Breathtaking! Ray is oldest diver in the world... aged 94
A PENSIONER of 94 has made a deep impression – by claiming the record as the world’s oldest scuba diver. Navy veteran Ray Woolley first took up diving in 1960 and credits it with keeping him fit six decades on.
He has been officially named as the oldest active male diver in this year’s Guinness Book of Records, still regularly descends to depths of up to 50 metres and carries all his own gear.
Ray, who was born in Cheshire but now lives in Cyprus, said: “I have always loved swimming and being in the water, but especially diving.
“The attention is rather nice at my age. I’m doing something I enjoy and it’s a little different from normal.
“If I can inspire just one person to get up out of their chair, that’s great.”
I’m doing something I enjoy and it’s a little different from normal
Last year, at the age of 93, Ray did 51 dives – and posed on the seabed on the 39th with a sign saying: “39@93”.
To mark his 94th birthday he made a 38-metre dive to a sunken ferry. And now he is even set to star in his own documentary, Life Begins At 90, scheduled for release later this year.
He puts his active life down to setting goals and eating healthily. But he joked: “But don’t deprive yourself – I enjoy a toasted bacon sandwich once a week.”
In Cyprus he dives with the British Sub-Aqua Club branch at RAF Akrotiri, but his love of water began when he first swam as a six-year-old.
During the Second World War he was a radio operator and seconded to special forces duty with the SBS in the Dodecanese islands in Greece.
After the war, he worked as a radio engineer and for the Foreign Office.
His son Ken, 66, who also dives, added: “Perhaps scuba diving is the key to longevity.” The Guinness World Records said: “Ray’s feat is truly impressive.”