Veteran Diver Promotes Accessibility for All

Having arrived in Australia from Switzerland in 1988 as a professional aircraft spray painter, Beat Bracher affectionately known amongst friends and colleagues as “Splash”, could never have dreamed that he would one day be showing visitors from all over the world the natural wonders of the Great Barrier Reef.

For the past 19 years, Beat has worked for leading reef operator, Sunlover Reef Cruises having started with the company in 1996. Since then he has provided many thousands of people with what is often for them a once in a life time experience. He was working in the Kimberly Region of WA when he met a friend who was a paraplegic. Beat taught him how to snorkel in the local swimming pool. After this experience, Beat decided to train to become an instructor for people with a disability. He ended up taking his friend for his very first scuba dive.

Over the years, Beat has been handed many challenges as one of the companies lead dive instructors. Once he was asked if he would guide a visitor from Japan on an introductory dive. Beat recalls saying “no problem”, and asking what the details of the person's condition were. The reply together with a photo of the Japanese man indicated that this guest had no limbs. As Beat recalls, “When the guest did his swim test, he still seemed to be able to propel himself through the water using a whole body motion that needed to be seen to be believed. I still get goose bumps and emotional when I think about his determination to experience the reef as every fully able bodied person has the opportunity to experience. Having no limbs was not going to stop him”.

Beat has also learned sign language and has taken many deaf people snorkelling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
Beat says, “I simply want to provide 110% effort and service to people of all ages and abilities so they too can experience the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef”.

“Over the years, Cairns has become much more friendly to people with a disability and this extends to reef operators such as Sunlover who have vessels and pontoons with the room to accommodate wheelchairs, and staff who are experienced in providing assistance to people with a disability and require in many cases just a little assistance to enable them to enjoy their day on the reef as everyone should.

Sunlover Reef Cruises prides itself on being able to provide a variety of experiences from a permanent, stable pontoon for all ages and abilities. Having team members such as Beat who have gone further to become qualified as specialist dive instructors who can assess each person, and tailor an experience of either snorkelling or diving to ensure that person can get as much out of visiting the reef as possible.

Julie Duncan, Group General Manager says, ”At Sunlover we are providing wide gangways for access to the vessel, ramps to get over small bulkheads and we have a designated seating area that can accommodate a wheelchair”.

Julie added that “We have an extremely able and willing crew who take great pride in showing guests from all over the world the Great Barrier Reef. If we need to lift a guest up and down stairs, then that's what we do. If we can get someone to the water's edge to try snorkelling, that's what we will do!”

In 2014, the company was approached by a blind man who wanted to dive on the Great Barrier Reef. Beat was able to gear him up, and guide him on his first ever dive.

For both men this was a very emotional moment as well as being a fantastic achievement.

Sunlover Reef Cruises

Sunlover Reef Cruises' daily premium cruises to Moore Reef offer the ultimate Great Barrier Reef experience for people of all ages. Guests enjoy four hours to explore the outer reef from our Moore Reef pontoon, so you will have plenty of time to be amazed and inspired by the unsurpassed beauty and splendour of this underwater playground.

Our two vessels are modern air-conditioned catamarans, which depart daily from the Reef Fleet Terminal in the very heart of Cairns. Boats can be chartered to host a variety of events, and our team work with event organisers to ensure the best outcomes for clients wanting outstanding experience when they conference in the region. For a full list of services, simply visit www.sunlover.com.au

Photo shoot of Beat at work provided by Calypso Reef Imagery

Calypso has provided photography services for Sunlover Reef Cruises since 1996.

Their professional photographers from Calypso reef imagery capture all the action of the day, whether it's of our guests snorkelling the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, or taking the plunge on their first scuba or Seawalker dive to meet Wally our resident giant Maori wrasse.
www.calypsoproductions.com.au