British Girl In Dubai Becomes Youngest Master Scuba Diver At 12

A girl studying in Dubai has become the youngest master scuba diver in the world. Ellie May Craig, originally from Britain, completed her simulated rescue mission 21 meters underwater and set of specialty dives off Fujairah's coastline on Dec. 31, 2022, the day she turned 12.

Craig opened up about the experience in an interview with The National and said she's happy and excited about her new achievement. "I loved every bit of it," she said.

"I was nervous to find out whether I had passed or not. It was a bit harder than I expected. It was physically harder on me than mentally. I really had fun underwater," she added.

"It was exhausting—both the tasks in the swimming pool and in the sea. It took me all of 11 hours to finish everything. But I was determined to break the record," she said, referring to the previous record of London-based Toby Monteiro-Hourigan, who completed his master scuba diver test in December 2020 after his 12^th birthday.

In a separate interview, Craig's grandfather who is a diver himself, Ray Hewitt, revealed how long it took for his granddaughter to finish the test. "It was a long day underwater for her but she did it. She started diving at 9 a.m. and completed all the tasks by 5:30 p.m. in the evening. Her record can only be matched now. Not beaten," he told the outlet.

Hewitt said it was a tough world record attempt for her daughter but she was determined to succeed. "The reason why it is difficult to complete in a day is, because it is time-consuming and exhausting for the diver. Imagine a 12-year-old doing it. But she believes she can do it," he said.

For the rescue diving test, Craig had to find a missing diver, save a panic-stricken diver underwater and administer CPR to an unconscious one. She passed all tests.

Following her recent achievement, Craig said her next goal is to become the youngest female diving master at 15. "But for now, I will have some cake and get some sleep," she said.