Originally from Salthill, Charlie Brehony qualified as an electrician and spent some years working in England after leaving school in the 1980s.

It was a round the world trip (a present from Margaret Thatcher in the form of a tax rebate) that gave Charlie the opportunity to dive for the first time. As a child in Salthill, he had always loved the sea and had spent a lot of time swimming and snorkelling at the famous beach.

"I promised myself I would learn to dive - I grew up at the time of the Jacques Cousteau documentaries and I'm a big fan, sure who wouldn't be?"

During a visit to Australia as part of his round-the-world trip, Charlie visited New South Wales, where he undertook two diving courses under the NAUI system. Qualifying as an advanced diver in the waters of New South Wales was a dream come true. There, he saw flat nosed camouflage sharks, rays and turtles and even got stung by an electric ray. "I laughed at that - an electrician getting stung by an electric ray!"

"On the first dive I knew - it's the same for most people, it's an instant bug that hits you. The students always say the same thing, and I know by just looking at them - it's a great pleasure to see."

Charlie later went diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

"I cannot describe how colourful and diverse it is… it's mind blowing, it's definitely one of the wonders of the world. There are loads of corals, tropical fish, turtles, manta rays, moray eels… all different shapes and sizes."

Charlie had 'stowed away' on a charter boat, using his usefulness as an electrician to wangle the free trip from a skipper with Scottish blood who appreciated the Celtic link.

On his way home, Charlie dived in Malaysia and Thailand but says that Ireland is still his favourite place to dive.