Facing fears and finding strength: Veterans dive with sharks on Veterans Day

DENVER — For Veterans Day, Veterans Exploration Therapy (VET) took a group of veterans to the Denver Aquarium for a unique form of therapy: shark cage diving. The organization’s mission goes beyond an adrenaline rush — it’s about helping veterans confront their fears and find renewed strength through shared experiences.

In partnership with A1 Scuba & Travel, the veterans suited up for a controlled dive in the aquarium’s massive 280,000-gallon tank with sharks, turtles and other sea creatures gliding just inches from their faces.

Veterans like Andrew Follender know that battles don’t always end overseas.  

“I’m not one normally to go out and do veteran events. I don’t like large crowds, but who gets a chance to dive with sharks in Colorado?” Follender said. 

For him, this Veterans Day experience was one he couldn’t pass up.

After serving eight years, including a final tour in Afghanistan after 9/11, Follender returned home with hopes of becoming a pastry chef. But he found himself changed.

“War somehow kind of changed all that. I wasn’t the same person when I came back. Eventually, depression took over; I became homeless,” he said, recalling his suicidal lows. “At my worst state, I was always in a state of panic, no matter where I was or what I was doing.”

Two years ago, Follender discovered Veterans Exploration Therapy. Since then, he has joined three of the organization’s excursions, each one challenging him to push beyond his comfort zone. While he still lives with PTSD, he is learning to confront it through experiences like this dive.

Deke Letson, VET’s founder, said that pushing veterans to try new things is the heart of the organization’s mission.

“We are using adventure to reach veterans who have fallen through the cracks of the system,” Letson said.

Letson is a veteran and served for ten years, with two Army deployments to Iraq. After returning, he struggled to find his footing, facing a spiral that led to a DUI, a divorce and what he described as “self-destructive behavior.”

“I just kept self-destructing until I finally hit rock bottom,” Letson said. “The only thing I had left was my GI Bill. And so, I walked into Red Rocks Community College.”

It was there that he found his passion for wilderness and outdoor guiding. Letson ended up taking a business course and then founded Veterans Exploration Therapy. 

The organization officially launched in July 2022. Now, his organization helps veterans confront their fears in safe, controlled environments — much like the shark tank at the Denver Aquarium.

“Admitting that you have a problem is incredibly scary, sometimes almost like shark diving,” Letson said. “We want to take veterans out and show them that it can be done, safe in a controlled environment.”

VET also offers a space for veterans to build connections. For Follender, being part of a community of people who understand his struggles makes trying new things easier.

“Even if they are strangers, you know, you come from a commonality. So you can kind of work with that and build upon it to make long-lasting relationships,” Follender said.

After the dive, Follender emerged from the cage grinning, feeling the impact of the experience. For Letson, seeing that transformation is the ultimate reward.

“Seeing those smiles on faces and those memories created — that’s what gets it for me,” Letson said.

For those interested in getting involved or supporting Veterans Exploration Therapy, more information is available on their website.

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