The children of the association have been diving for 4 years with the Subaquatic Club of Bellegarde-sur-Valserine and Annecy. This year, 8 young people aged 10 to 27 and their families discovered the benefits of the Bathysmed protocol with exercises in the pool, sessions of sophrology and meditation, followed by a night dive in Lake Annecy.

These young people have Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), a rare genetic disease that results in extreme sensitivity to sunlight. Without protection, skin and eye burns caused by UV rays lead to premature skin aging and early skin cancers.

Past the initial apprehensions at the edge of the pool and once familiar with the regulator, mask, and fins, smiles were abundant. ‘It’s magical, I love the sensations, I feel good,’ announces Noah, 10 years old, coming out of the pool, radiant.

Ismaël, 20 years old, bursts into hearty laughter after his baptism, amazed by the sensation of weightlessness, and has only one idea in mind, to go back! Family members, attentive, observe the progress of the young divers. Some go into the water and also take advantage of these sessions to release the constant attention to dangerous light.

A weekend of new underwater pleasures that allows everyone, children and their families, to fight against hypervigilance and forget the disease a little. Baptized individuals and instructors share moments they are not ready to forget. At the end of the stay, they part ways, saying ‘see you next year’ for even more bubbles!