Looking for a bright side to the rising cost of oil?

The soaring price of oil has encouraged a significant number of construction workers to re-train as offshore divers, according to industry experts.

The North Sea boom coincides with a downturn in the building trade.

The Underwater Centre, in Fort William, is one dive training base reporting a rise in numbers of potential new recruits to the trade.

It expects up to 400 new divers to qualify this year. Trainees include a construction worker from the US.

Senior instructor Ali Macleod said the skills he learned as a builder on dry land were suited to construction underwater.

He said: "There has never been a better time for getting offshore and the opportunities that are around just now are phenomenal.