THE WATERSPORTS PAGEANT WITH A PURPOSE - Most pageants do not have a fitness section, let alone a water sports competition.

Whether you are an Olympic athlete or just enjoy diving in the sea, or maybe with a club for fun, you will be most welcome to join in.

You should be able to swim to a reasonably competent standard to be eligible to compete in the Miss Ocean pageant, even if you wish to compete in the diving contest.

The point system ensures that all of the talents of a competitor are reviewed. Obviously, a practiced scuba diver will do better in this part of the contest, but we are looking for a willingness to enjoin in a team spirit that is needed to beat back the rising tide of pollution in our oceans.

Help us to put on a show of woman power in the water sports arena. Represent your sport during Miss Ocean and help us to make a difference.

The diving tests will be overseen by a local diving club. Lifeguards will be on hand and other organizations to supervise the quality of the competition, timing, etc.

AUG 3 2015 - Kensington Palace today confirmed that the Duchess completed the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Advanced Open Water Diver qualification, and can now join hubby, an experienced diver, in his underwater adventures.

The Duchess of Cambridge is now an advanced scuba diver after having successfully gained her open water qualification in Mustique.

A Kensington Palace official confirmed that Kate has built on her enjoyment for scuba diving by passing the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) advanced tests.

Now able to dive to a depth of 98ft, it means she can keep pace with her husband, who is also an experienced diver.

William is now the third generation of the monarchy, after his father and grandfather, to head the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC).

When he took on the role as president of the BSAC , the UK governing body, William said he hoped that little Prince George would follow him by taking up snorkelling and scuba diving.

The Duchess is thought to have gained the qualification from a diving school in Mustique, according to The Telegraph.

A spokesperson for the Duchess told the paper: '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.'

There are five dives - including the must-do deep and underwater navigation dives - which have to be completed successfully in order to gain the advanced qualification.

The deep adventure dive is about the planning of dives, how to deal with the physiological effects and challenges of deeper scuba diving.

Deep sea divers run the risk of contracting decompression sickness. Commonly known as 'the bends', is it a potentially fatal condition caused by nitrogen bubbles in the blood, which are formed as the diver rises to the surface.

The underwater navigation elements aims to fine tune compass navigation skills and helps you better navigate using kick-cycles, visual landmarks and time.

Photography, buoyancy control, fish identification and exploring wrecks are also part of the course.

BSAC chairman Eugene Farrell told The Telegraph the organisation was 'thrilled that The Duchess of Cambridge shares her husband's interest in the underwater world and has further progressed her diver training'.

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