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In the Year of Accessible Tourism, Quicksilver Dive in Port Douglas has become the first PADI Adaptive Service Facility in Queensland, and proudly the only facility of its kind on the Great Barrier Reef to hold this accreditation.

Opened in 2018, Quicksilver Dive’s state of the art diver training centre is now one of only four facilities in Australia with PADI Adaptive Service Facility accreditation.

Tony Baker, Quicksilver Group Managing Director said this is a wonderful acknowledgement. “We strive where possible to make our tourism experiences inclusive and accessible. This includes opening up the world of scuba to people with special needs. It means that we can take even more people diving, including those with varying levels of mobility.”

PADI Global Adaptive Techniques Coordinator Fraser Bathgate said, “This recognition means that Quicksilver Dive is able to give an open-door policy to all who wish to take part in recreational scuba diving and associated courses. This status shows that your centre is fully accessible to everyone, not just for training but to all aspects of the diving family.”

“On behalf of PADI I would like to thank you for your support in promoting accessibility which will offer a chance for those with different abilities in accessing the underwater world.”

Chris Snel, Quicksilver Dive School Operations Manager said, “Our skilled dive instructors are focused on diver abilities and can apply adaptive teaching techniques when training and diving with people with special needs; people who may have previously thought diving was not accessible to them. As with all diving, age and medical conditions apply.”

In addition, significant investment in the centre’s infrastructure such as a lift, ramps, disabled facilities and wheelchair access to classrooms and the training pool ensures the needs of divers of all abilities are met.