Michelle Haywood had her first try dive 30 years ago just to see what it was like. She fell in love with being underwater and has spent much of the last 20 years running Discover Diving in the Isle of Man. She teaches everything from snorkel skills through to rebreather diving. Her favourite dive in the world is The Burroo, which happily is only 4 miles from her front door. In 2021 Michelle was elected to serve in the Isle of Man parliament (the equivalent of an MP) and now fits her diving around politics and serving her constituents.
Mona’s Queen was built in 1934 to serve as a passenger ship bringing tourists to the Isle of Man, but as war broke out her Merchant crew was tasked with moving troops across the Channel. During the evacuation of Dunkirk the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company made a significant contribution, rescuing at least 1 in 14 of each life saved. A magnetic mine sank the Mona’s Queen on her second trip to Dunkirk with loss of 24 lives. In 2023, a dive team from the Isle of Man returned to the wreck.