WATCH: Russian man who lost arms and legs defies all odds to get diver's licence

WATCH: Russian man who lost arms and legs defies all odds to get diver's licence

MOSCOW - A Russian man who lost his arms and his legs defied all odds, Sunday, passing his final exam and became a certified diver.

Dmitri Pavlenko became the first ever Russian, and only the fifth person in the world, to become a qualified diver with such a severe disability when he passed his exam in Trudovaya-Severnaya, Moscow Region.

Pavlenko was seriously injured as the result of a military exercise in 1999, losing both of his arms and legs.

He dived to 4.5 metres and now hopes to have a go in the Red Sea, which originally inspired him to take to the water after a holiday to Egypt.

Pavlenko philosophically summed up his experience by saying, "The desire is to live. It is supreme. It is to live, not to exist."

[embed]https://studio.brightcove.com/products/videocloud/media/videos/5540377391001[/embed]

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.