Diving Claims
Despite taking up the hobby relatively late – aged 58 in 1978 – Norman has racked up hundreds of dives and completed his latest one at Babbacombe Beach in Torquay, Devon.
Norman is an active member of the Barry branch of the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC).
He said: “It’s another world down there and I feel privileged to be able to see it.
“I don’t go much on wrecks and things but I do love to see the seaweed and when I did my most recent dive there was such a variety of seaweed, some small, some big and it is a beautiful part of nature.”
Norman also watches for other sea life too and recalled a special moment during a dive off the Gower coast.
He said: “I was following my buddy closely and I was just behind him and I saw what I thought was a stone and I thought, no that’s not a stone and, would you believe it, it was an octopus.
“Well I grabbed my buddy by the ankle and showed him and we thought, can you believe it, seeing an octopus in Wales.
“That has always stuck in my mind.”
The former beekeeper first took up the sport when he tried some snorkelling on holiday in Spain and on his return decided he would like to improve his new skill.
He has been a member of the same dive club for more than 30 years and he still attends training sessions at the same school every week.
Russ Phillips, training officer at Barry Sub-Aqua Club, said Norman was a remarkable diver and continued to pass his medicals with ease, doing better in the tests even than some of the younger members.
And Mary Tetley, BSAC chief executive, said: “As far as BSAC is aware, Norman is our oldest active diving member and we’re delighted that he is still getting in the water.
“Scuba diving is accessible to all ages and Norman is proof that age is no barrier when you’re doing something you enjoy.”
To find out more about Barry BSAC, go to www.barrysubaqua.org and to contact BSAC to find out about diving in your area, go to www.bsac.com or call free on 0500 947 202.
source: walesonline.co.uk
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