“No barriers, only barrier reefs”
Barrier Free Divers, or BFD, is an organization that has been allowing IDD individuals to experience the wonders of scuba diving through their dive camp down in the Florida Keys that has been operating in different iterations since 2016. Beyond allowing their campers to see that there is nothing they can’t do if they put their mind to it, Barrier Free Divers partners with conservation research and educational foundations to give their campers the opportunity to become a part of the conservation efforts in the Florida reefs themselves.
Rosemary and Kay, a combination as solid as peanut butter and chocolate. For them, making the ocean accessible for all is more than a mission statement. Composing the dual brain-trust behind Barrier Free Divers, their passion for helping others experience what they never perceived possible is a white-hot pilot light, emanating outwards and enveloping all who come in contact with it. When the two of them met in 2016, it was a kismet moment of timelines that marked the beginning of their journey into the world of Barrier Free diving as a team.
Photo Credit: Anesti Vega (https://www.anestivega.com/)
Rosemary had spent the better part of 25 years searching for an instructor with the proper certification after finding her love of the water while rehabbing to regain some use of her body which had become disabled through an autoimmune disease. One day in 2016, Rosemary was in Chicago watching the press conference of (soon-to-be) Senator Tammy Ducksworth, speaking with a regulator and buoyancy control device slung around her. The sight of a disabled individual rocking scuba gear immediately grabbed Rosemary’s attention, making her wonder who the hell Tammy had found who was willing to train her! With a little background digging, Rosemary found the company, Diveheart, who helped Tammy become certified. Refusing to once again take no for an answer, Rosemary was finally able to get proper dive training through a local Wounded Vets recommendation. When the time came for her to test for her open water certification, Rosemary headed down to dive hot-spot Cozumel. As fate would have it, Kay was also on that same dive trip, adding on hours to the hundreds she had already logged under the water. The two had first met about a month before that, when Kay was at a banquet honoring Rosemary, and running across each other down in Cozumel was confirmation the two were meant to, at a minimum, become friends.
When they got back to the United States, Rosemary reached out to Kay to see if she would be interested in starting an adaptive dive team. One of the largest, most gaping holes in the diving world, in their eyes, was the lack of programs specifically designed for IDD individuals. The gap in programming could be pinned on one a few problems, where it was due to lack of funding, adequate instructor availability, or the simple fact no one viewed an IDD diving program as a possibility. Initially believing the target audience for the program would be adults, the two were pleasantly surprised when more and more kids started signing up for the pool dives. While the program was hitting its initial goal of providing hands-on training and education on diving for disabled individuals, Rosemary and Kay knew that there was a whole wide world of oceans that they wanted to utilize.
Photo Credit: Anesti Vega (https://www.anestivega.com/)
After pitching the idea of hosting a dive camp for IDD individuals, the two received mainly lukewarm responses, many people focusing on the potential negative “what-ifs” while looking past the amazing benefits a camp like that could provide. If there’s one thing to understand about Rosemary, she has never heard of an obstacle that cannot be overcome and with Kay by her side, the two said to hell with it, let’s do it anyways. Six years later (with the exception of having to close up for COVID), Camp Open S.E.A.S. is going stronger than ever, opening up the ocean and all its wonders to kids and adults throughout the United States, and giving them experiences they never before had dreamed were possible.
Located in Key Largo, Camp Open S.E.A.S. offers more than just diving experiences. By partnering with organizations such as Reef.org and the Coral Restoration Foundation, Barrier Free Divers gives their campers the opportunity to contribute to the conservation of coral reefs and opening a new door of career possibilities many never would have guessed existed. There are also campers who have discovered the fun of underwater photography, sharpening their skills while helping to document the restoration and deterioration of the reefs they dive on. Having these additional programs on top of the physical diving has allowed campers who are no longer able to get in the water themselves to spend time working with subjects they have fallen in love with.
Photo Credit: Anesti Vega (https://www.anestivega.com/)
Based between Arlington and Key Largo, Rosemary first became acquainted when Rosemary saw B2B on a morning news program featuring local D.C. non-profits. BFD had also been featured on the program, and the segment on Bike to the Beach intrigued Rosemary. One day when she was on Capitol Hill, Rose came across the kick-off for a Bike to the Beach D.C. ride event and decided to stop by to give her support to Ben. The two clicked immediately, and after spending the entirety of the evening in conversation, Ben invited Rosemary to become a Bike to the Beach fundraising partner. Five years later, Barrier Free Divers is consistently a top (if not the top) fundraiser for the Florida B2B ride. It is a symbiotic relationship, with the money that BFD receives from B2B allowing Rosemary and Kay to provide full-dive camp scholarships for a child and a parent to come down and experience BFD operates a rest station on the Florida Bike to the Beach ride every year, generally the riders last stop before the final 10 to 15 mile push. Besides being consistently consensus top rest stop for those completing the full ride, the shorter distance to the finish line provides BFD affiliates who are adaptive hand-cyclists the opportunity to get on the course to the finish line and show their support in riding solidarity.
If you want the opportunity to meet these fantastic supporters of Bike to the Beach in person, sign up for the Florida Ride and be ready to be blown away by the passion Barrier Free Divers brings to the scene. To learn more about their awesome organization, head to their website here. If you’re interested in signing up for the Florida ride, you can head to the Bike to the Beach website and get on your way to making a difference today!
