A Miller Children’s pediatric rehabilitation patient trades his wheelchair for scuba gear as he prepares to dive into the water.

Pediatric rehabilitation patients from Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach took a break from wheelchairs and hospital rooms for a special scuba diving event. As part of a series of summer community re-integration programs to keep patients active, the Handicapped Scuba Association (HSA) and the Pediatric Rehabilitation Program at Miller Children’s created a unique program that teaches scuba diving to patients with various diagnoses, including spina bifida, traumatic brain injuries and neuromuscular disorders.

“The scuba event is an important activity because it gives kids the chance to take part in ‘normal’ activities like their peers,” says Mariana Sena, CTRS, recreational therapist, Miller Children’s. “This event helps build their self-esteem and you can see the confidence all over their faces once they get used to the activity. It’s very humbling to be able to offer such an extraordinary program.”

Patients were taught by certified scuba instructors how to properly use a regulator, snorkeling gear and float with a scuba tank on their back, and were guided through the various components of their scuba gear and its functions.

Parents were able to stand on deck and watch their children practice specific activities designed to help them learn to control their bodies with scuba gear on. Children also had the opportunity to dive to the bottom of the pool without any help from instructors.

“The scuba instructors are passionate and love working with our kids, and this is an event the kids look forward to every year,” says Sena. “We’re so thankful for the time and effort the Handicapped Scuba Association instructors put in to help make our patients’ experiences memorable.”  

This event is designed in part by the Pediatric Rehabilitation Program’s recreational therapy, which uses play, recreation and leisure activities and skills to improve physical, cognitive, social and emotional abilities of children and adolescents. Recreational therapists (RecTs) develop care plans that focus on the patient’s leisure time by providing a wide range of play and recreation opportunities during treatment sessions to facilitate independent functioning.

Pediatric patients leave the pool with memories to last a lifetime thanks to dedicated scuba instructors.

Miller Children’s pediatric rehabilitation patients take a dive in the hospital’s indoor rehabilitation pool during their first scuba lesson.

Pediatric patients learn the basics of diving with volunteer scuba instructors from the Handicapped Scuba Association.

A volunteer scuba instructor from the Handicapped Scuba Association helps a Miller Children’s patient learn to swim with scuba gear.