Group Teaches Wounded Veterans to Scuba Dive at No Cost

Back when he still had two legs in working condition, Michael Fradera had an aversion to water that might have seemed silly to others. 'I always had a fear of being in the water where there are big fish,' said Fradera, a muscular man with a stubbly scalp of dark hair.

These days, the Lakeland resident could readily be excused for avoiding water. He lost both of his legs when his Army vehicle encountered a roadside bomb in Iraq on Aug. 17, 2007.

Fradera, 31, has learned to walk with increasing assurance on a pair of titanium legs and prosthetic feet that fit into black sneakers. Swimming without legs, though, might seem an unnecessary risk.

Not to Fradera. He joined a few other veterans with lasting injuries in mid-December in a pool at a Lakeland dive shop for an introduction to scuba diving. By the time he left the water, Fradera had decided he wants to pursue certification as a diver.

Fradera first entered the pool at Deep Six Divers Services wearing his 'water legs' with rubber fins attached, but he soon decided the prosthetics were too cumbersome...[TheLedger.com]