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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Entertainment
Sophie McLaughlin

Belfast man, 83, shows no signs of slowing down on his annual waterski trip

An 83-year-old man has proven that you are never too old to show your skills after demonstrating his impressive watersports ability on a recent family trip. Joe Skelly from Belfast had his wetsuit and life jacket on last weekend to enjoy the high-speed thrills of waterskiing, impressing the internet with his natural talent.

Joe's son Rob captured the amazing moment his father took to the water with the caption "83 years young and still no sense. The best Dad ever".

Rob owns The Crannagh Activity Centre and told Belfast Live how Joe will make the train journey to Coleraine at least once a year to enjoy a fun day out on the water with his son.

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Rob said: "He comes up once a year - he is my mum's primary carer as she has a fair few health issues but my sisters will come up and look after her and he sneaks up on the train to go for a ski. He went for his first ski when he was 67 and he’s been coming since.

"He missed a few years with Covid but they are about the only years he has missed. I run the only waterski and wakeboard school in the country up in Coleraine and we don’t get that many over-80s coming by."

Rob shared the video on his Facebook to show off his dad's skills and the enjoyable day they spent together waterskiing, canoeing and on the boat.

"We’re getting tonnes of reaction from the video calling him amazing and an inspiration and it’s just great to see because he just really enjoys it. It is fairly easy to learn when you get the hang of it but it definitely takes courage to get out there."

With his new watersports fame, Rob said that Joe will no doubt be up again at The Crannagh Activity Centre again soon to show everyone how an 83-year-old shreds the water.

"We always do a family day at the end of the season so we will drag him up for a second run this year," he added.

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