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Scuba diving octogenarian to mark 82nd birthday diving in Indonesia
An octogenarian who learned to dive after she retired is to celebrate her 82nd birthday with an underwater adventure in Indonesia.
Grandmother Anna Illingworth refuses to let her age get in the way of her loving diving after taking up the sport with the BSAC as a sprightly 68-year-old.
Now approaching her fifteenth year as qualified BSAC Ocean Diver, globetrotting Anna is among 33 active members of BSAC’s Thistle Divers club which trains weekly in in Kilsyth, near Glasgow.
She has travelled all over the world, including trips to the Maldives where she dived with Manta rays, Kenya, Cyprus, Lanzarote, The Bahamas, Cape Verde, The Seychelles where she snorkelled with whale sharks, Bali, and Gozo. She’s also dived in the Mediterranean, Egypt, the Canaries, and the Caribbean.
Anna will turn 82 in May, and will shortly be jetting off on her latest adventure with her son to Indonesia.
Anna said: “I have had some incredible experiences diving around the world. I think my most memorable was in The Maldives. I went diving with manta rays; we weren’t very deep and had around 20 manta rays feeding around us.
“Then I looked up and saw two huge whale sharks above us at the surface. I think that had to be my most memorable and unforgettable experience. It was absolutely amazing.”
Anna says she joined Thistle Divers after getting bored with swimming lengths at her local Kirkintilloch pool following the death of her husband.
She said: “I’d heard about the scuba club based there and thought I’d give it a try. I began with snorkelling and worked my way up to becoming a snorkel instructor. I taught snorkelling for a while to young people and then thought I’d take the plunge and learn to dive.
“I trained as a BSAC Ocean Diver, although it was called club diver then, I never wanted to go any higher as I just wanted to dive in warm water whenever I could go on a trip. I love to see natural history, the fish and corals. I’m not so keen on wreck diving or going to any great depth, there is no need as I can see all I want to at quite shallow depths.”
BSAC Chief Executive Officer Mary Tetley says she is delighted to hear Anna Illingworth is still enjoying diving as an octogenarian.
She said: “Anna is a remarkable lady and I’m so pleased to hear she is still enjoying diving as she shortly goes into her 83rd year. Anna is an example to us all and shows that age isn’t and never should be a barrier to doing something you enjoy.”
To find out more about Thistle Divers please visit www.thistledivers.co.uk.
Source: www.bsac.com
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During the day, families are welcome to take part in all activities together or the kids can be left with the SPLASH CAMP team while the parents enjoy the facilities or go diving themselves!
At the end of the day, its family time while the SPLASH CAMP team take a break. For those with the energy, there are family evening activities planned a few evenings.
Open Air Movie Night – Desert Star Gazing Walk & Talk
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U-8 Splash Club
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Certified Snorkel Course – Marine ID Games – Intro to Free Diving
Arts & Craft Sessions – Adventure trails – Cultural Playtime – Pool Games
U-12 Explorer Club
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Big Blue might seem like the new kid on the block, but the team behind the highly acclaimed liveaboard is far from that. They have been running Red Sea safaris since the late 1980’s and were in fact part of the early pioneers who ventured out to the unknown on vessels that in today’s world, really shouldn’t have left the harbour! It’s that experience and the years of operating the award-winning Roots Red Sea resort which truly set Big Blue apart from the crowd!
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Red Sea Splash at Fury Shoals is a very rare opportunity to get involved with marine biology expedition for children and adults. Open Ocean biologists are on board to provide fascinating and entertaining facts about the marine life you will see. The team will provide workshops on marine life identification and survey methods both of which, should you wish, you will have the chance to put into practice during your safari.
The week is open to snorkelers, scuba divers and non divers too!
Fury shoals is perfect for first time mariners as it offers plenty of protection from the weather.
We board at Port Ghaleb on Saturday evening and prepare to set sail early on Sunday morning.
Heading south, our first day will be diving the reefs of Abu Dabbab before sailing overnight to reach our ultimate destination the Fury Shoals.
Here we will spend four days swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving amazing reefs. This includes guaranteed DOLPHIN encounters at Sataya Reef! After the last dive we haul anchor and head back to Abu Dabbab for our final two dives before disembarking our boat BIG BLUE.
Camp Extension Cost*
Adult £650 per adult
Under 16 £350 per child
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FURTHER INFORMATION – INFO@PHARAOHDIVECLUB.COM
TEL: +44 7598 329059 or +20 100 6822000
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