When Fraser Bathgate was paralysed in a climbing accident at 23 he thought he would be better off dead. Climbing meant everything to him - it was his career, his hobby and his social life. The prospect of spending his life in a wheelchair plunged him into a deep depression. But plunging into the water turned his life around. When Fraser took up scuba diving, he was able to regain some of his freedom and rediscover his passion for life.

He became the world's first scuba diving instructor to qualify from a wheelchair. Now he devotes himself to helping disabled youngsters around the world learn to dive. Fraser, of Edinburgh, said: "I thought I'd never move freely again but scuba diving let me rediscover everything I lost. "If you're confined to a wheelchair, it is the only way you can enjoy the kind of freedom paralysed people never normally have. "I was determined to be an instructor to give disabled youngsters the same chance. "Climbing was about motivating myself but diving is about motivating others. This is my way of giving something back."

At 40, Fraser is fitter than ever because of wheeling himself around in the chair and training in the pool. With his broad grin and summer tan, he's a far cry from the mangled mess who occupied a hospital bed after his climbing accident. Although Fraser only fell 25ft off a climbing wall, the impact of landing with his heels on concrete meant he fractured his spine and broke all the bones in his legs and feet. The resulting lower body paralysis was even harder to take because the accident wasn't Fraser's fault. A man at the foot of the wall had pulled out his safety equipment. Fraser lost his footing as he shouted at him to put it back. He said: "I was in the greatest pain I have ever been in and I was conscious throughout. "The guy who made me fall was never caught and I don't know if he realised what happened to me. "I could have died and his stupidity ruined my life as it was then."

Since qualifying with PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and IAHD (Inter- national Association of Handicapped Divers) Fraser has been able to concentrate on helping get disabled children all around the world into diving. He went on: "It wasn't easy learning to dive but I was determined. "When I realised I could become an instructor it became almost an obsession. "In the rescue part of the training, I would haul people out of the water with such force to compensate for not being able to run down the beach."

Fraser splits his time between his home in Scotland and locations around the world. They include Slovenia, Japan, America, Cyprus, the Caymans and the Seychelles. He works with children who have a wide range of disabilities, ranging from cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy to Down Syndrome and accident damage. He has given talks at the Missouri spinal injuries unit which treated Superman star Christopher Reeve, helping them set up a diving programme for accident victims.

He said: "The hardest part is convincing firms to sponsor us. "MAGIC, Ford's free phone information service for disabled and mature drivers, have been fantastic, giving me a car to get around. "Apple gave me computer equipment, my diving equipment is provided by Oceanic and there are lots of other firms who help me. "The results are amazing. There is nothing better than making these kids happy. I don't know how, but scuba diving seems to do just that. "I will always remember working with a boy who had cerebral palsy and whose carers had never seen him smile. They were amazed when he came up from the water with a massive grin on his face . "It's things like that which remind me it's worthwhile and make me persevere to give more children the chance to experience it

Fraser Says;I have now been using Oceanic equipment for nearly 9 years now and with changes in the industry Oceanic have always managed to stay ahead of the game. The design and build quality have been constantly improved to the point that the Aerdura Dry Suit that was built for me, and I mean built with reinforcement, now 4 years old, I am still trying to put a hole in, most dry suits I can kill in around 6 months, so I rest my case.

 I have now come to look at Oceanic as the one stop shop for equipment from a knife to a dry suit to bags there are not many manufacturers that can equal that. For my type of work which is working with people with disabilities Oceanic have always listened to my requirements and assisted in the biggest possible way and I can honestly say that when I started out they were the only company that would talk to me, where as now all other manufacturers are jumping on the band wagon a bit late. 

From warm water to cold I have no problems because I know my equipment is well suited to the tasks ahead and can cope with the abuse that in my line of work it will take."