MEET Bolton's very own Little Mermaid – Amani Haddad.

The 11-year-old swam her first mile at the age of four and could now become one of the youngest people ever to complete an advanced scuba diving qualification.

Amani, called 'Little Mermaid' by her parents, travelled to Jordan in the Middle East yesterday to complete the Professional Association of Diving Instructors' (PADI) Master Scuba Diver course.

The Bolton News: SCUBA: Amani Haddad while scuba diving

The scheme is only available to people over the age of 12, but she plans to complete at the earliest opportunity, as she celebrates her 12th birthday when she is there and will complete her exams on her birthday.

Her mother Karen, of The Mews, Bradford Road, Farnworth, said her daughter has had a love of swimming since before she started school. She said: "By the age of four she had swam a mile at Farnworth swimming baths, and she had finished all her badges. She was asked whether she wanted to take swimming up competitively but she didn't want to.

"She started doing some snorkelling in a swimming pool as something else to do.

"At first we were told you couldn't start scuba diving until you were 12 but she started going to Bolton Area Divers who took her on and she learned to scuba dive and really enjoyed it. For her to have done this in the middle of her schoolwork is a great achievement."

The Bolton News: SCUBA: Amani Haddad while on holiday in Paris

The St Simon and St Jude's pupil has been a member of the Bolton Area Divers group for the past year, and has quickly passed all of her qualifications and proved she has experience and talent way beyond her years.

PADI says completing the course means that participants are part of an elite group of respected divers, and that less than two percent of divers ever achieve this rating.

To gain the award, divers must complete a minimum of 50 dives and complete tests in deep sea diving and rescue dives. such as learning to help people suffering from the bends, also known as decompression sickness.

Amani has completed dives in a number of countries but says her favourite place is Aqaba in Jordan, where she swam around a shipwreck.

She said: "You see so many different types of fish, diving is so relaxing and it feels like you're flying.

"If you enjoy something it makes it a lot easier. My favourite place to dive is Aqaba, I swam around a shipwreck and it was very interesting."

Shereen Roberts, the manager of Bolton Area Divers club, said she will be the youngest person to complete the training in the 19 year history of the club, which is based in Brownlow Business Park.

She said: "Usually people completing this qualification are 18 or over, so for Amani to be doing it at her age is a real achievement. This will put her up there among a very select few in the world, as this is the youngest possible age for her to have achieved this level of training."

To watch a video of Amani scuba diving visit theboltonnews.co.uk