Northern Ireland adventurer says the sharks he swam with for charity "could have taken off my head and arms in one bite" 🦈

The 49-year-old andscape gardener from Laurelvale, near Tandragee in Co Armagh, said he was delighted to have swam with deadly sharks and stingrays at Deep Sea World, Edinburgh for a unique charity challenge raising money for the Northern Ireland Air Ambulance charity.

On November 9 Trevor flew over to Edinburgh to swim in the aquarium containing over twenty different species of sharks including blacktips, leopard sharks and five powerful sand tiger sharks which are over 10ft long and have over 300 razor sharp teeth each at Deep Sea World, Edinburgh.

"I didn’t sleep the night before the swim, in fact I don’t think I ate anything or even spoke to anyone,” he said.

"And the training before you even get into the tank is tough as they make sure you are fit enough to take part and get out of it if needed.

“They taught me a series of hand signals so I could let people know if I was feeling uncomfortable, had water in my goggles or had lost oxygen.

“When you are in there it is brilliant but it is a different world and they are not small creatures – and they are killers.”

Trevor added that his wife was petrified when he was in the tank “as she wouldn’t even put her hand in the bowl with goldfish” but said she watched him through thick glass.

“The training was to ensure that the divers knew you could get out of the tank if there was an incident – and no-one was allowed in if they had cut themselves and there was any blood,” he said.

“We were told not to wag our arms and legs about so as to keep the sharks as calm as possible,” he added.

"I didn’t think to ask if the sharks and sting rays been well fed before I went into the tank. I don’t think I wanted to know.”

"In fact the stingrays were more intimidating than the sharks because they swam right up to me before turning at the last minute,” he added.

Fresh from dicing with death in Edinburgh, Trevor says he is now “looking around for another adventure with sharks”.

"I have been looking at a night dive with sharks in Spain.”

Trevor raised £1,115 for the ​Air Ambulance Northern Ireland which continues to be a lifeline for communities across the province, offering critical Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS).

​On average, the medical team is called upon twice daily to respond to a range of incidents, including serious road traffic collisions, farm or workplace accidents, sport and leisure incidents, and medical emergencies.

​As a local charity, Air Ambulance NI relies on the generosity of the public to maintain and sustain its essential services, aiming to raise £2.5 million annually.

​To support Trevor’s fundraiser for Air Ambulance NI click here