The karate club I train with has decided to start a tournament squad with a view to starting competing in 2019. The majority of students at the club are juniors and they require protective body armour both for training and for competitions. I want to raise as much as possible to provide them with the equipment they will need.

But I’m not just coming cap in hand, there is a catch...

Anyone who knows me well knows that, despite being an avid sea kayaker, snorkeller, a former surfer and one-time sailing instructor I’m petrified of sharks. I shouldn’t have snook into the local cinema as a seven-year-old and watched Jaws. It had a deeply profound effect. I’ve acceepted a challenge to cage dive with the Great White sharks off South Africa’s infamous Dyer Island as part of my 50th birthday celebrations and thought this would be an ideal opportunity to do some good for someone else while overcoming my life-long fear. I can’t let the club down so I will have to climb into that cage, without the added incentive there’s no guarantee I’d even get on the boat (no matter how big it is!).

The trip is funded by ourselves and all money raised will be donated to the Black Scorpion Karate tournament squad. All donations, no matter how large or small, will be gratefully received.

It’s either this or sue Peter Benchley and Steven Speilberg 😂

Thanks for taking the time to read this,

Martin Kershaw