Dive with sharks and raise money for charity

Chester and Ellesmere Port residents will have the chance to learn how to scuba dive and swim with sharks in order to help raise money towards fighting muscle disease.

The "Discover Scuba" challenge is being offered to people who are interested in learning the basics of scuba diving and to those who are brave enough to swim alongside some of the ocean's most feared predators.

The event will take place on 26th November, 2011 at Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire Oaks and is being organised by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign to raise funds for the charity.

Wannabe divers will have the chance to learn scuba diving techniques and practice the sport among a collection of Europe's sharks. During the challenge divers will have the chance to swim alongside 10-foot sand tiger sharks, conger eels, stingrays, nurse sharks, lemon sharks and shoals of fish.

The learning session will involve thorough training and safety briefing with an instructor in the aquarium tank, followed by 30 minutes in the water where divers will get up close to these magnificent creatures.

Charles Horton, the Volunteer Fundraising Manager, said: "Diving with sharks is a great way to raise funds to help the work of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

"It also offers a unique opportunity to be part of an amazing underwater safari where you can come face-to-face with one of nature's most feared creatures of the deep."

The proceeds of this exhilarating event will go to a worthy cause as approximately 8,000 children and adults in the North West of the United Kingdom are affected by muscle disease, a life-limiting condition which causes muscles to gradually waste and weaken. The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign has led the way in searching for treatments and cures over the last 50 years.

Diving and swimming with sharks is a popular activity for thrill-seekers and many brave certified divers head to exotic scuba diving destinations across the world every year for the chance to swim next to these incredible marine species.

Popular destinations for scuba diving holidays where divers can encounter sharks in their natural habitat include Nassau, Bahamas; Guadalupe Island, Mexico; Beqa, Fiji; Cocos Island, Costa Rica; Australia; South Africa; and the Indian Ocean