SUDS program facilitates rehabilitation process
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — As the only scuba dive shop on South Padre Island, American Diving is accustomed to accommodating a wide range of divers.
From young children and beginning divers to the most advanced diving professionals, the staff at American Diving has seen it all. But this weekend owner Tim O’Leary hosted five very special divers.
Four disabled veterans of the war in Iraq, along with their instructor, arrived Thursday for a little sun, a lot of fun and some serious scuba diving.
"It was an honor to have them here," said O’Leary, who is also a veteran.
The men are all participating in the Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba or SUDS program. Started at Walter Reed Memorial Hospital and Bethesda Naval Hospital, the program helps facilitate the rehabilitation process and promotes mobility for soldiers who have been seriously injured.
The program is run by president John Thompson, who accompanied the soldiers to South Padre Island for their dives.
"What made this trip unique was all four of these guys didn’t know each other until the day we got here," Thompson said. "But when they see other guys with similar injuries and experiences, there’s an instant bond. They’re able to hang out and have a good time. These trips really bring them together and that’s the purpose of SUDS, to help them continue their diving and make friends."
Thompson hopes SUDS members will eventually organize their own trips with the fellow soldiers they meet in the program.
Shane Heath, one of the visiting veterans, was a sergeant with the Army’s Airborne Infantry. He had never dived before his injury. Now, thanks to the SUDS program, he’s working on becoming a dive master, which would allow him to lead dives and instruct diver courses.
"I always wanted to scuba dive as a kid," Heath said. "But I never had the opportunity. Then I was introduced to John at Walter Reed. Now I’ve dived in Puerto Rico, St. John, Florida, North Carolina and Cuba."
Heath says he has about 50 dives and he would rank this trip in the top three.
"I don’t even know the names of all the fish we saw," Heath said. "There were grouper, snapper, even an octopus."
Daniel Acosta was a staff sergeant in the Air Force. His trip to South Padre was his first dive with the SUDS program. Acosta has been diving for more than a year. Originally from Chicago, he has already dived in Hawaii, but was impressed with the diving here.
"It was awesome," Acosta said. "The marine life was great and we got to dive the Texas Clipper wreck."
Houston native Eric Morante is a Marine Corps sergeant. After being injured in the war, Morante remained in active service. He currently serves at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Not only was this his first dive with the SUDS program, it was his first open sea dive.
"I just got certified for diving with nitrous oxide two days ago," Morante said. "I’ve only dived in a pool and a lake and the lowest I’ve been is 20 feet. But I’m more excited than anything. This is what I’ve always wanted to do."
After his first dive Morante said he was impressed with the staff at American Diving.
"They’re very knowledgeable," Morante said. "From the equipment to all the ways they helped us, I felt very comfortable because everything was so professional. And I saw a huge barracuda!"
Another soldier making his first trip with the SUDS program is Juan Arredondo, who served as an Army sergeant. He became scuba certified a year ago, but this would be his first time diving since his certification.
"I’m really excited and a little nervous. It’s my first ocean dive so I don’t know what to expect," Arredondo said. By the end of the trip he said he was a little tired but he loved every minute of it.
The veterans dived for three days, with a total of six dives, but a welcoming community made sure the soldiers experienced a lot of Rio Grande Valley hospitality.
Breakaway Cruises and Recoil Gravity Park kept the men occupied when they weren’t diving and they got a taste of Island cuisine courtesy of Sea Ranch Restaurant, Pier 19, Shrimp Haus and Amberjack’s. Mayor Robert Pinkerton, along with other town of SPI officials, met with the soldiers and hosted an evening at Louie’s Backyard. The gentlemen wrapped up their stay with a dinner at Marcello’s Restaurant hosted by members of the Port Isabel Rotary. DeeOnda Ahadi, National Tourism Coordinator at the SPI Convention & Visitors Bureau, organized the men’s stay.
Thompson said the hospitality he and his divers were shown made a big impact on them.
"I am really impressed with Tim at American Diving and the whole community," Thompson said. "It really shows they stand behind these guys and the sacrifices they’ve made. It shows what kind of community South Padre is. We’ll definitely be back."
Thompson said he would like to add South Padre Island to the SUDS rotation and continue bringing dive trips here two times a year.
"Padre is only five hours away from San Antonio and the community support is impressive. We can dive the Clipper and the water visibility is really good. That makes this a good location for the SUDS program."
Thompson initially discovered SPI while attending a scuba convention in Houston. The SUDS booth was situated next to a booth hosted by the South Padre CVB. Bryan Allen, a dive master at American Diving, was attending the convention along with Ahadi.
"I was a guest of the CVB at a scuba show in Houston," Allen said. "John Thompson was in the booth next to us with the SUDS program."
The two men struck up a conversation and it wasn’t long before Allen was inviting Thompson and the SUDS program to the Island.
"It’s an amazing program what they’ve got going on," Allen said. "It makes me appreciate everything I have. These guys gave everything they had and this program tries to give back to them."
Since 2007 approximately 100 wounded soldiers have gone through the SUDS program, which is run entirely as a nonprofit organization. SUDS relies on donations, fund raisers and grants to provide this service free of charge to wounded veterans. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.sudsdiving.org.
