The Year Four pupil of Sekolah Kebangsaan Tekek in Pulau Tioman, Pahang, engages in the extreme watersport of scuba diving and has completed at least seven dives in the seas around the resort island. These include off Pulau Renggis, Pulau Soyak, and Salang House Reef, reaching a maximum depth of 12m.

His instructor, Fatin Nur Affira Yusof, said the boy had undergone basic training with her as a requirement to get certified by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (Padi) last August.

“Armin grew up on Pulau Tioman, so in terms of water confidence, he has no issues,” said Fatin, who has over 10 years of experience in scuba diving. She added that owing to Armin’s age, she used examples or analogies while instructing him.

According to Fatin, children as young as 10 can obtain certification, with theoretical and practical classes conducted over four days and three nights. Diving training is carried out at a depth of 3-5m.

“Scuba diving is great for children as it helps build confidence and nurture a love for marine life,” she added. “However, in Malaysia, exposure to this activity for young children and those in their early teens is still low because many are unaware of it.”

Meanwhile, Armin’s father Jamaludin Musa shared that he and his wife, Rozalia Bodi – who is from Budapest, Hungary – are both divers and had entertained the idea of Armin mastering scuba diving for a long time.

He said his son had been introduced to diving at age eight through participation in programmes such as Padi Bubblemaker and Discovering Scuba Diving.

“Through these, he got to experience and enjoy being in the water at depths of less than 2m. Now that he has the Junior Open Water Diver certification, perhaps he can progress to the Junior Advanced Open Water course as he grows older.

“But I won’t push him to do this as he’s still in school, and is also active in other sports like football, swimming and athletics,” Jamaludin concluded.