Gary McGrath - Athlete Ambassador

Have you always been into sport?

I have always enjoyed being active, as a kid I did martial arts before getting into swimming as a teenager and developing my love for the water.

How did you first get into free diving?

Living in Menorca, Spain in my early 20s. I was given an old pair of long free diving fins by a friend and bought a speargun and tried to catch some dinner. This was my first intro into the sport, I quickly realised that in order to get better at catching fish I needed to get better at freediving.

If you're interested in starting your own fitness journey, Sundried's Activewear is suitable for people of all abilities. 

What has been your favourite dive to date and why?

Probably my first world championship dive in Nice, France 2012. It was such an honour to be chosen for the UK team. It was a huge event with 200 athletes and a lot of media, I achieved a competition PB which I was very proud of.

What is your proudest achievement?

Representing my country was a huge achievement for me also becoming the deepest diver in the UK and one of very few worldwide to dive deeper than 100m, a culmination of many years of hard work.

Have you ever had any diving disasters?

Thankfully no! Flooding an underwater camera is about a disastrous as it gets.

How do you overcome setbacks?

I think you have to look at setbacks in a very stoic way, let the emotion and disappointment die down then look at it again with fresh eyes. There is always a cause, its just a mater of finding that cause and then finding a way to train so it docent happen again. An outside perspective is always useful so speaking to peers or getting a coach can be invaluable.

What advice do you wish you'd been given when you first started out?

To enjoy the process. If you learn to enjoy this then it's never a struggle to get up and train what you love.

What are your goals?

Over the next year I want to increase my depth PBs and see how close I can get to a world record one day!

Who inspires you?

Anyone who puts in the work day after day, people who might not necessarily be born the best at something but through sheer tenacity and hard work rise to the top.

Why work with Sundried?

Sundried’s Eco Charge and Eco Core range really interested me. My sport is at the forefront of the environmental crisis and I see the effects all over the world wherever I compete. If I can do anything to raise awareness I feel its my responsibility to do so and Sundried echo those sentiments.

To hear more from our ambassadors and get free tips on workout plans and more, connect with the Sundried Personal Trainers on our app.