12-Year-Old Mia DaPonte Becomes New England’s Youngest Master Scuba Diver

At just 12 years old, Mia DaPonte of East Greenwich has made history as New England’s youngest PADI-certified Master Scuba Diver. As of February 18, she also became the youngest female in the United States to achieve this elite certification – a distinction earned by fewer than 2 percent of divers worldwide.

DaPonte’s path to Master Scuba Diver status was anything but easy. Over two years of training, she completed rigorous coursework, pool drills, and open-water dives in New England’s challenging waters. Her certification dives took place in Cozumel, Mexico, where she spent more than 20 hours in the water refining her skills. She logged deep dives, night dives, and complex rescue scenarios, including lifting an adult diver from the ocean floor in a simulated emergency response.

“Even though I passed, not all of it was easy,” DaPonte says. “The rescue portion was the hardest physically. It wasn’t easy to lift someone to the surface and get in the right position above them for each rescue breath.” Despite the challenges, she persevered, taking her final e-learning exam on her 12th birthday, the earliest age PADI allows for certification, securing her place in the record books.

DaPonte’s instructors, Allison Trainor and Seamus Hastings from Dive On It Scuba, witnessed her determination firsthand. “She worked so hard to reach this goal,” Trainor says. “Even when she was tired, she dug deep and carried on.” Hastings, who has guided DaPonte since the beginning, describes her as a “whirlwind of energy and determination. Her passion for the ocean is inspiring.”

Earning a Master Scuba Diver certification requires PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water, and Rescue Diver certifications, along with at least 50 logged dives and five specialty certifications. DaPonte exceeded these requirements, earning additional certifications in CPR & First Aid, Underwater Photography, and Equipment Specialist, among others.

Training in Rhode Island’s cold, low-visibility waters gave DaPonte a distinct advantage, reinforcing the saying, “If you can dive in New England, you can dive anywhere.” She has already explored reefs and shipwrecks and swam with sharks in Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas.

When she’s not underwater, DaPonte is a sixth grader at Cole Middle School and a black belt in karate. Now, with the ocean as her playground, she’s already setting her sights on her next challenge.