St Leonards' divers set underwater ironing record
Michaela Farrington
31Mar08
A GROUP of 72 SCUBA divers ironed their way to a Guinness World Record at St Leonards yesterday.
The divers set the record for the most people ironing underwater at the same time, narrowly pipping the previous mark of 70.
Wetsuit-clad divers marched into the water with tanks on their backs and ironing boards under their arms yesterday morning, as perplexed onlookers lined the shore and the pier to watch the spectacle.
Each diver carried an iron, a board and an item of clothing to iron during the unusual underwater event.
Some kicked out into the water from the shore, towing their ironing boards.
Others launched themselves from the pier and then sank into the murky shallows.
It was a massive demonstration of the wacky sport of extreme underwater ironing.
The youngest diver taking part was 10-year-old Janda Penny, grand-daughter of event organiser Debbie Azzopardi.
Ms Azzopardi said she selected St Leonards as the staging ground for the record attempt because it was a sheltered place to dive.
But while the group had the numbers, breaking the record proved a challenge when some divers struggled to sink with their surprisingly buoyant ironing boards.
Keeping everyone under the water, ironing, was another challenge, with several divers bobbing to the surface just when the record looked set to be broken.
Cr Tom O'Connor took the plunge to lend a hand during the event, swimming around on the surface and diving down to check on the progress beneath the waves.
Eventually all divers were submerged and at their board, irons in hand, at the same time. A local police officer officiated from the pier, ensuring all divers were down and then re-checking the numbers to confirm a record had been set.
Record won, the shivering and cheering divers surfaced and swam ashore, dragging their boards behind them.
``We've got the record, I'm so stoked,'' said Ms Azzopardi. ``I'm so proud it's for Australia.''
The event also raised $865 for Project AWARE a non-profit underwater conservation organisation dedicated to protecting reefs and waterways.
Personaly I think its a yabbie backed conspiracy
