Fleetwood former army captain swims from UK to Isle of Man in world first

A former army captain has become the first person in history to swim from the UK to the Isle of Man, raising more than £10,000 for mental health support.

Adam Diver, 45, left St Bees in Cumbria on Monday, 29 May, almost a year since his first attempt, which he was forced to abandon due to poor weather.

He swam 32 miles (51km) of the Irish Sea to the island to bring awareness to mental health and raise funds for charity, with all proceeds donated to Healthier Heroes CIC.

Adam, who is from Fleetwood, is a trustee for the Burnley-based charity which primarily helps homeless veterans get off the streets and rebuild their lives.

Adam swam 32 miles across the Irish Sea.

The 46-year-old served tours in Afghanistan, Iraq and Bosnia, and prepared for the challenge by training at a wave pool at Fleetwood Nautical Campus where he works.

Adam tried to complete the swim in 2022, setting off from St Bees on 22 July, but had to abandon the challenge just four hours into the journey because of unsafe conditions.

His support team this time round included a medic, two kayakers and an engineer.

Around half way into the swim, one of the kayakers said the swimmer was still ‘feeling strong’ despite being stung on his feet and hands by lion’s mane jellyfish and swimming ‘face first’ into a jellyfish.

Adam has been swimming since he was five and represented Great Britain at the 2021 Europe Triathlon Championship.

The GoFundMe page can be found here.

In this episode of From the North, we spoke to five incredible people about their mental health to get a discussion going about how you get through a difficult period of your life