As the winter weather continues to bite, spare a thought for the diving expert preparing to spend 15 hours beneath the chilly waves in a world-record-breaking attempt he hopes will raise the profile of diving, as well as well as promote marine conservation and assist cancer charities.

To beat the record he must spend his time at a minimum depth of 11 metres

Sean McGahern, 37, is hoping to smash the current cold water open sea dive world record of 11 hours and 46 minutes underwater by more than three hours as he wants “to push further and raise the benchmark”.

Born in England and raised in Ireland, Mr McGahern has called Malta home for the past 17 years, 12 of which he has spent as a qualified diving instructor.

With the help of Starfish Diving, the record attempt is expected to take place on March 3 in the sea next to the Corinthia Marina Hotel in St George’s Bay, although the date may change if weather conditions are unfavourable.

CTPark joins Starfish and Corinthia Hotels as the main sponsors.

To beat the record, the water temperature must be below 15°c and he must dive to a minimum depth of 11 metres

Mr McGahern is no stranger to world records, having set the warm water open sea dive record of 25 hours and 10 minutes in Malta in 2009, only to see it beaten the following year.

He attempted to retake the record but had to cancel 36 hours into the dive due to technical problems.

He has also attempted the cold water record before but he had to abort the dive one hour and 10 minutes short of his goal due to bad weather conditions.

My main objective is to showcase the sport of diving and its popularity in Malta

What motivates him to keep trying?

“My main objective is to showcase the sport of diving and its popularity in Malta, thus promoting our island as an ideal destination for divers,” he told The Sunday Times.

“Inspiration also comes from the death of my mother, Irene Patricia, just over 14 years ago from brain cancer. This has given me great motivation to promote different charities and to collect donations during my events in order to help bring hope to those diagnosed with cancer,” he added.

Mr McGahern cherishes the friends he has made down the years from his diving events.

“We have built a strong, dedicated team of motivated individuals who have been working hard together. I am proud to call my team of safety divers my family,” he said.

As with previous attempts, Mr McGahern and his safety divers will be keeping themselves occupied by cleaning the seabed.

For more information visit www.worldrecorddivingmalta.com.