of Mr Kenan Önalan for his Level 1 IAHD certification, followed by the foreign disabled participants.

“Diving is Freedom” said Mr Kenan (pictured right, with Okenos owner Sinan Karabacılı), which was confirmed by the response of the other disabled participants who said to have felt unbound and released from their regular restrictions.

Okenos, the first IAHD (International Association of Handicapped Divers) certified dive center in Turkey, volunteered their services, equipment, time and expertise during the one month project to train and certify several project participants as official IAHD Surface Support Specialists.

This is an international program that enables the participants to assist disabled divers with many aspects before, during and after the dive.

“The transformation a person with any disability displays after diving for the first time is incredible” says Sorayma Blouw (independent adaptive scuba instructor).

“When they realize they have done something many of their well abled friends or family members would not dare to do, it gives an enormous boost to their confidence.

“I hope this confidence continues and enables them to become a diver or undertake many other things they would not have thought possible because of their condition.”

Sinan Karabacılı Dive Center Owner hopes that with this event scuba diving for people with disabilities has become less of a novelty in the area, and more an addition to a small amount of activities for disabled people especially in Didim.

“If we can realize that when we, the ones without physical or mental limitations, adjust minor things in our day to day affairs and businesses, we are so much more accessible for those who have limitations.

“Didim can be a forerunner in the Aegean region when it comes to barrier free holidays, we just have to open up to it.”