Scuba diving for the blind? Visually challenged Yayha explores the sea

Dubai: Yayha Siyad is legally blind. Retinal dystrophy, a hereditary condition he had since birth, left him “seeing” only the general outlines of where he is. He walks with a stick and identifies people more by their voice than by their faces.

But the 30-year-old Briton is keen on exploring the sea. On weekends he dons scuba gear at the Pavilion Dive Centre (PDC) in Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

“I never knew how to swim, but I love challenges,” said Siyad, who had swimming anxiety initially. For the last two months, Siyad has been taking lessons under PDC’s Tawasul (Arabic for “reconnect”) disabled diving programme.

The experience changed his outlook. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people like me who would otherwise never experience diving... it gave me a big confidence boost,” said Siyad, a human resource officer.

Siyad’s no stranger to challenges, having played football and cycling as a child. He started playing Goalball (sport for blind athletes) in 1998 and established his own team in London in 2003 which he headed as a chairman and registered as a charity in England and Wales. Between 2004 to 2010, Siyad’s team bagged 12 gold medals for his club, London Sports, in Goalball Paralympics.

Diving, on the other hand, is “therapeutic”. “You have to be totally relaxed,” he said. Word-of-mouth advertising helped Siyad find his way to Tawasul, which offers 10 spots each year for special needs people to learn and experience diving.

“Initially, we had to help him overcome his fear of water,” said diving instructor Elena Lokatskaya, 32. “But he’s learning fast and has progressed easily.”

Disabled Diving

There are still opportunities for individuals to enroll with the free program this year. Call The Pavilion Dive Centre on 04-406 8828 or email divecentre@jumeirah.com