Breffni Gray is a director and founder of Scubadive West. Originally from Dublin, he and his family relocated to Connemara in 1992 and opened Scubadive West.

Having grown up by the sea in Dalkey, where his family has run a dive school since 1975, scuba is only one of Breffni's marine hobbies. He also sails, windsurfs and fishes, all of which he says he learned while waiting to reach 16, so he could qualify at scuba.

Breffni has vivid memories of his first attempt at scuba diving, at the age of seven. "My father used to take us scuba diving in the swimming pool, and it was fine. The cylinder is weightless in the water, so I managed it fine, but I fell straight back in when I tried to climb out of the pool."

After studying engineering at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Bolton Street, Breffni worked as an engineer for a period and then returned to his first love, diving. However, he says, even now the engineering training comes in useful with the technical equipment involved in the diving school.

When the school began operating in Connemara in 1992, the market was mainly for tourists, particularly those coming from the UK and other parts of Ireland. These days, however, "the Irish market has grown considerably", and Irish people have developed a much greater interest in watersports.

While scuba diving is his work, Breffni also sails, with the Clifden Boat Club. He has dived in some of the world's most exotic locations, such as the Red Sea, where he saw sharks and dolphins, and "the water was so clear you could see for miles." He has also dived off El Hierro, one of the lesser-known Canary Islands, which he says is "super diving, only a four hour flight away."

Scubadive West operates all year round, only closing for "a couple of weeks" at Christmas. Relocating to Connemara was obviously a good choice for the school. "The water is so clear off the West coast, and the marine life is better than Dublin. The clarity is just great, and people are increasingly diving off the West coast. I like the country life too," says Breffni, who has three children who have been born and bred in Connemara.

See www.scubadivewest.com for further information.

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