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
