Ex-paratrooper to tackle jump with no parachute

John Bream is raising money for mental health charities for service personnel

A former paratrooper hopes to break two world records by jumping 200ft (61m) from a helicopter into the sea without a parachute.

John Bream, nicknamed the Flying Fish, said he would fall for about four seconds before hitting the water of the Solent at about 80mph (130km/h).

He is aiming to break records for the highest free jump from a helicopter and the highest jump into water.

He is raising money for mental health charities for services personnel.

"It's quite exciting, I am confident in my ability, it's all down to the training and my training is going really well, my confidence is at a high," Mr Bream said.

"It's pretty dangerous but there are multiple safety precautions I will take."

Mr Bream, from Havant, Hampshire, will be taken up in a Hughes 500 helicopter for the jump off Southsea Common, Portsmouth, in September.

Two safety divers and a support boat will be on hand to ensure he can exit the water as quickly as possible.

John Bream, from Havant, Hampshire, is nicknamed the Flying Fish

The 34-year-old said his knees and ankles would be "braced" for the jump and there would be a "pump on a boat below to break the surface tension of the water".

The current world record for highest jump into water stands at 191ft, which was achieved by Brazilian-Swiss extreme athlete Laso Schaller at Cascata del Salto, Switzerland, in 2015.

Cash raised from Mr Bream's attempt will be donated to the All Call Signs and the Support Our Paras charities.

Mr Bream, a former member of the Parachute Regiment, said knowing veterans who had taken their own lives was "so painful".

"The transition from the military is difficult but I want to show that we don't need to live in the past and we all can still achieve brilliance," he said.