Indigo Bolandrini: World-Class Diver Extraordinaire
Indigo’s Story:
“To begin, I was born and grew up in London until I was 12 and then moved to Egypt. I have been coming to Egypt since I was born, and my house in El Gouna was always my favorite home. I am a true water girl- I love the sea and have since I was 3. I always snorkeled and free dived the reefs of the Red Sea; However, when I was 11, I decided I wanted to take my adventures further and become a certified Junior Open Water Diver. This was the best decision I have ever made.
I became a diver in July 2013 with Orca Dive Club El Gouna, which remains my dive club to this day. I loved diving, but it hadn’t me hooked just yet. When I returned for my Christmas holidays in December 2013, I was told about the PADI Junior Master Scuba Diver rating. And from that day onward, I started my journey- one I am still on today.
I Completed my Junior Advanced Open Water Diver and Enriched Air Nitrox courses at the time. In early February 2014, I completed my Junior Drysuit Diver certification and then returned to Egypt to complete my Junior Rescue Diver Peak performance buoyancy and underwater navigator certifications. This left me with only a few dives and a specialty away from making history by becoming one of the youngest and only Junior Master Scuba Divers around.
In April 2014, during my Easter Holidays, I finished my 50th and the final dive, effectively completing my last specialty – Junior Night Diver.
On April 19th, 2014 I was awarded the title of Junior Master Scuba Diver. Since then, I have logged Over 450 dives and I hold over 20 certifications. I have also become the world’s youngest certified side mount diver, and the youngest ever person to dive the tough Rosalie Möller wreck. My journey still continues with new adventures everyday. I also love kitesurfing, playing guitar, piano and drums too! I took part in Ahmed Grabs- the world’s deepest diver’s Guinness World Record clean up dive in June 2015.
My advice to any who is looking at becoming a scuba diver would be to first find out if you are comfortable with the underwater environment, without spending too much money on a course. You could also enroll in a PADI DSD program (discover scuba diving). I am taking my diving career very seriously so I push myself and put a lot of hard work into it, but my best advice would be to take it slowly and enjoy what you’re doing! No need to log up 450 dives- diving is an amazing recreational sport and doesn’t require much physical work. Hey if you’re bad at netball, or volleyball ( just like me ) diving is your other option! You don’t need skills! Only patience and a love for the sea! Good luck!”
Some of Indigo’s Prestigious Certifications include:
- Junior Open Water Diver
- Junior Advanced Open Water Diver
- Junior Rescue Diver
- Junior Master Scuba Diver
- Junior Century Diver
- Junior Silver Diver
- Junior EANx Diver
- Junior Drysuit Diver
- Junior Peak Performance Buoyancy
- Junior Underwater Navigator
- Junior Night Diver
- Junior Digital Underwater Photographer
- Junior Drift Diver
- Junior Project AWARE Diver
- Junior Coral Reef Conservation Diver
- Junior Diver Propulsion Vehicle Diver
- Junior Search and Recovery Diver
- Junior Sidemount Diver
- EFR – Emergency First Responder
- Ocean Reef Full Face Mask Diver
With a true passion for deep-sea diving, Indigo works hard every day to encourage kids to follow their dreams, and to give scuba a try! A true New Age Girl, she hopes to foster a new generation of curious individuals who hope to make the best of the world around them, and always try their hardest! Being the second-youngest junior master scuba diver, she has learned much from our world, and what the seas may be telling us!
You can read more about Indigo’s adventures on her website and social media pages:
Website: Indigobolandrini.com
Instagram: @indigobolandrini_diving
Facebook: Indigo Bolandrini (public figure)
Twitter: @indigosky3