KUALA LUMPUR - Armin Jamaludin just turned 10 but he already holds a Junior Open Water Diver licence.
The Year Four pupil of Sekolah Kebangsaan Tekek, Pulau Tioman, Pahang, showed remarkable courage in engaging in the extreme watersport of scuba diving and has completed seven dives in the seas around the resort island, including off Pulau Renggis, Pulau Soyak and Salang House Reef, reaching a maximum depth of 12 metres.
His scuba diving instructor Fatin Nur Affira Yusof said the boy had undergone basic training in scuba diving with her as a requirement to get the scuba diving certification by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) in early August.
"Armin grew up here (Pulau Tioman), so in terms of water confidence, he has no issues. As for diving theory and skills, both children and adults are taught the same things.
"The only difference is the teaching technique... I had to use examples or analogies for each explanation to make it easier for him to understand in line with his level of maturity,” she told Bernama recently.
Fatin Nur Affira also said children as young as 10 years old can obtain scuba diving certification, with theoretical and practical classes conducted over four days and three nights, while diving training is carried out at a depth of three to five metres.
"Scuba diving is great for children as it helps build confidence and nurture a love for marine life. However, in Malaysia, exposure to this activity for young children and those in their early teens is still low because many are unaware of it,” said the instructor, who has more than 10 years of experience in scuba diving.
Armin’s father Jamaludin Musa, 40, said he and his wife Rozalia Bodi, 42, who is from Budapest, Hungary, are both divers and they had entertained the idea of Armin mastering scuba diving for a long time.
He said Armin was introduced to diving when he was eight through his participation in programmes such as Bubblemaker and Discovering Scuba Diving.
"Through these, he got to experience and enjoy being in the water at depths of less than two metres. Now that he has the Junior Open Water Diver certification, maybe he can progress to the Junior Advanced Open Water course as he grows older.
"But I won’t push him to do this as he’s still in school and is also active in other sports like football, swimming and athletics,” he added. - BERNAMA