SUBMARINE operator Kevin Parker is using his spare time to dive into the world of education and complete a long-distance diploma -- from Egypt!

Searching for unexploded bombs, missing bodies and repairing damaged cables on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea is all in a days work for the Darwen man.

The 51-year-old father-of-two works as a mini-submarine operator off the coast of Egypt. He is a pilot on remote operated vehicles and spends much of his time either at sea on a diving support vessel or onshore in Cairo.

From a position above sea level, Kevin (pictured) and his team are responsible for guiding an underwater vehicle equipped with robotic arms and tools, monitoring its movements on a bank of television screens.

With several hours a day to spare, Kevin, who lives in Slough Road in Darwen, decided to put his free time to good use and is studying for a Diploma in Management from University of Leicester.

He said: "I do have four or five hours a day to spare when I'm offshore, so I decided to use that time to study how management works. To do 75 per cent of the course in a work environment is sometimes inspirational."

Kevin has worked offshore since 1976 and has been based in Egypt for five years. Prior to that he spent time in South Africa, America, Canada and off the coast of Europe.

After gaining his management qualification, he hopes to move on to an MBA. But being away for up to three months at a time means that shore leave is too precious to devote solely to study, although wife Carol admits it's hard for her husband to get used to life in Darwen again.

She said: "Even when he is home he never switches off. Our phone never stops ringing -- it's like a hotline from Egypt!"