World's oldest scuba diver Ray Woolley breaks own record aged 96

A British veteran of the Second World War, who is the world's oldest scuba diver, has broken his own record with a dive off Cyprus.

Great-grandfather Ray Woolley, who has been diving for 59 years, celebrated his 96th birthday by exploring a shipwreck site for 48 minutes at a depth of 42.4m (139ft).

Mr Woolley, originally from Port Sunlight on Merseyside who now lives in Cyprus, surpassed his previous record of 40.6m (133ft) for 44 minutes, which he set last September at the same site.

It is the third year in a row he has set a record after previous bests in 2017 and 2018.

The 2017 record was 41 minutes with a maximum depth of 38.1m (125ft), where he first became the world's oldest diver at 94.

Mr Woolley, who was a radio operator during the war, was joined by 47 other divers to explore the Zenobia, a cargo vessel that sank off Larnaca in 1980 on its maiden voyage.

Underwater images showed the Briton and other divers sitting on the hull of the submerged ship as marine life swam by.

He said: "It's just unbelievable. I've been diving now for 59 years and these are the sort of dives that you remember because there are so many divers with you.

"If I can still dive and my buddies are willing to dive with me I hope I can do it again next year."