Mumbai schoolboy becomes world’s youngest certified Junior Open Water Scuba Diver

A 10-year-old Mumbai schoolboy has become the world’s youngest certified Junior Open Water Scuba Diver in the world as he dived into the sea off the Puducherry coast on Friday.

The boy, Dwit A. Nandu, a Class 4 student in St. Francis D’Assisi High School, celebrated his 10th birthday on Thursday (August 24) an d accomplished the feat on Friday, said his father Dr. Amit Nandu, a professor in a Mumbai college.

Scuba Diving is regulated by the Australia-based Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI), working in 186 countries, and it issues certification to divers which make them qualified to dive around the world.

According to PADI rules, the minimum age for a certified diver is 10 years. Dwit’s 10th Birthday was on 24 August. He had started preparing for the course well in advance and he completed a day after turning 10 to meet the official norms, creating a world record,” Dr Nandu said.

Deep diving runs in the family as Dr. Nandu is a Certified Deep Diver, his elder son Jinay, 21, a student of IIT Bombay is an Advanced Open Water Diver.

The first level certification is termed Junior Open Water Diver (12 metres) with the next step being Open Water Diver. This is followed by Advanced Open Water Diver who can go to a depth of 30 metres after which the next higher category is Deep Diver qualified for a depth of 40 metres.

The rigorous course required learning advanced swimming, finishing confined water training in a swimming pool and then completing four open water dives. There is also a written exam based on five modules that has to be cleared to get the certificate.