I've started diving in 1989 and am Director of Divecenter New Atlantis in Sappemeer, the Netherlands. I am, in addition to other work, also co-owner of the IAHD (International Association for Handicapped Divers).

It has been said about me that I am a creative and diligent man, interested in everything that involves scuba diving. This ensures that I am literally anywhere on the world, from Kenya to Finland and of Bonaire to the IJsselmeer in Netherlands.

During my travels I’ll show what IAHD can do for instructors but also for people with disabilities. IAHD has a great prestige acquired in the diving world by the fact that everything is arranged down to the last detail so you as a diver with a limitation can dive with our certification worldwide.

IAHD focuses specifically on people with a disability and on instructors who can train these people. This makes it possible to enjoy the overwhelming underwater world, even with a physical and/or mental limitation.

This organization is one of my flagship products because I believe that everyone should be able to take advantage of this special activity.

I started scuba diving in Saudi Arabia in 1981.

After I came back in 1983 to the Netherlands, I went to a local dive centre and followed every scuba course I could do. In 1989 I became scuba instructor.

That did not stop me. I continued to follow courses to become even a better qualified instructor.

In 1997 I became training manager of an international scuba diving organisation.

In 2005 I started, together with Gerard Oijnhausen, our own scuba diving organisation with a goal to develop training materials and teach instructors according to the latest developments in education.

In 2010 we did get the opportunity to acquire IAHD and started to evolve the existing materials and develop new materials to make sure that every person with or without a physical and/or mental disability can get to know the pleasure of scuba diving.

The underwater adventure started for me on 05/08/1999, together with my father Gerard Oijnhausen in Spain!

Wow, I thought so right away. I want to do this all my life.  

Since I can remember my parents are always busy with the diving school (Dive Center New Atlantis in Sappemeer)  

On 27/07/2000 I passed my Junior Open Water course and from that moment on I just want to get higher up.  

In 2008 I became an IAHD Instructor and in 2018 I became an Instructor Trainer.  

Hopefully we will see each other soon in the classroom so that I can explain the tricks of the trade to you!  

Happy greetings,
Marye Oijnhausen

Hi I'm Hans Pleij the owner of CURious2DIVE at Curacao, the only IAHD Dive center on the Island.

As Instructor Trainer all our staff is trained to dive with whoever that want to dive.

Our Vision:
If you're able to breathe, you're able to dive.

And that's what we stand for. Visit us to see...

My name is Alex Hornborg and I am located in Helsinki.

Diving has given me so much for the last 42 years. Under water the mind rests, the weightless body relaxes and we are immersed in a new dimension with boundless opportunity for discovery.

What can be greater than to offer this to individuals who's everyday lives have been restricted due to some injury or impairment.

I was introduced to IAHD by Gerard Oijnhausen and I am now working in Finland as an Instructor trainer, working on spreading the message that practically anyone can dive!

My first dive in 1996 was my introduction to the underwater world. In 1999, while at university, I managed to complete the PADI Dive Master. Until 2004, I continued my education until I reached the Staff IDC instructor level with more than 500 certificates.

Working as a dive guide in the early years allowed me to visit and dive at most of the dive sites in the Red Sea. Enjoying teaching scuba diving, managing dive operations, and traveling to the UAE, Oman, and Malaysia while meeting people are some of the highlights.

My goal is to let people discover underwater breathing at any age and sometimes with special needs. I took a Special Needs TOT course and decided to dive with divers with special needs.

It was not until I met Gerard and obtained my IAHD crossover and Instructor Trainer level in 2004 that I found answers to many questions about diving with special needs.

Now, there is nothing like diving with special needs individuals and experiencing the joy with them.

Egypt regional manager
PADI IDCS instructor
Member since 1999

In our dive center in Turkey we were confronted on a regular basis with parents booking dives for their kids which were clearly on the autism spectrum and I knew there had to be an official better way to train and incorporate this. In 2015 I almost literally ran into Gerard Ooijnhausen, did a cross-over, and with that a long outstanding wish was fullfilled!

From the beginning of my professional diving path I have been teaching scuba diving with the intention to produce safe and well rounded divers that practice the sport to the best of their own capabilities. How this path goes differs for each participant and is as big an adventure for me as well!

In 2016, together with my business partner Sinan Karabacili, we coordinated a large EU Erasmus exchange project, where inclusiveness in diving was the main goal. And it became crystal clear that we can only function properly as IAHD instructors when there are enough divers that know they can learn how to dive!

Since 2018 I am a proud IAHD Instructor Trainer and my focus is mainly on spreading the IAHD message, the mission to make dive sport and tourism truly inclusive and work together with my business partner Sinan Karabacili to introduce disabled divers and aspiring IAHD instructors to the Aegean waters of Turkey.

My name is Angelique Poel, i have a son Marawan and a chicken Paddington. Together we live in Ermelo in the Netherlands. I work at Sociaal Plus and do this with great pleasure.

My dive career started in 2002. I did my Padi open water in Egypt with my brother who was already instructor. Egypte i fell in love with right away. A litlle later when i had my Dive master i decided to stay in Egypt. So i did for 8.5 years. Super time!! In the meen time i was groing and did my Padi Instructor, IFR Instructor and became Naui Representative. My son grown up and it was time for school. So back to the Netherlands. This did not detract from the need for a new challenge. And there was Fun Diving. This foundation deals with people with disabilities. Limitation in the broadest sense of te word. Great, this was it! A new challenge. This made and still make me happy. So………shoulders under it and has grown to become an Instructor Trainer from IAHD and chairman and heat trainer from Fun Diving. In the meen time i did also safari’s to the Maledives. Again GREAT! A new challenge to introduce the IAHD in the Maledives. Also there great oppertunities. Like we say; YOU CAN BREATH, YOU CAN DIVE! So again……..Shoulders under it! and let’s go for it .........

I also like to travel. Kenia, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Brasiel, Iceland. Al the wild live… I also hope to be able to contribute tot he reaninig of the IAHD en Egypt and the Maledives.

Hope to see you under, above te waters of the Netherlands, Egypt or the Maledives.

Wonende te Purmerend en in het dagelijkse directeur/eigenaar Van Elektro Technisch Bureau “NOORD" D. RINCKES & ZN BV te Amsterdam.

Op latere leeftijd interesse gekregen de duiksport. Tijdens een duikbijeenkomst ben ik in contact gekomen met een autistische jongen met de wens om met zijn broertje onderwater te kunnen met perslucht. Met heel veel geduld en een cross-over naar IAHD is de jongen 3 jaar later geslaagd voor zijn IAHD Open Water Diver!!!

In die tijd ben ik, samen met m’n vrouw, een duikvriend en zijn vrouw, een duikschool voor mensen met een beperking begonnen met de naam NJOY DIVING en vanaf dat moment gaan we elke maandagavond in Purmerend met clienten van de Prinsenstichting onderwater in hun zwembad. Wij noemen het ademen, kijken en spelen onderwater, waarbij niet gaat om het behalen van een duikbrevet maar om het plezier wat zij elke week beleven!!

In 2010 werd ons gevraagd dit zelfde programma te doen met leden van ONLY FRIENDS, een sportvereniging voor kinderen en jong volwassenen met een beperking. Dit zijn we toen gestart met 24 duikertjes en thans hebben we daar bijna 80 duikertjes en 24 vrijwilligers.

Als IAHD Instructor Trainer en eindverantwoordelijke van het IAHD trainingcenter (C62) op het Friendship Sports Cente kan ik jullie vertellen dat deze uit de handgelopen hobby veel kennis, plezier en vriendschap heeft gebracht. DAT HAD IK VOOR GEEN GOUD WILLEN MISSEN!!

Wil jij eens kijken, neem dan even contact op met mij.
Jan Rinckes
+31 (0)65436223

In 1992 ben ik voor het eerst met duiken begonnen, omdat ik een duikopleiding kon doen bij een revaliderende instructeur. Door zijn enthousiasme en passie voor het duiken vond ik de sport die ik vandaag de dag nog steeds met veel plezier beoefen.

Als IAHD Instructeur Trainer ben ik in staat om nieuwe instructeurs te begeleiden en duikers op te leiden.

Ik hoop je langs de waterkant te zien en wens je vele veilige duiken.

My name is Okke Eskes. After working worldwide for 10 years as a diving instructor and 16 years as a supervisor, counselor, and sociotherapist in healthcare, I have now returned to the Netherlands. It is the perfect time to bring together my passion for diving and my passion for care. I want to introduce people with disabilities to the beautiful and magical world beneath the water…

What drives me started with the sparkle in the eyes of a 14-year-old boy who, paralyzed from the waist down, believed he would never be able to dive—until that moment. As soon as we entered the water, he looked around in amazement. A truly beautiful moment! His eyes said it all :) That sense of wonder and that smile—that is what drives me.

As a certified instructor, I am affiliated with several major diving organizations such as IAHD (International Association for Handicapped Divers), PADI, and SSI. With “Okke Diving,” I aim to give everyone the opportunity to be underwater—to breathe, to see, and to experience what it feels like to be weightless and immersed in a completely different world.

Doing something you may have never thought possible starts in a safe environment: the swimming pool at De Sprienke. This is a school for children with physical and/or intellectual disabilities in Goes, with whom I have established a partnership. With excellent facilities, expertise, and extensive experience in both healthcare and the underwater world, I can offer you or your child a truly special experience.

Boost your self-confidence, challenge yourself (after all, the greatest growth happens outside your comfort zone), and give your body the therapeutic experience of weightlessness—or simply do it for fun!

Feel free to call or email me, and we will arrange an appointment to explore the best path toward this unique experience. Together, we will create a tailor-made program fully aligned with the individual’s wishes and needs. Pricing is available upon request.

Greetings,
Okke Eskes

Hallo! Mein Name ist Markus Fitzka und ich bin seit 2017 IAHD Tauchlehrer.

Ich begann meine Tauchkarriere in Wien bei einem kleinem Tauchverein, der 1988 für Rollstuhlfahrer gegründet wurde. In diesem Verein bieten wir Menschen mit allen Behinderungen die Möglichkeit in das Element Wasser einzutauchen. Dadurch kam ich zum Handicap Tauchlehrerkurs, den ich bei Gerard in Holland absolviert habe.

Ich möchte mich weiterhin in diesem Bereich engagieren und hoffe auf viele Interessierte die mit mir diese Leidenschaft teilen.

In diesem Sinne: Gut Luft!

My name is Adam. I'm Italian. I speak Italian, English and Arabic.

I'm in diving industry since 20 years. I'm also osteopathic and I'm a swimming coaching for autistic people. This is why I was looking for some diving association for handicapped Divers till I found IAHD.

I became an instructor in 2011. In 2023 I became Instructor Trainer.

Hi, I'm Pedro Navarro, Trainer of IAHD, currently owner of two dive centers.

My life has always been linked to water in some way, while studying at the University I worked as a lifeguard and swimming monitor. Later I did the first diving course and how could it be otherwise I was excited about this sport.

Later I entered the army where I had the opportunity to learn and work in the Special Unit of Combat Divers, a place I left to undertake my own adventure in 1996. From that moment I have tried to transmit my passion for the sea to all my students. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a person's smile in the water after their first experience.

I have family members who are dedicated to special education, and through them I have had the opportunity to know first hand their needs and ways of thinking and acting. It was then that I began to think about the way in which I could take these people that smile that gives diving, and I met IAHD, an organization designed specifically to be able to bring people with special abilities the smile of being able to breathe underwater.

For me IAHD, is an organization specialized in the certification of people with reduced capacities and give them the opportunity in many cases to smile with this new activity.

Hello there my name is Bedri Sincar 1980 was born in Midyat Mardin of Turkey.

I began to deal with underwater sports since in 1996 received training on Scuba Diving, First aid, underwater environment and diving in various conditions. I established the BS Scuba Diving Center in 2003 and Bodrum Underwater Sports Club Association in 2006 in Bodrum, Turkey.

I became a IAHD instructor in Bodrum 2014 with Gerard Oijnhausen, and give disabled dive training and crossover in Turkey. I'm now an IAHD Instructor Trainer.

I started to dive in 1987, worked as a técnical/scientific diver since 1990 and became a dive Instructor in 1993 in the Red Sea.

My first contact with people with disabilities and diving was working with wounded soldiers in Israel back in 1990. That experience changed completely my professional objectives and became my passion, obsession I would say to share the underwater experience with everyone

I became a IAHD Instructor in 1996 with Maurice Perry, IAHD Founder and since 2002 an Instructor Trainer. I was part of the IAHD training board for some years, helping the organization develop new programs and to expand in different countries.

Have been training people with disabilities, specialized professionals and assistants in Portugal, Spain and Latin America as well as universal accesibility applied to water sports and related tourism activities.

I moved back to South America where I created dive programs for people with and with no disabilies as well as training protocols to share diving training for people with Autism, spine injuries and amputees. I´m lecturing about IAHD programs and the benefits of scuba diving as an alternative rehabilitation, adapted accesible tourism and inclusion activity.