Oyster Diving recently had the privilege on helping Toby Monteiro-Hourigan on fulfilling his dream of becoming the world’s youngest Master Scuba Diver.
Toby, from London, took his first step into the world of diving with the PADI Bubblemaker programme at the age of eight before moving onto become a PADI SEAL. After completing his PADI Junior Open Water aged ten years and five days, he discovered that he narrowly missed becoming the youngest Junior Open Water Diver, so the quest for becoming the youngest Junior Master Scuba Diver was formulated!
Toby took his first PADI Speciality course at Dubai Mall Aquarium, identifying sharks (sand tiger sharks, reef sharks, leopard sharks, tawny nurse sharks, zebra sharks). He has since been very privileged and lucky to have dived with mantas, tiger sharks, thresher sharks and hammerheads in the Maldives, and has swum with whalesharks, gaining the unofficial title of ‘shark boy'! Other specialty courses included Peak Performance Buoyancy, Navigation, Digital Photography and Boat Diver.
Toby managed to complete most of the Specialty courses in the summer with Oyster Diving, so it meant that on turning 12 in December, he could complete the remainder of his required courses while on holiday in the Maldives. Through Pelagic Divers (Fuvahmulah, Maldives), Toby completed his Junior Advanced and Rescue Diver, gaining his Junior Master Scuba certification aged 12 years and one day, the absolute minimum age for completion, as well as racking up an impressive 80 logged dives.
Toby loves and respects the sea and is in absolute awe of the aquatic realm! He knows that the oceans’ kryptonite is plastic pollution and intensive fishing practices. He aims to use the power of his learning together with his diving adventures to educate and join the battle to help save the world’s oceans!
This is awesome. Tennessee Cumming is PADI’s youngest junior master scuba diver too. We set the record the day after he turned 12 years old while we were diving in Fiji!! Kids setting records are awesome!! woo hoo.