TWO MAYO brothers aim to make the Guinness Book of Records by completing the world’s longest scuba dive in aid of a children’s charity and Beaumont Hospital’s children’s ward.
Declan Devane and his brother Paul are spending their summer evenings training in Killary fjord for the attempt, which will be made in October.
They hope to endure 40 hours underwater in the fjord on the Galway-Mayo border under the supervision of dive co-ordinator Gary Jennings and a Scubadive West team of support divers.
Motivation for the dive was the loss earlier this year of Declan’s two-year-old son, Cillian. The child was cared for at St Raphael’s children’s ward at Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital, and the family was supported by the charity, CD’s Helping Hands.
“We hope to give something back to those who helped us when our little boy was sick,” explained Declan Devane, who is senior lecturer at NUI Galway’s (NUIG) School of Nursing and Midwifery.
The brothers, who live in Galway and are originally from Hollymount, Co Mayo, have been amateur divers for some years, but have never attempted anything like this before.
They won’t be permitted to break the surface of the water for the duration of the effort, to qualify for the record.
“What sets this dive apart from other attempts is that it takes place in open sea rather than an aquarium or pool,” Declan Devane said, while his brother Paul noted that the water will be “cold!”. There will be no breaks, no meals, no toilet stops – and it will be the equivalent of a “working week underwater”, Paul Devane said. Sea warms and cools slower than land, but water temperatures are expected to be less than 15 degrees.
The brothers pay tribute to the scuba diving community for providing a range of equipment.
Dive co-ordinator Gary Jennings said the biggest risk would be hypothermia. “We have specialised equipment to combat this insofar as is possible and have meticulously planned every aspect of the dive from dealing with the many cylinders of air the guys will need to how to keep them occupied for such a long dive,” he said.
He said he had “every confidence the guys will pull this off” as they had “no better motivation”.
- Details of the dive and contacts for supporting it are on www.worldslongestscubadive.com