A FORMER soldier whose leg was shattered in an explosion in Afghanistan is training as a scuba diving instructor.

Matt O’Neil, a former Corporal in the Royal Corps of Signals, had left the Army and joined the Territorial Army when he was called up to serve in Helmand Province in 2008.

During a routine patrol his vehicle was hit by a rocket propelled grenade, which killed two Afghan soldiers and injured others including Matt, whose right leg was mangled from the knee down.

Doctors said it was too severely damaged to save but the 41-year-old father-of-two, from Bournemouth, fought to keep it and endured 12 operations over six months before doctors were able to save the limb. He has battled ever since to regain its usage.

Now Matt is celebrating completing his sports diver and dive leader qualifications with the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC), and has just returned from an expedition to Malta run by BSAC club the Army Sub-Aqua Diving Association, funded by charity Help for Heroes.

"There were always lots of these things going on and I’d never been able to do them before because of all the metalwork and plaster on my leg," he said.

"It was a relief do be able to do something physical."

He has been invited by the club to complete the instructor qualification so he can help other wounded veterans.

"It’s working with lads and lasses again who’ve served in the Armed Forces and remembering how I dealt with it all and the worries I had," he said.

"Having gone through that you appreciate everything much more and you’re a lot more understanding."

Matt works as a physiotherapist for the NHS at Hythe Hospital, having trained at Brockenhurst College and the University of Southampton with assistance from Help for Heroes.

BSAC instructor Maria Harwood was among the instructors on the expedition.

She said: "It was a pleasure to dive with them. Everyone just got stuck in and worked together as part of a team and the focus was more on what could be done rather than what couldn’t be.

"I was impressed by their commitment. They’re just a great bunch of people to work with and it’s quite a humbling experience. It puts life into perspective."

For more information visit bsac.com.