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Pensioners are going scuba loopy at centre
THRILL-seeking pensioners are shunning mundane fitness classes and swimming sessions for a more thrilling, adrenaline-pumping sport.
THRILL-seeking pensioners are shunning mundane fitness classes and swimming sessions for a more thrilling, adrenaline-pumping sport.Plunging into dark, murky waters to explore the dingy depths is a buzz revered by thousands of daring scuba divers, and now an increasing number of older people aged up to 80 want in on the action.
Annually, about 15,000 adventurous people, many aged 60 to 80, visit Gildenburgh Water, a diving centre in Whittlesey, and their abilities range from beginner to instructor level.
Owners Ian and Pauline Forster have run the renowned diving centre for more than 25 years.
Ian (59) said: “Older people are often established in life and have that little bit more money available to be able to pursue something they’ve always wanted to do.
“Scuba diving is relaxing and very stress-relieving. It’s very quiet down there, and people can leave their humdrum lives and relax when they go underwater. It’s very therapeutic.”
The diving centre attracts more than 50,000 people each year from across the country, and it is the first UK centre of excellence for diving.
Its six-and-a-half acre lake reaches 22 metres deep and it has several platforms and a number of unusual wrecks for divers to explore, including a double decker and a single decker bus, two aircraft and a yacht.
Peter Stewart (55), of Lime Tree Close, in Yaxley, near Peterborough, has been an instructor at the diving centre since August.
He said: “I love the sights you see and I find it extremely relaxing.
“It’s great watching other people enjoying themselves, too. To take someone down for the first time and see them relax and enjoy themselves is a pleasure to watch.
“Many pensioners try scuba diving because they have a lot more time on their hands and they watch underwater programmes on TV and wonder what it’s like. They get a tremendous amount of enjoyment out of it, as do I.”
A 61-year-old Peterborough man, who did not want to be named, said his one scuba diving experience was fun, but daunting.
He said: “I tried it because I wanted to see what it would be like staying underwater, but I found it a little claustrophobic and the equipment was quite heavy.
“Saying that, it was interesting and I probably should have given it more time, because I’m sure I would have got used to it and enjoyed it more.
“I’m certainly glad I gave it a go, because you never know unless you try it.”
To encourage more local people to experience the thrills of scuba diving in the lake, while also lending a helping hand to hard-up pensioners on the run-up to Christmas, Ian came up with a generous idea.
He placed vouchers for diving sessions worth 20 in 100 Christmas cards and delivered them to various businesses in Whittlesey, asking owners to hand them out to elderly people to use as gifts.
Ian said: “We decided we wanted to give something back to Whittlesey at this time of the year.”
He hopes his kind-hearted gesture will also encourage more pensioners to try the captivating activity and see it as a way to improve their fitness levels and mobility.
Taster sessions last for about an hour and 40 minutes and those who want to take it further can gain full international certification in just two weekends.
n To find out more about scuba diving at Gildenburgh Water call 01733 351288 or e-mail info@divein.co.uk
Alternatively, visit www. gildenburgh.com
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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