"Extremely difficult" 180-mile trek completed by Portsmouth divers during Storm for comrade with bowel cancer
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
Determined divers completed a gruelling trek during a ferocious storm to support a comrade with cancer.
Bravo Diving Unit 1 (BDU1) finished its epic 180 journey from Horsea Island in Portsmouth to Plymouth while wearing full diving gear. They were raising money for Petty Officer Diver James King, who was recently diagnosed with stage two bowel cancer.
The 36-year-old father of two, who has served in the Royal Navy for nearly two decades, wears a colostomy bag after undergoing a seven hour surgery in May, though he still believes he can return to the job he loves if his recovery goes well. He is currently serving with the Plymouth Support Group for personnel recovering from serious illnesses and injuries.
His colleagues launched a fundraiser to offer financial support to PO (D) King’s family, which has raised just over £15,000. Personnel from the Diving and Threat Exploitation Group (DTXG) carried out their endurance challenge.
At any one time over the past eight days, four members plodded along the coast to BDU1’s home at Devonport Naval Base. While their SABA kit is state-of-the-art for underwater operations, it turned into a 30kg weight on their backs. Their odyssey also took an unexpected turn following the arrival of Storm Bram, which brought 90mph winds, rain, and flooding to the south west.
Royal Navy Lieutenant Matt Bowden, Officer in Charge of BDU1, said: “The weather has been the most challenging aspect of this task. With storm Bram hammering the coastline, most notably around Lulworth Cove, it’s been extremely difficult for the team. On one day in particular the combined ascent was in excess of 1300 metres which is higher than Snowdonia.”
The walkers were ceremonially drummed through Drake and joined by friends and colleagues upon reaching their destination. Personnel regularly train in Portsmouth and often get deployed to deal with unexploded ordnances. One of their most notable missions was unearthing and destroying an unexploded WWII bomb in Keyham.
You can find more details about PO (D) King’s fundraiser here.