Blog

A formidable force in the military world. Ryan spent 22 years in one of the worlds most dangerous occupations, as a Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Officer in the Royal Australian Navy.

We put Ryan in the hot seat at his home town in Port Macquarie for an exclusive one on one video chat about his life, the catalyst for joining the Australian Navy and the traumatic injury that would change the course of his life. Ryan was also The Navy Diver’s first model for our launch campaign in 2010 alongside shark attack survivor Paul De Gelder.

In May 2019, Ryan was the expedition leader for an operation clearing unexploded ordnance from Wold War II in a remote area of the Solomon Islands. It was at this time where Ryan and his crew were cleaning up villages. The assignment called Render Safe, penned by the Southwest Pacific was where Ryan was expedition leader. An operation undertaken to clear unexploded ordnance in the remote area of the Solomon Islands.  With stormy weather closing in,  Ryan lost his footing and fell to the ground from the height of a house roof.

Ryan explains, ‘I came to an abrupt halt on a big rocky boulder at the bottom. It felt like an electric shock peeling from my left ankle to my right shoulder and it changed the trajectory of my life.’

We get up, close and personal and discuss in detail Ryan’s rehabilitation and recovery framework. We also talk about his motivation to compete in the Invictus Games in Germany, where he would go on to win four gold medals and one silver medal.

His story will captivate and move you.

Royal Marine Veteran Charlie Charles

Invictus Games multi-gold-medal winner Charlie Charles shares a special message to Ryan Kelly. Charlie Charles served in the Royal Marines for 21 years before he was hit by a car in 2020 and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He won 4 medals at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf in Germany in 2023 and competed with Ryan in the 100 metre freestyle.