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Sophie O'Dea and her diving challenge for a good cause

Age never stands in the way of doing something good. Especially if you’re a diver! And the latest example of this is 11-year-old Sophie O’Dea. The girl pledged, during a quarantine caused by coronavirus, to organise a charity fundraiser for her local hospital. Of course, diving had to be involved in everything. The teenager decided

ByMarcin Pawełczyk

Published: July 30, 2020 - 12:35

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 20:31

Sophie O’Dea and her diving challenge for a good cause

Age never stands in the way of doing something good. Especially if you’re a diver! And the latest example of this is 11-year-old Sophie O’Dea.

The girl pledged, during a quarantine caused by coronavirus, to organise a charity fundraiser for her local hospital. Of course, diving had to be involved in everything. The teenager decided to realise her goal by building a Lego model plane. What’s more, everything had to take place underwater, at a depth of 14 metres!

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Scuba Sophie diving LEGO divers24.co.uk — Sophie, 11, assembles a model plane from LEGO bricks

Sophie O’Dea, who lives in Blackburn for a living, spent almost an hour underwater and it took her 44 minutes just to build a model of a twin-engine aircraft. Remarkably, she did this while on the fuselage of an aircraft that had been sunk as a diving attraction the year before.

Lego

Eleven-year-old Sophie set herself a unique challenge to raise money for NHS charities. It involves Lego and scuba diving! ????

Posted by BBC Radio Lancashire on Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Everything went well, but I was cold. The hardest part was going down because I couldn’t equalize the pressure in my ears, but the dive itself was very cool…. I feel good. I’m glad I did it and I’m proud of myself. – She said in an interview with the Lancashire Telegraph

Scuba Sophie ambassador youth diver divers24.co.uk — Sophie is also a youth diving ambassador

The young adept diver was under the watchful eye of her instructor Kris Fearnley at all times. In addition, they were belayed by two other divers – Sophie’s brother and stepfather. The girl prepared for her task by practising in the dry and in the garden pool. Unfortunately, all such facilities were closed due to quarantine.

The young girl makes no secret of the fact that diving is her greatest passion, and her goal for the future is to work as a diver in the police force.

About author

Marcin Pawełczyk

Marcin’s journey with diving has been an adventure. Starting as a recreational diver, he soon found himself drawn to the fascinating stories and mysteries of Baltic wrecks. After gaining experience, Marcin decided to go beyond just leisurely exploration and took his training up a notch by completing the TMX course, allowing him to explore even deeper and uncover the secrets of inaccessible places. His next challenge has been cave diving, where he is honing his skills to become a certified diver. Not content to simply take in the breathtaking beauty of underwater life, Marcin has also embraced underwater photography since 2018, capturing stunning shots that bring these worlds alive for those who are unable to experience them first-hand. Marcin’s passion for the underwater has taken him far and is sure to continue doing so as he dives into new depths and captures breathtaking images.