Sub Aqua club to raise funds for life-saving, suicide prevention

Local club has Kilcullen membersA 'Diveathon' off Hook Head organised by Naas Sub Aqua Club and Hook Sub Aqua will be held on 19 July to raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute and the suicide prevention group Talk to Tom, writes Brian Byrne.

Many of the 50 or so members of the Naas club live in and around Kilcullen and are keen participants in a sport that every week fills boats with divers at various venues around the Irish coast.

Such clubs are regularly asked to participate in search and recovery operations under the supervision of the Garda, Naval Service and the RNLI. Naas Sub Aqua has its own dedicated search and recovery unit.

The 24-hour Diveathon is a sponsored diving relay, diving every 30-60 minutes from shore or from boats around the Hook Peninsula.

The funds raised will go in the first instance towards helping to maintain the equipment and training of the search and recovery units in the participating clubs.

The RNLI, which maintains around 50 lifeboats around Ireland and has saved more than 139,000 lives at sea since it was founded in 1824, will also benefit.

The Talk to Tom charity is a trust dedicated to the memory of Tom O'Flaherty, who tragically took his own life. It was founded by members of his family and friends, who realised that the state services in suicide prevention aren't enough. Talk to Tom recently helped finance the Wexford Marine Watch, a group of volunteers consisting of members of the Garda and other emergency services, who give up their free time to prevent suicides around Wexford Harbour and bridge area.

The Diveathon is scheduled to commence Friday July 19 at 7pm, weather permitting. The alternate date is a week later on Friday July 26. Operations will be based out of Hook Sub Aqua’s club house which is very close to Slade harbour on the East side of the Hook Head Peninsula.

Donations can be made directly to the RNLI and Talk to Tom, or to either Naas or Hook Sub Aqua clubs. Both clubs are easily contacted through their websites or Facebook pages.