Recently this April I became one of the worlds youngest Junior Master Scuba Divers at the age of 12, along with one of my best friends, Charlotte. Less than 2 percent of adult divers ever achieve this rating and there are only three Junior Master Scuba Divers known to this day under the age of 14.
I completed my 50th dive as a night dive with wind and current you cannot imagine. Right now I hold over 250 dives, coming up to 300 dives next month. The specialities I have earned are: Nitrox Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Underwater Navigator, Dry Suit Diver, Night Diver, Search and Recovery Diver, Propulsion Vehicle Diver, Digital Underwater Photographer, Project AWARE Diver, Coral Reef Conservation Diver and Drift Diver. This Christmas I also earned my SSI Sidemount Diver, making me the youngest certified Sidemount Diver in the world.
Sidemount diving can be used in recreational diving as well as deep, technical and rebreather diving. Sidemount diving is used for cave diving, wreck penetration or just even to have a new comfortable feeling whilst diving – that’s why I did it! Instead of the tank being mounted on your back, one or two tanks are mounted on your side, giving you a feeling of freedom and a lot of stress taken off your back. I also like it because I have full view and control over my cylinders, which is handy in emergency situations.
My next goal is to become a professional Underwater Photographer. I enjoy taking a wide range of photos from nudibranch “close-ups” and wide angle wreck photos. I have used a variety of difference cameras, from a simple GoPro to a large sophisticated camera with strobe and special angle lenses. My favourite dive sites for taking photos are at the wrecks of Abu Nuhas (in the Egyptian Red Sea), especially the Giannis D.
I am very lucky as I live in Egypt and I get to go diving every weekend and even after school sometimes. I dive with Orca Dive Club El Gouna which has been my dive club throughout my whole journey from Open Water Diver Course, all the way to Junior Master Scuba Diver (which took me less than 7 months). I attend EGIS (El Gouna International School) and have had a blast in my short journey but this is just the beginning! I haven’t even turned 14 yet, so what awaits me at 15?….and when I turn 18 the real fun starts as it is the age I can start technical diving, Rebreather Diving and super deep diving with Trimix. I can’t wait and credit goes to all my amazing instructors at Orca Dive Club!
Born To Dive, Forced To Go To School,
Indigo
Note From The Editor
In addition to being one of the worlds youngest Junior Master Scuba Divers, Indigo is also the youngest contributor to The Scuba News. We hope to see a lot more articles from in the future!
