Curly Howard
09-30-2003, 08:28 AM
EDINBURGH (AFP) - A former leucemia victim who hit headlines by taking part in several above-ground marathon races clad in a heavy diving suit has taken his charity quest to the bottom of Loch Ness, with hopes for an encounter with the lake's most famous denizen.
If I do meet Nessie, I'm not sure who will be more scared, the monster or myself," said 41-year-old Lloyd Scott on Sunday before sliding into the dark waters of the Scottish loch at the start of a charity event which will see him walk all the way around its edges underwater.
Scott, who in recent years has taken part in the marathons of London, New York and Edinburgh clad in his 80-kilogram (175-pound) deep-water diving suit -- exploits which set new standards for the longest times ever recorded in those races -- is embarking on his latest endurance feat to coincide with a marathon around Loch Ness.
Aiming to raise money for a charity that helps children suffering from leucemia -- a deadly form of cancer of which he himself was cured -- he is to make a series of dives each day during which he will trudge along the lake bottom, fed by air from helpers in a boat above. He hopes to cover some five kilometres (three miles) per day.
More than the darkness of the lake waters and the hard work of walking in his heavy gear, it was the possibility of encountering the legendary monster which was uppermost in Scott's mind on Sunday.
He even refused to rule out a collision with the giant beast, which has sustained a lively tourist industry around Loch Ness for years, even though no scientific proof of its actual existence has even been found.
"I've been told the big copper helmet could give quite a big headbutt to the monster, so it will be quite nice to make his acquaintance," he said, referring to the heavy headpiece of his diving suit.
If I do meet Nessie, I'm not sure who will be more scared, the monster or myself," said 41-year-old Lloyd Scott on Sunday before sliding into the dark waters of the Scottish loch at the start of a charity event which will see him walk all the way around its edges underwater.
Scott, who in recent years has taken part in the marathons of London, New York and Edinburgh clad in his 80-kilogram (175-pound) deep-water diving suit -- exploits which set new standards for the longest times ever recorded in those races -- is embarking on his latest endurance feat to coincide with a marathon around Loch Ness.
Aiming to raise money for a charity that helps children suffering from leucemia -- a deadly form of cancer of which he himself was cured -- he is to make a series of dives each day during which he will trudge along the lake bottom, fed by air from helpers in a boat above. He hopes to cover some five kilometres (three miles) per day.
More than the darkness of the lake waters and the hard work of walking in his heavy gear, it was the possibility of encountering the legendary monster which was uppermost in Scott's mind on Sunday.
He even refused to rule out a collision with the giant beast, which has sustained a lively tourist industry around Loch Ness for years, even though no scientific proof of its actual existence has even been found.
"I've been told the big copper helmet could give quite a big headbutt to the monster, so it will be quite nice to make his acquaintance," he said, referring to the heavy headpiece of his diving suit.