The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is officially an advanced scuba diver and can now swim to a depth of 98 feet. Kensington Palace confirmed that Middleton passed a Professional Association of Diving Instructors Advanced Open Water Diver qualification which allows her to swim down to 30 meters.
The qualification enables the Duchess to join her husband on deep dives to look for sharks during holidays in the Middleton family's regular haunt of Mustique, according to the Telegraph. "Diving is something the Duchess very much enjoys, and the Duke of Cambridge, who is of course President of the BSAC, has said in the past that he is hopeful his children will become interested in the sport," a spokesman for the Duchess said.
The Duchess gained the qualification from a diving school in Mustique, as the British Sub-Aqua Club has its own system of qualifications which the Duchess might have been expected to use if she had been in this country. "We are thrilled that The Duchess of Cambridge shares her husband's interest in the underwater world and has further progressed her diver training," Eugene Farrell, chairman of the British Sub-Aqua Club said.
According to the Professional Association of Diving Instructors website, divers must complete a total of five dives including an underwater navigation dive where participants are taught how to cope with the physiological effects of deeper scuba diving. One must also be prepared to use a dive knife and a compass at any time.
