Diver bids for record 10km underwater swim

A 40-YEAR-OLD Civil Defence diver from Clare is in training for a new world record attempt which could see him become the fastest person to swim 10km underwater.

The charity Share A Dream Foundation is to benefit from Christy Healy’s attempt which will also be monitored by the Guinness Book of Records.

Christy and his wife Trish chose the charity in recognition of the support the charity provided to the family while the couple’s 18-year-old son Stephen was ill.

The teenager was recently given the “all-clear” from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after being diagnosed in 2010.

During his time in hospital, Stephen was visited by his cousin Jonathan, an active volunteer with Share A Dream Foundation.

Jonathan was working on the design of The Dream Machine with Shay Kinsella from the charity and Stephen played an active role in the project.

A native of Kilmaley, Christy lives in Ennis where he owns and manages the Atlantic Diving School.

He is also a volunteer Civil Defence search diver in his spare time.

He will attempt to set the fastest time ever for an underwater swim and dive 10km out into the Atlantic Ocean from Crab Island in Doolin on September 18.

“I will carry a 12-litre tank of air on my chest. The tank will last for 60 minutes or about 1.8km and will then need to be changed, whilst remaining underwater each time it empties.

“We will also have to operate an open circuit system which means that the air used from the tanks when exhaled will be released into the ocean as opposed to being re-circulated,” Christy said.

“We think we’ll need about five or six changes and we reckon it will take around eight hours to complete,” he added.

Christy began training for the challenge last March and is following a gruelling training regime.