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10-year-old from Mumbai is world’s youngest female scuba diver

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Sitting on the sofa at her Oshiwara home, and periodically lunging forward to grab fistfuls of the chivda before her, ten-year-old Tamanna Balachandran looks like any other restless kid on vacation. Except that her conversation is peppered with terms like “underwater visibility”, “hand communication”, and what a baby leopard shark looks like. Because though her tiny legs swing high above the floor, they have helped propel the barely four-foot-tall girl deep into the waters at the Andaman and Nicobar islands, and emerge with a scuba-diving record.

The Mumbai resident is the world’s youngest qualified female scuba-diver certified by PADI. On the 16th April, a day after her 10th birthday, Tamanna was awarded the PADI Junior Open Water Scuba Divers certificate. Previous record-holders included Egypt’s Natasha Turner, who had bagged the qualification at the age of 10 years and three days.

Tamanna, who will attend grade 5 at Vibgyor High International School when vacations end, was always a “water-baby”, says her father, Balachandran Unni. “Even when she was a year old, she was always trying to reach out to the swimming pool,” he adds, laughing. Tamanna had company in her elder sister, Rashi, who was an avid swimmer and diver herself. “But I was only eight then, and so I wasn’t old enough,” she says. “So I decided to do the Bubble Maker course instead.” The programme, designed for kids below ten years of age, acquainted her with the essentials of going underwater.

“They learnt about basic skills such as communication while underwater, what one does when there is pressure in your ears,” explains her mother Rita. Tamanna also took up rigorous swimming to build her stamina, and two years later, decided to take a crack at scuba-diving. Rashi completed her own scuba-diver certification as well, with Tamanna. The certification course spanned two days, and three levels, from theoretical training, to diving in confined and open water areas. The participants progressed from knee-deep water to diving in a real-life environment, while practicing the nitty-gritty of underwater safety.

“Tamanna was a natural in the water. She was comfortable right from the start,” says her instructor Prafful Chugh. The ten-year-old also had keen observational skills underwater, he says, which is something children generally need to be taught to develop.

But while she has soaked in the admiration from her diving friends and classmates, Tamanna plans on taking a break before hitting the pool. “So much diving and swimming we did!” she says, stretching out on the couch. “I’m not going to even think of water for some days.” Within moments though, she is back with more stories of the corals and sea creatures she spotted.

 

Source: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Shearwater Reveals Shearwater Jetpack for Avelo Diving

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shearwater jetpack

Shearwater Research Inc. has announced its expansion into the development and manufacturing of specialized dive equipment. The company unveiled the Shearwater Jetpack for Avelo diving last weekend at an industry event in Long Beach, California.

This follows the announcement of a strategic R&D partnership between Shearwater and Avelo Labs in late 2024, uniting Shearwater’s technical expertise and product excellence with Avelo’s groundbreaking innovation. The Avelo System challenges decades of convention in scuba equipment design by replacing heavy, complex setups with a streamlined, intuitive system built around two key innovations: the Hydrotank and the Jetpack.

The result is a much lighter dive system that supports optimal buoyancy control while enhancing precision and underwater agility. With over 11,000 dives logged on the Avelo System to date, the performance improvements are clear—it doesn’t just simplify buoyancy, it transforms the entire diving experience.

The new Shearwater Jetpack is purpose-built to maximize comfort and unlock the full potential of the Avelo System. It features onboard gas pressure monitoring and seamless integration with Shearwater dive computers using the Avelo Mode, enabling precision gas tracking, buoyancy prediction, and real-time performance analytics.

shearwater jetpack

“Shearwater was founded with an intense focus to deliver powerful, simple, and reliable solutions for technical divers,” said Jason Leggatt, CEO of Shearwater Research. “Our goal is to truly grow the technical diving community long-term, and to do that the industry needs to deliver better dive experiences so divers are more likely to commit to their diving journey.  Shearwater made its first move into recreational diving with the Peregrine and Tern lines, but there has been no transformational innovation in the category—until now. Our collaboration with Avelo is not a departure from our roots; it’s additive. We’re lending Shearwater’s technical capability and commitment to product excellence to help build a simply better dive experience—built better from the very beginning.”

The Shearwater Jetpack for Avelo diving offers dive shops and instructors a compelling new way to engage divers, delivering a differentiated, data-rich experience that encourages progression and retention.

“As someone who grew up on the instructional side of diving, I saw firsthand the frustrations many divers face,” said Aviad Cahana, CEO of Avelo Labs. “I’ve always had an innate mindset of challenging the status quo. I kept asking: Why is scuba gear so heavy? Why can’t we make the experience better? Those questions drove the invention of the Avelo System. Our partnership with Shearwater is the next step in realizing that vision.”

Together, Shearwater and Avelo aim to grow the diving community by improving first-time experiences, increasing accessibility, and advancing diver performance through cutting-edge technology.

Concept demonstrator units of the Shearwater Jetpack will make its global debut at the Long Beach Scuba Show, May 31–June 1, 2025. The final configuration and full feature set will be announced with commercial plans at DEMA 2025 in Orlando, Florida.

Find out more about Shearwater products at shearwater.com.

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Gear Showcase: DYNAMICNORD RB-10 Rock Boot

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rock boot

The DYNAMICNORD RB-10 rock boot has been specially developed for professional use. It is made of highly resistant materials and features innovative technologies. As a result, the boot sets new standards for demanding professionals who expect the highest quality and performance.

The rock boot boasts an innovative drainage system that ensures unrivalled comfort. After just ten steps ashore, the rock boot is completely free of water. The diving boot has an extra wide opening, which allows you to put it on and take it off effortlessly.

The highly resistant materials of the RB-10 rock boot offer a perfect combination of robustness and flexibility. The high-tech upper material does not absorb water and therefore dries extremely quickly.

The rock boot’s unique lacing system, including the lacing elements, ensures that you won’t experience any uncomfortable pressure points on your foot when wearing your fins. The laces themselves are made of a heavy-duty technical mesh that ensures that they won’t come undone even when wet. The shoelaces can be completely stowed away in the rock boot’s well thought-out shoelace pocket for maximum safety.

Thanks to the special lacing, you can also achieve optimum volume adjustment within the boot, which makes it ideal for various drysuits or neoprene socks.

Particularly noteworthy is the sole system with the Vibram sole, which is highly puncture-resistant. The honeycomb design imitates the natural movement of barefoot running and offers an unrivalled running sensation. The rock boot’s wide, deep zigzag tread guarantees optimum grip, while the rubber toe cap effectively protects the material from abrasion. In combination with the boot’s structural insole, this ensures that you won’t feel any unevenness even on rocky terrain.

The diving boot’s ergonomic insole offers additional comfort thanks to its innovative cushioning.

The RB-10 rock boot was developed for a temperature range of -5°C to +30°C and offers outstanding performance in both cold and warm climates.

Tested by specialists, made by experts.

Designed and engineered in Germany. Made in Europe.

DYNAMICNORD – Your Outdoor Companion.

www.dynamicnord.com

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