December 11-17, 2013
www.theplayatimes.com Weekly, Year 01, Number 11, 16 Pages
LEO MORALES: WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT IN DIVING THIS WEEK
BY ELIZABETH URRAZA
O
n this second Cozumel Scuba Fest, which starts this Thursday, Leobardo ‘Leo’ Morales the 39-year-old Mexican diver, and current holder of the Guinness World record for deep diving achieved by a disabled person is coming back. On Friday 13th Leo will attempt to add another weighty dive record to his belt when he will attempt the World Record of the longest dive achieved by a disabled person. This will be an 11-nautical mile (13 mile) dive, starting from Punta Sur on the south tip of Cozumel and diving north to Paraiso Reef. His route will take him through the 23 reefs of the west coast and the entire length of the astonishing Cozumel National Marine Park. The estimated duration of the dive is expected to be between four to six hours. Leo and his support team will be using technical equipment such as the Nautilus rebreather; an aqualung in which the diver's exhaled breath is partially purified of carbon dioxide, mixed with more oxygen, and then breathed again by the diver, and Diving Propulsion Vehicles (DPVs) to cover the distance. The average dive depth will be around 45 ft. and is a challenge that has never been tried before in the history of Cozumel. This is a new chapter in Leo’s book of achievements underlining his credo that disability is in one’s mind, and will be an unmissable event in the world of diving.
Leo found a second chance in his life after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in 2008. He was then a newlywed manager at an international bank. Doctors gave him just six months when they realized chemotherapy and radiation would not work on the 6lb tumor in his right leg. The only solution, which promised just a 20% chance of survival, was the removal of his leg from the hip. Against all odds, not only did he survive but also he awoke with a new drive in his life. He became a professional diver completing his cave and technical courses and pushed away limits daily. Ever since, he has been telling the world “disability is in the mind, not physical”. He has been an important advocate for the inclusion of disabled people within Mexico and has attended conferences around the world giving motivation to those that have a similar story, to keep up the fight and to believe that a second chance can bring an amazing
The scuba diver, "Leo Morales", and Jean-Michelle Cousteau diving in Cozumel
quality of life. One of the highlights that marked his career, as an ambassador of the disabled people of the world, was his last achievement in December 2012, the Guinness World record for deep diving achieved by a disabled person. This took place during the first Cozumel Scuba Fest where he dove to 410 ft. without any signs of decompression and completed a successful
technical dive. A documentary about his life, ‘Story of a warrior’, will be premiered at the Cozumel Palace on 15th of December at 7 pm. In next week’s edition of The Playa Times we talk to Leo about his world record and what is next for this remarkable diver. In the meantime The Playa Times wishes him luck and success in his extraordinary challenge.