Divers and World Travelers

“Why would I want to find time on my dive vacation for massage therapy or training?

Divers, just like you, come year-round from all corners of the world to North Florida, often coined cave capital of the world or cave country, to enjoy diving in our beautiful aquifers. Your time here is precious. From my own experience as a many-year traveler to this area and a local for over 14 years I simply suggest to use the time wisely and to make room for one or two sessions. You will get so much more out of your diving as well. Massage therapy (MT) is accepted as a non-drug pain treatment, and a lot of the modalities even help, over time, correct 'old issues'. You may have one session in the beginning of your trip, to get the cobwebs out, and one before leaving, and you may be more painfree, more aware of your body's contribution to trim, and not weighed down as much by an old injury. There are no known side effects, especially if you stay hydrated.

"Why would I want to see you for therapy or training?”

I have been a cave diver for a very long time, have traveled a great deal for diving, and have seen how my diving has improved when I started paying attention to my body as an important diving tool. I also have all the training and experience in physiology, biomechanics and pathology that you would hope for in a technical dive and DAN instructor (2000-2010), a licensed and specialized massage therapist, and an integrated personal trainer. Having been a project leader and having earned a PhD in mechanical engineering with working experience with all materials behavior does not hurt either.

“When should I see you? And what session is right for me?”

Pre-Travel Session

This session is perfect for divers who have their 'day off of diving', in part to prevent decompression sickness as much as possible, in part to also have time to tie loose ends, dry gear and pack, and will benefit greatly from manual therapy before flying back home. I have had clients from Australia, the UK, Germany, Canada, and those that live in flying distance in the US or have a long drive back home. That journey home just may be easier to endure after getting ironed out. A session toward the end of the trip also functions as reset and closure to a time nicely spent.

Recommended: 60 or 90-min manual therapy (that is what I would want for myself)

Cleanup Session

You have taken a break from diving? Or just arrived for your diving vacation? When you sort everything else out for upcoming dives: lodging, gear, gases, why not sort out your connective tissue and musculoskeletal areas of concern?

Recommended: 90-min manual therapy (my 60-min sessions are very comprehensive but no matter what some may say and have said, I am not a miracle worker )

Alternative to a deep tissue draped table session is a clothed Thai Yoga session

Continuing Improvement Program

Whether you are local or traveling, you may have some of the following concerns:

- known mobility and range of motion issues that affect posture and therefore, trim and buoyancy in the water, reaching valves, looking straight ahead w/o tilting knees down or even ‘bicycling’

- pain in the neck and lower back on many or most dives

- diving aggravates that old shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle injury

Regular MT may be in order, with lower frequency once in maintenance phase. This group may also choose customized protective strength exercises that increase movement control and range of motion. Anyone actually doing the exercises as well as seeing me for MT tends to get the most out of their investment.

Recommended: Initial ROM and spinal evaluation, exercise consultation, and MT session, and continuing visits with programming updates and regular MT for its cumulative and synergistic effects

“What differentiates you from other LMTs and CPTs and how is that relevant to me?”

Easy, breezy: I have been diving for 2 decades, mostly technical/cave, in vastly different locations, using generations of dive gear and adaptive procedures. In short, if it hurts, likely due to posture and movement from a dive outing, and is not DCS, there is a very good chance I have experienced it and found preventative and treatment solutions to it in my practice. I have the training, license / certification, and the experience both in diving and in MT/CPT like no other.

“What about deep tissue massage and diving, is that a good idea on the same day?”

This is why I recommend MT on off days, such as when you arrive and before you depart, or any day when diving or other personal bests are not planned for. The DAN recommendation, loosely paraphrased, states that even though there is no evidence of any causal link between deep tissue massage and decompression sickness / DCS, it is prudent to not have them happen on the same day, especially not with the massage preceding the dive.

Dehydration, on the other hand, is indeed linked to both post-massage soreness and decompression sickness in divers. So please continue your sound hydration regimen before and after a session with me.

“Is there a difference between a new client appointment and all other appointments?”

Yes, there are a few differences. Please do refer to the “New Client” tab. The first appointment takes more assessment and interview time than follow ups will. The time slot is dedicated to you, and cannot be filled on short notice; I may even have arranged my schedule around it and rebooked others to not exceed my daily limit to stay injury free. This is why I require full payment at time of booking.

On my scheduler, which also tells you my fees, browse through the calendar what dates / times are available for the options that interest you or are recommended. The options for New clients all start with “New Client”.

See below how to contact me before you finalize your booking with any questions.

For your very first appointment with me, please arrive about 10 min early to complete the paperwork, so we can start on time.

“How can I contact you?”

Best, by far, is email. Text is fine for short messages. Phone is a different story altogether: I may be in session, or underwater, or in a poor reception area, and so the vast majority of calls do go into voice mail. Please leave a VM and allow for a full business day to receive a response.

“What if someone just mentioned you to me, what else do I need to know?”

A diving friend or an instructor may have referred my work, because they have known me for years, and/or they may have received some of my work. Since there is a lot of pertinent information to be had, ensure you ‘got it all’: please read through the relevant materials on this page, the rest of my webpage, and also ask me any remaining questions.