10 months ago
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(NewsNation) — Matteo Miller celebrated his 12th day connected Thursday, and connected Friday, helium volition effort to implicit his certification to go the youngest maestro scuba divers successful the world.
He says helium feels the freest successful the water, fulfilling much than 50 dives implicit the past 2 years.
"I tin spell to the aforesaid spot 200 times and I'll ne'er spot the aforesaid thing. It's conscionable truthful calm and peaceful down there," the 12-year-old told NewsNation.
Matteo Miller's archetypal scuba lesson
Matteo Miller's emotion for the water was sparked astatine a young age, and by 8 years old, his parents Paul and Valentina Miller signed him up for his archetypal scuba diving class.
"Every clip he's successful the water, helium gets retired of the h2o and he's like, 'when are we going back?' Every clip helium takes a people and gets certified, 'when tin I bash the adjacent class?'" Paul Miller said.
The mediate schooler has astir a twelve diving certifications.
Now, Matteo Miller's day privation is to effort to interruption a grounds and go the youngest maestro scuba diver successful the world.
"I heard astir this miss who claimed that she had the grounds for the youngest maestro scuba diver and I was like, 'I person to bushed her,'" helium said.
Master scuba diver is the highest recreational certification for diving, according to the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). Being a maestro scuba diver puts you successful the world's elite 2% of divers.
Becoming a maestro scuba diver
To execute maestro diver status, you indispensable clasp a rescue diver certification, implicit 5 specialty diver courses and log astatine slightest 50 dives earlier you tin use for the course. Plus, you person to beryllium 12 years aged to beryllium considered.
Matteo Miller's emotion for diving has been fueled by a passionateness for the situation and a committedness to support the world's oceans healthy. He's joined ocean cleanups and coral reef restoration dives successful his location state.
"It's bittersweet due to the fact that there's truthful overmuch trash successful the ocean, but past it's benignant of chill and similar bully due to the fact that we instrumentality retired truthful overmuch of that trash," helium said.
Michael Casey, the managing manager astatine Diver's Paradise successful Key Biscayne, Florida, said Matteo Miller is among the young radical getting scuba diving certifications that volition alteration the aboriginal for the better.
"(They) are the policymakers of the future," Casey said. "Everyone helium talks, to those young radical go ambassadors for the ecosystems and that's what's going to alteration things arsenic we spell forward."
