Scuba diving mother enjoys bike ride with the sharks (From The Argus)

Scuba diving Brighton mother enjoys bike ride with the sharks

9:40am Wednesday 6th May 2009 in Search By Richard Gurner

Turtles, sharks and brightlycoloured fish are what you normally expect to see in an aquarium – so imagine what 60-year-old turtle Lulu thought when she saw a scuba diving cyclist at the Sea Life Centre.

Jo Brooksbank, a transport planner at Brighton and Hove City Council, carried out the stunt at the Brighton Sea Life Centre in preparation for a ride underneath the sea below the Palace Pier.

The 43-year-old will ride under the pier to help promote the benefits of cycling as a way for busy mums to keep fit.

The mother-of-two has a degree in marine and fish biology and a Masters in marine resource management and is also a qualified cycling instructor.

She wanted to combine her two passions to promote cycling and came up with the stunt.

With help from the Brighton Diving Centre, her long held ambition of cycling under the sea will soon become a reality. She plans to take to the water at some point this week, depending on the weather.

Speaking after the Sea Life Centre practice, Jo said: “That was absolutely fantastic. It was a lot better than I thought.

“I didn’t know how inquisitive the sharks and turtles and things were but they just held back and watched nicely from a distance.

“It felt great and I hope people can see what fun cycling can be.

“It’s going to be a lot colder than this at sea, maybe a bit murky, but there are not going to be as many sharks off the pier.

“I think it will be good. We’ll be able to do a bit of pedalling and get moving, it will be great.

“It’s a bit of fun really and to show people that it’s great to cycle.”