Diveheart makes dreams come true at the Aquarium of the Pacific

Wendy Foster

During its 2013 Festival of Human Abilities, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, hosted Julie and Alex Calvo of Westminster as they went scuba diving with Diveheart founder and president Jim Elliott. Diveheart provides scuba diving instruction and opportunities for children and adults with disabilities and wounded veterans.

Alex Calvo, an Army veteran, became quadriplegic as the result of an accident. Although he isn’t able to dive as often as he’d like, he greatly enjoys the freedom and mobility that scuba diving affords him. He has also found that his chronic pain is significantly reduced while diving and for days afterward. In addition, he experiences greater strength in his arms after diving.

His wife, Julie, has become a certified dive buddy and dives with Alex.

Julie and Alex have also traveled to Cozumel to scuba dive with Diveheart. Their journey was featured in the inspiring documentary Free Fall, narrated by Hollywood star Lauren Hutton.

Alex described diving at the Aquarium as an amazing experience.

“Saturday was especially cool because I saw a lot of people I knew from inside the tank. A group of veterans staying at the hospital were able to go and watch. They had heard about me diving, but it was so much more impressive for them to see it in person,” he said.

“Now they keep asking me about it. Hopefully I have inspired them to try diving, or at least to do something new that is challenging yet rewarding.”

Julie, Alex, and Diveheart’s participation in the Festival of Human Abilities was featured in an article in the Orange County Register.

Read more and watch:

• View the California Diver article (February 2013) (PDF).
• Watch Free Fall, narrated by Lauren Hutton.