A sports lover in general (he was a gymnastics and trampoline teacher) and a lover of mechanical sports in particular (acrobat with the French army's Garde Republicaine motor bike demonstration team, fixed wing aircraft and helicopter pilot, ultralight aircraft instructor) this tenacious and warm hearted Breton all rounder was only 30 when he suffered a very serious motor bike accident that left him completely paralysed for 2 years.
At first considered a dying man, a few weeks later he recovered consciousness but suffering from multiple fractures and traumatisms. Yves Coffournic fought for a long two years of functional re-education that left bad memories but gave birth to an idea that soon became an obsession: “How can that static and painful re-education process be improved?”
The basic idea evolved over several years from a rough sketch on the corner of a conference centre chair’s writing table. At the end of 2004 Yves Caffournic presented his first designs to his family and his circle of advisors. The concept was so well received that a first prototype was soon under construction, made of marine ply. In April 2005, a second prototype appeared. Yves then decide to allow it to be tried out by professionals from the world of functional re-education, a world he had got to know well in the past.
Once again, keen interest was obvious and the Vélaqua was now eagerly awaited. The company Vélaqua Diffusion was created in 2008, and the pace accelerated. The Vélaqua was on the way. Yves Coffournic wants to bring help, right now, to those who have lost the use of their lower limbs and those who are scared of the water.
« In Yves Coffournic’s own words: “During my re-education sessions, like so many before me, I was unhappy. You’re stuck there in the water, without the ability to move. It’s frightening to be stuck like that.
Then, in 2004, I designed the first prototype of the Vélaqua that allowed people with reduced mobility to make progress through the water using just simple movements.
And to help people who are paraplegic, I added a kit with flippers. So that they could experience the pleasure of water and be able to take pride in being able to get themselves from one side of the pool to the other.» says Yves Coffournic.
