Trip Updates

14-19 Jan 2010 GTMO, Cuba

The trip that almost wasn't... After 2 last minute replacements & the earthquake in Haiti it was questionable if we would make it to GTMO. Our group was actually the last flight allowed in because of the huge relief effort going on from the GTMO side to aid Haiti. The 1st two days of diving were in the bay where we did the guys checkout dives. We had 3 doing open water certifications & 3 doing their advanced open water. We saw lobsters, a turtle & a spotted eagle ray. The next 2 days were shore dives from limited access beaches. This is GTMO at its best, pristine reefs & blue water. The most notable thing were the lionfish, their population has exploded in the last couple of years at GTMO. Several of the guys got to ride a DPV (underwater scooter) and had fun putting around the reef. Some even made it out to the wall where it plunges hundreds of feet, getting their chance to look off into the abyss. As always the support from the folks at GTMO was over the top, one of the reasons this is our signature trip. Lastly I want to thank the organization "Soldiers Angels" for providing the funding to cover the veterans airfare.

12-18 May 2010 Rincon, Puerto Rico

Last month we returned to the West coast of Puerto Rico to dive with Taino Divers. This was an alumni trip for 8 veterans so everyone was already certified. We are starting to run more of these trips to keep the guys active in diving. Also it gives them a chance to meet other veterans with similar injuries & experiences who have a passion for diving. The USCG met us at the airport & had pizza waiting for us. After a meet & greet with the Command we headed off to the ecclectic little surfer town of Rincon. If you haven't been here before you should put it on your places to visit. Carson & the boys at Taino Divers took us out each day for diving. Each morning some of the locals would show up & help us load the boat & we would be on our way. The first 3 days of diving were on local reefs just offshore of Rincon. On our last day of diving we made it out to Desecheo Island which lies 13 nautical miles off the West coast. This is world class diving with vizibility consistently beyond 100 feet. We saw stingrays, moray eels, huge crabs, turtles & a nurse shark. We were treated to some local fare one evening when the folks at the Shipwreck Restaurant put on a (Lechonera) pig roast for the guys. After our last day of diving Carson took us out for a sunset cruise to put a righteous end to the trip. Thanks to all who helped make this a great adventure for our injured veterans. Next stop is in Ft. lauderdale, FL during late July.

Objective

Currently the injured veterans are trained by volunteers at WRAMC headed up by Larry Hammonds, Addeliar Guy & LTC Mark Berglund. NNMC (Bethesda) is run by Kevin Davenport, Jane Spencer and Titus Mott. Upon completion of the training the soldiers have 6 months to complete 4 open water dives for their scuba certification. SUDS runs a number of trips throughout the year so the soldiers have the opportunity to complete their certification with us.

SUDS will need to raise enough funds to cover the costs associated with airfare, ground transportation, food and lodging as well as the diving expenses for 6 wounded warriors and 3 dive instructors.

Please contact us for further information.