Ten-Year-Old Becomes One of the World's Youngest Certified Scuba Divers

It seems that scuba diving really is a sport for nearly all ages after a ten-year-old girl from Watford near London completed her PADI certification to become a fully qualified scuba diver.

Ella-Maria Lopez completed a series of courses during her recent scuba diving holidays in Egypt with her family. She had to wait until her tenth birthday before she could begin her training courses and it wasn't long before she had successfully carried out boat and shore dives in the Red Sea waters.

The young scuba diver said: "It is fun to do and it is a really great experience to see lots of fish and coral. Sometimes you just find yourself stopping and looking at the fish - it is breathtaking.

"I never get scared when I am diving. My friends think it is really cool that I am doing it. They keep asking me what I see."

Ella-Maria had her first taste of scuba diving adventures when she first went on holiday with her family to Ibiza. She tried a pool dive and then went on to dive in an enclosed lagoon where she discovered that she loved the underwater sport.

During her training, the Year 5 pupil at Knutsford School had to demonstrate a number of skills to her instructor including clearing her mask and removing and replacing her diving kit while underwater.

Ella-Maria's father, Reg, is also an avid scuba diver. He commented: "Things don't faze her. When she is passionate about something she will achieve it. It is an admirable quality to have. She just did it and she was brilliant - it makes me so proud.

"You wouldn't expect to see someone that small do it. I couldn't have done it at her age.

"To see her do something like this with nothing other than a great big grin on her face is amazing."

Now that Ella-Maria is a qualified scuba diver, she will be heading off for more underwater adventures during her next scuba diving holidays to Florida this summer. She will have to wait until her twelfth birthday before she can complete all adult scuba diving courses such as cave diving.

Egypt and Florida are two of the world's leading scuba diving destinations and both locations have plenty to offer divers of all levels and ages.

Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada are amongst the top scuba diving resorts in Egypt and while scuba diving in the Red Sea tourists can discover stunning coral reefs, ancient wrecks and exquisite marine life.

Florida Keys is one of the top destinations for scuba diving trips in the United States and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary spans an area of 2,900 square nautical miles. While scuba diving in Florida, divers can explore colourful coral reefs, hard bottom, sea grass, mangrove forests, and swim alongside thousands of incredible marine creatures such as sea turtles, dolphins, whales, butterfly fish, sharks, rays, eels, crocodiles and alligators.