The Philosophy

You have all heard the phrase, “Nobody’s perfect!”

Every person comes into this world with different challenges that makes his or her reality unique. A physical disability is certainly not life’s mistake, but it is an avenue by which we can learn more about ourselves and how others perceive us. After all, a person with a disability is no less a miracle than a person without a disability.

Most people may encounter limitations on land that, to their amazement, can virtually "disappear" in the underwater environment. Thus, scuba diving offers one of the unique challenges to break down the social barriers and stereotypes that can otherwise lead to a life of limitations.

The Adventure Begins

I am learning to scuba dive for an upcoming television documentary titled "Breaking Free." This documentary is about kids and adults with disabilities that conquer the underwater world. It takes the viewer on the adventure from the students' perspective, from their first classroom and confined water lessons, to their final-check out dives and scuba certification.

Two of my friends, and now my scuba partners, are participating in this documentary with me. My scuba partners are Jon-Luc, a 5th-grader, and John, a 6th-grader, who both live in Summit. Jon-Luc was born with cerebral palsy (like I was), and reminds me so much of when I was his age and first learning to walk. John has overcome asthma and loves to skateboard, ride horses, and is a champion wrestler, competing in national and international wrestling tournaments (pretty good for 11 years old)!

This is Jon-Luc with our scuba instructor, Stewart, for your enjoyment. This past summer, I was very much inspired by how rapidly Jon-Luc made progress with the difficult techniques required to become certified as a scuba diver. Jon-Luc instantly became one of my heroes, providing me with the inner strength to directly face my new challenge of being in deep water. He gave me the strength to rip that "T" out of the word, "CAN’T!"

Paul: First Plunge	Paul: Enjoying First Plunge
Paul: Diving to the Deep End	Paul: OK, Reached My First Goal!

We are proud to announce that the "Breaking Free" documentary is being hosted by Red Sail Sports and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. We will be visiting the beautiful Cayman Islands to secure our scuba diving certification and also to be filmed among the coral reefs and exotic fishes.

I could not go to the Cayman Islands with the scuba gang, because of scheduling conflicts at a St. Louis high school that same week. Nevertheless, when the documentary is finished in the near future, I will still be in the training sessions in the pool (but not in the Caribbean with the rest of the gang). While we each are carried along in the fast-flowing river of experiences called "life", we must always strive to be ourselves and not what others expect of us.

Paul is a meteorologist and Ph.D candidate at Rutgers University. Born with ataxic cerebral palsy, he has devoted his time to educating children, parents, and teachers about the perspectives and realities of growing up with his physical challenge.

By sharing personal experiences with humor, while encouraging others to ask questions that can help positively shape their understanding of people with disabilities, Paul tries to instill the hope, energy, and inspiration that motivates them to realize their own dreams. Paul has been a motivational speaker since he was ten years old. He also participates in web design, painting, and skydiving. Two of his former audience members, Jon-Luc and John, are not only his scuba diving buddies as part of the documentary, but also inspirational role models to him. For more information about Paul, visit his personal web site at www.justthewayyouare.com

Jon-Luc, age 11, was born on January 12, 1993, 14 weeks premature. He weighed just over 2 pounds at birth and spent the next three months in the newborn intensive care unit at Yale University Hospital where he received round-the-clock care. Luckily, his strong will to survive got him through the first of many challenges.

As with many premature infants, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of 10 months. His doctors were not sure if Jon-Luc would ever walk independently but by the age of 7, Jon-Luc was walking on his own. He is a bright, funny, sociable kid who loves to play video games and legos and is involved in karate, boy scouts, horseback riding and now scuba diving. Scuba has opened up a brand-new world for Jon-Luc, one which none of his friends have ventured into yet.

John is twelve years old. He was diagnosed with asthma when he was about 3, but he was able to particate in sports and activities with preventive medication and some modification of the way he worked out. He first started with gymnastics for about 2 years, then moved onto soccer and baseball for 3 years. At 6, he started wrestling and it became his passion. He has been wrestling for 5 years.

Last year, John took fifth place in the New Jersey States and 2nd in the Southern Regionals (4 States) and made it into the top 15 of the Eastern Nationals. This year, he ended his season with 60 wins and 10 losses, placed 6th in New Jersey, 4th in South Jersey States, and 6th in the World Championships in Reno, Nevada. John is also an avid skateboarder and snow boarder. He jumped at the chance to scuba dive!

The Crew of "Breaking Free"

These are the people who challenged us to attempt a new dream. We owe each of them our most heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity.

Jeffrey Boyd Salgo is the President and Executive Producer of Aqua Rock Productions, with over 28 years of Network Broadcast experience as an Associate Director with CBS News and CBS Entertainment.

Jeff holds a B.A. in Theatre, and a Masters in Set and Lighting Design and Educational Theatre. His broadcast credits include Network Television - CBS and NBC. He has worked on a number of projects: Halting a Coral Catastrophe for The Nature Conservancy; a promotional video for the Peter Hughes Diving company in Papua New Guinea; and a Scuba Week "Welcome" video for Club Med. He has also been published in Skin Diver Magazine. Jeff has over 18 years of diving experience.

Stewart W. Snyder III is a P.A.D.I. Master Instructor, and Handicapped Scuba Association Course Director.

He started working with handicapped individuals over twenty-five years ago. Over the years, Stewart has belonged to many service organizations such as the US Jaycees, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Multiple Sclerosis Association, and the Heart Fund, he has been a volunteer at the New Jersey State Aquarium for ten years as a diver and now volunteers in the education department. He has been in the water with over a thousand handicapped individuals, and looks forward to working with the next thousand.

Peter Boyko II is a P.A.D.I. Rescue Diver, currently pursuing P.A.D.I. Divemaster Certification. He has worked with Handicapped Scuba Association (HSA) and Stewart since his open water certification.

Pete currently holds an H.S.A. Dive Buddy certification. He started working with handicapped individuals when he helped Stewart develop his website, and has found great pride and joy in helping handicapped individuals break free from their disabilities. While researching and retrieving material for the H.S.A. New Jersey Scuba Website, Pete worked with and interacted with Joe Hughes, a young man who had Lou Gehrig's Disease and has since passed away but touched Pete in a special way. He has been dedicated to the H.S.A. cause ever since.

Ray Ruffini is married with 3 children. He has worked as a supervisor with a manufacturing company for over 22 years training people to run machines. He is a member of the BPOE in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.

Ray met Stewart while going for his first P.A.D.I. certification, and who then introduced him to the delights of H.S.A. Ray thoroughly enjoys scuba diving and looks forward to continuing his training and education to further advance his certification level with both P.A.D.I. and H.S.A. He is a dedicated crew member of the "Breaking Free" documentary.

Dr. James Epstein has been diving since the age of 12. Through diligent study and hard work over the years, he has earned the prestigious titles of Course Director, Specialty Instructor, Nitrox Instructor, CPR-First Aid Instructor, Handicapped Scuba Instructor, and Open Water Scuba Instructor.

Dr. Epstein is known for the way he pays attention to the little details of scuba instruction. As the executive director and a therapist at Family Care Center, he counsels individuals, families, children and couples. He is also the executive director of Fresh Start To Recovery, an outpatient substance abuse program.

Helen Mulford was born and raised in South Africa, and now resides in Delaware, USA, with her family. She is a Registered Nurse working at Alfred I du Pont Children's' Hospital in the Operating Room.

Her first experience of diving was a Resort course on an island off Mozambique in the early 1990's. While working as a nurse in Saudi Arabia from1995 to 1998, Helen learned to dive and became an Instructor diving in the Red Sea. Of the many things she's done with diving, she's always wanted to share the wonders of the under water world with handicapped people.

After making contact with H.S.A. at the Beneath the Sea Diving show earlier this year, the wheels were set in motion for her dream to come true. Helen attended an instructor training class with Stewart in July 2003. It was her first experience with handicapped divers. "This was a wonderful experience, to see the huge smile on a person's face when they surface after doing something new. It is the most amazing feeling to know that I've been able to participate in creating that smile!"

Helen and her husband currently teach through a local dive store in Media, Pennsylvania (Ultimate Scuba Adventures).

We encourage you to visit

for more information on the "Breaking Free" scuba documentary.