A group of wounded veterans celebrated the Fourth of July this year in an unconventional way: They swam with sharks.
The event they took part in, “Dive for Freedom,” was organized by the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund. This year marked the eighth year the program has taken place.
According to its website, the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund, a nonprofit organization, offers financial assistance and dental care to eligible wounded and disabled veterans in Florida. It relies on donations to support its programs and events, including the Freedom Shark Dive.
This year’s dive took place at Jupiter Inlet, and more than 20 Purple Heart and combat veterans participated. They were guided by the Shark Addicts, which is a trained team that offers face to face encounters with the ocean’s tops predators, per the Shark Addicts’ website.
Divers encountered various shark species, including bull, lemon, silky, grey, sandbar and even one hammerhead, according to a Facebook post by the nonprofit.
A video of the excited veterans embarking on their once-in-a-lifetime adventure can also be seen on the organization’s Facebook.
The event is aimed at providing veterans with a reason to smile and a way to experience the excitement they felt while serving in the military.
“Veterans always long for adventure, right?” Michael Durkee with the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund told WPTV. “I mean, it’s in our nature to long for that.”
The event also provides an opportunity for veterans to connect with each other over their shared experiences serving in the military.
“When you’re in the military, you have your battle buddy next to you that you depend on for your life, right? You call them family,” Durkee said. “When you leave the military, you don’t have that family anymore, you’re on your own. And this kind of like, again, brings our veterans together.”
Ultimately, the adventure serves as a gift to veterans in honor of the freedom they fought for — the same freedom that the Fourth of July celebrates.
“That’s really our driving force is to honor them, who sacrificed so much,” Durkee told WPTV.
