Sophie O’Dea’s Scuba Diving Story
Sophie O’Dea’s personal account, first published in August 2021.
My name’s Sophie O’Dea. I am 12 years old, and I’ve been diving since I was eight. I got into diving by watching my older brother and other family members. It had always interested me, and I would love listening to their stories as they surfaced. I’d snorkelled from a really young age, but wanted to know what it was like deeper down. I started doing try dives and got my PADI Open Water certification at ten years old. From there, I was hooked!
When you get into the water and descend, it’s like a new world has opened up. I love any kind of diving, whether it’s my local quarry, Greece, Egypt, drift diving or shallow dives to collect rubbish. Every dive is amazing: the colours, the marine life, and how peaceful I feel. I could float and watch all day. At the age of 11, the Covid pandemic hit, which meant I couldn’t dive at all. My mum got me a 12-foot paddling pool, and I’d put my gear on and play about in it. There, I came up with an idea to raise money for the NHS.
In July 2020, I got my first world record while raising money for charity. I became the first person in the world to build a Lego plane on top of a sunken plane at 12 metres.
It took me 54 minutes in total, with a whole support team, and it was an amazing feeling. I wasn’t done there. In January 2021, I completed my hardest dive to date. The air temperature was −2°C, and the water temperature was 2°C. I completed my rescue dive in the Lake District, with snow and wind. Over the two days, I became the world’s youngest female PADI Master Scuba Diver. I am 12 years old with two world records. I feel incredibly lucky.
The opportunity I received is open to anyone with the proper training, equipment and knowledge. Anyone can become a scuba diver and should! The minute you enter the water will be the start of your journey, and I can honestly say it won’t be your last. You will be privileged to see a world that everyone should see. Every child and adult should be taught and given the knowledge to protect and respect our oceans and marine life. Without that, the world would be a sad place to live in. I hope my story encourages others to dive and see things they’ve only seen on TV. Trust me, they’re better in real life.
A reply from Dive UK Hurghada
At Dive UK Hurghada, we want to say what an inspirational message this is for a young diver. We are super proud of Sophie and everything she has achieved. Becoming a PADI Master Scuba Diver at 12 takes dedication from both the student and their parents. We have followed Sophie’s story and love her enthusiasm for exploring and protecting the underwater world.
Dive UK Hurghada has a great deal of experience teaching young students, and we love introducing people to scuba diving. If you would like to try it, speak to a local dive centre about an age-appropriate introductory experience. If you enjoy it, an Open Water course may be your next step when you meet the age and other requirements. We offer introductory experiences and PADI courses here in Hurghada, Egypt. For further details, please get in touch. We would happily give you advice free of charge.
