We chat to TV presenter, powerboat champion, marine conservationist, diver and stunt performer Sarah Donohue about life in front of the cameras, being a woman in male-dominated sports, and THAT life-changing accident back in 1999.
Photographs by Sarah Donohue
Sarah Donohue on Her Dramatic Introduction to Diving
Q: As we always do with these Questions and Answer sessions, how did you first get into scuba diving?
A: Certainly not the normal way like everyone else! I had an offshore powerboat racing crash on Venice Lagoon back in 1999. I was vying for the European Title when it all went horribly wrong. The boat barrel rolled at 80mph, I was knocked unconscious, drowned and my heart stopped. It was the quick-thinking actions of other racers and the dive rescue team that saved my life.
I was resuscitated and airlifted to hospital, but I was in a bad state. I had so many injuries and the water in the lagoon is known for being filthy and the hospital’s main concern was contamination and just how much I had swallowed. So the first time I spent any time underwater was without air!
BBC’s 999 re-enacted the crash (using me as their stunt girl!) and I worked with HSE divers in an underwater film studio. It was awful because to work underwater upside down with no air, it’s important to fill your sinuses willingly – it’s actually quite painful.
Water continued to run out of my nose for the following week at some very inopportune moments. However, I knew at that moment I wanted to be a diver.
From Powerboats to Marine Stunts
Q: That is quite a dramatic way to get into diving! But it is interesting to note that that life-changing crash did not deter you from your high-octane pursuits, and you continued to chase that ‘need for speed’. What is it about these thrilling sports that keeps drawing you back?
A: I don’t know why I have that pull towards something dangerous. It’s like standing on a cliff but it’s not enough to get the view, you need to stand right on the edge to feel alive. I was brought up with six boys on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors and I had to prove myself by always going one step further on every stupid challenge.
My mum spent her life worrying and I spent my early years with many broken bones from taking everything a step too far. Fortunately, I am no longer that daft.
Underwater Filming and HSE Media Diving
Q: You have entered the world of being a marine stunt performer for some Hollywood movies. Tell us what you can about that experience.
A: It’s not always about being in front of the camera, which most people presume it is. Sometimes when I’ve had a project, I’m on an advisory role for all sorts of reasons. But working on the marine side of things can often take three times as long as it would to shoot something on land, and when I work with regular television, they never allow time for the shoot being water-based.
Everything moves, including the filming platform, and more often than not we can’t control where it’s going to move, but I can guarantee it won’t be in the preferred direction. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve been told ‘just hold it there for a few minutes!’
I think the absolute best example to date whereby everything was 100% perfect – the weather, the set, the stunt performers, absolutely everything – but the shot was a small boat travelling forward underwater with no extra propulsion, just using the built-up propulsion before it dived.
It only needed to travel a metre, the important thing was it surfaced facing forward. The boat came up facing every single direction apart from forward. I think it took 20 attempts. That’s an entire day, an entire crew and a knock-on effect throughout production costing hundreds of £1,000s.
This is why I love water, you can’t ever win. You have to become a part of it and never fight it. All results have an element of luck attached, it’s not all skill.
Q: You are a fully qualified HSE Media Diver – what other underwater filming projects have you been involved with over the years?
A: It’s actually been quite difficult with my availability because I have to balance it with racing events, which are every few weeks and worldwide. I’m now a race official, which means I have better flexibility on events, and when a job does come in and just when I think I’m a safety diver, I end up driving a boat.
It’s hard to shake off my past as my name is synonymous with powerboats and precision driving, if that makes sense. It’s no problem because it’s all about the end result and I’m still part of the team, but I’d sooner be in the water, but just because it’s an underwater project doesn’t mean that every diver will get wet, it doesn’t work like that.
If we talk post-Covid when work life resumed, and being able to get wet, I was instantly booked to work on a commercial in Italy on location in Lake Garda and then another commercial for a new aftershave launch in the waters off Sardinia, which was perfect timing as racing hadn’t resumed to full capacity.
I also worked with Netflix on a film for three months on and off just before the writer’s strike hit us… the launch is still postponed but due out this year, but that wasn’t as the dive team, it was with the stunt team.
Why Marine Conservation Matters Most to Sarah Donohue
Q: You are a keen marine conservation advocate, and can often be found working as a volunteer in locations across the world. How does it feel ‘giving something back’ to our watery world?
A: This is the best thing I have done in my life. Forget the films, forget the racing, marine conservation is just the best! After racing powerboats, which aren’t known for being clean, it’s my duty to give back. There are so many ways to help in so many parts of the world and an easy job anyone can help with is simply picking up litter from beaches.
ven that gives me immense joy because I know it won’t be dragged back into our oceans, which has the potential to harm marine life. When I went to Belize, we spent many hours every few days going to different islands picking up litter, it was horrific just how much polystyrene and plastic is blown on to shore.
Me and my friend Erica filled nine bin bags in just two hours on one island alone. Volunteering is very rewarding.
Favourite Dive Destinations
Q: Where are some of your favourite destinations you have visited to go diving?
A: Belize Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley was a memory I can never forget. They fed the sharks off the boat when we were in the water and we were just surrounded by them.
Bimini also has such beautiful clear waters and if you get the timing right, it is abundant with hammerheads, but the water is just so clear. It’s just beautiful, there is so much to see, but I really want to go to Raja Ampat. That’s my dream.
Q: What is your most-memorable diving experience?
A: I think getting bumped by a mummy bull shark as I got close to her pup. Mummy was massive, but not as big as my eyes when I saw the size of her… I hadn’t seen where she was so I was just grateful she was so nice. Sharks are an incredible species, but we have to respect their space.
Q: On the flip side, what is your worst diving memory?
A: I’d been buddying with my new-found friend for about ten days, I knew I had to keep my eye on her because her buoyancy could be better and she easily got sidetracked, which was the reason I buddied with her in the first place.
There was just one single time I didn’t dive with her because I did a shallower dive to capture some great photos. It was that dive she ran out of air but had the foresight to swim to the Divemaster’s octopus rather than bolt to the surface from 26m.
I kicked myself for not being with her. Yes, it’s easy to say, ‘always check your air’, but unfortunately, she gets sidetracked.
What’s Next for Sarah Donohue
Q: What does the future hold for you?
A: I’d love to work as diver safety on a documentary series. It’s not always about being in front of the camera or holding the reins. I’ve spent three decades where divers have looked after my safety, so I’d like to look after theirs. It was one of the reasons I became HSE qualified.
I’m also about to become a Sports Commissioner for the UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique) – they are the governing body for international motorsport on water. It’s an honour to be accepted, so I am hoping to add value by promoting a healthier ocean and cleaner racing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sarah Donohue?
Sarah Donohue is a scuba diver, marine stunt performer, and former offshore powerboat racer who now advocates for ocean conservation.
What films has Sarah Donohue worked on?
Sarah has worked on marine stunt and underwater filming projects for commercials, Netflix productions, and Hollywood features.
What are Sarah Donohue’s favourite dive destinations?
She lists Belize, Bimini, and hopes to dive in Raja Ampat as her dream destination.
What does Sarah Donohue advocate for?
She’s passionate about marine conservation, beach clean-ups, and giving back to the ocean.
What’s next for Sarah Donohue?
She plans to focus on diver safety roles in documentary filmmaking and will also take on new responsibilities as a Sports Commissioner.
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