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(Francesca explains the story behind the genesis of the project and why we all got involved….) As you well know the coastal areas of Sri Lanka have been destroyed by the Tsunami that destroyed thousands of lives and destroyed property. Tens of thousands of people have died; many more have been injured and more than a million are homeless. Although the devastation of the tsunami is no longer front-page news, for many the aftermath is their daily reality. These survivors are in dire need of assistance and support. Our story and the Scuba POP! project began in the form of an e-mail from the Consulate General’s office in Shanghai “does anybody know any medically trained PADI instructors who can come to Polhena to train and assist in the rebuilding of a community?” After a brief e-mail correspondence, we decided there’s was no way we could pass up such a-once-in-a lifetime opportunity to personally impact a community so desperately in need. What could be better than the chance to share love of scuba and the oceans with a small village that could then use that knowledge to rebuild their lives and their future? -Would it be a daunting task? Yes For those of you who know me, you are probably familiar with my powers of persuasion, and my passion of getting people involved in large, collective projects - be it scuba related, or fundraising for the SFMOMA or any number of other social & altruistic ventures. I have had the good fortune of working with some of the best teachers in the dive business who immediately responded to my request. I figured the more instructors I could get to come with me, the more people we could teach and the further along we could take them in their training towards becoming dive masters. Our goal is to have the people in Polhena reach a training level of PADI “dive master” so they can sustain a livelihood after we leave by not only being super comfortable in the water to start caring for the devastated reefs, but more immediately and most importantly, to be PADI certified to safely take tourists out on dive tours and create for themselves a real form of income. So I asked Tom Yang, who is a highly-skilled underwater video-grapher and PADI Master Instructor, who also happens to be chief instructor at California Dive Center, and I asked Bill Oakes, a PADI Course Director, and Chief Snorkel Salesman at California Dive Center to join the effort. They both of course said yes. Miro Polakovic, a Master Instructor out of Diver Dan’s, eagerly joined the project. And rounding out our teaching staff are Christopher Chin and Vladimir Soto, both PADI IDC Staff Instructors. Everyone on the team is profoundly moved by the urgent need in Polhena, and compelled by the unique opportunity to share our first-hand knowledge with the people of Polhena to create change in a very positive and personal way. As the owner of one of Northern California’s most successful dive shops, Bill Oakes was perfectly positioned to ask Aqua Lung to help our project by donating gear. We are very grateful that they have responded by providing 15 sets of masks, snorkels and fins for our new students. We will be joined by a several English speaking Sri Lankan (Sinhalese) translators and a writer/photographer, Sean Kelly, who will document our efforts in Sri Lanka. Jason Firmin, our contact with local government in Colombo, has been coordinating our effort from the other side of the world and has been the voice of the people in need. Jason has been terrific and is working with local offices to secure our travel (air plane tickets) sponsorship for the project. Everyone’s willingness and support thus far has been astounding. But we still need more equipment and supplies. We need to buy tanks, first and second stage regulators and BCD’s. It is for this reason we ask for your financial support. Please help us with whatever amount you can, it will be deeply appreciated. Again, when we pool our resources we can accomplish amazing things.
Polhena is a small area that suffered a very hard hit as it is right on the south coast of the island. The entire village of Madiha was affected by the tsunami and many people lost their lives or members of their family, as well as their homes. The horror stories I have heard from these people are bad. There are a lot of people that have had to move their families away to higher ground as their children have nightmares, vomit and are genuinely afraid of the seas now. It is our intention to remove some of that fear and bring some hope and joy back to the people of Madiha and Polhena. To learn more about Polhena, visit this
site.
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