A Falmouth-based dive school's recent offer of free taster Scuba sessions in a hotel pool was seized upon by dozens of locals of all ages.

The Cornish Diving School had invited anyone who fancied a go, to join them at the Falmouth Hotel pool where instructors helped some conquer a fear of immersing themselves underwater. As well as the taster dives, the event also helped raise awareness of the great work of the RNLI thanks to the attendance of several members of the port's lifeboat crews.

Sue Disley, of the diving school, said: "It all went very well. The day was a great success, over 40 people attended the event and everyone went away having had a brilliant experience. We had a wide range of people, the youngest was nine and the oldest in their 50s.

"One lady didn’t think she would be able to do it and was afraid to put her face in the water. Now having had a great time swimming around the pool, she is now looking to booking up on a course. This is the first time we have staged a public event in this way and with the success of this one we will be doing more in the future."

The dive school is proud of its community involvement and has been involved with the Fal River Festival. It presented a talk at the Maritime Museum on Saturday entitled Under The Cornish Seas which took the audience on a virtual dive onto a wreck in the bay and onto the Maerl beds to discover the life that lives there.

It is also getting involved in Falmouth's new sports and activities' festival, ZestiFal in July when instructors will be offering free first time dives on Gyllyngvase Beach.