London: Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton has passed an advanced diving course and is now a qualified scuba diver.
Kate has built on her enjoyment for scuba diving by passing a Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) advanced open water diver qualification, a Kensington Palace official said.
The qualification means the 33-year-old duchess can now dive to a depth of 30 metres (98ft) and will be able to join her husband Prince William, an experienced diver, on more adventurous underwater trips.
William is the third, after his father and grandfather, to head the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC).
"We are thrilled that The Duchess of Cambridge shares her husband's interest in the underwater world and has further progressed her diver training," BSAC chairman Eugene Farrell was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
The Duchess is thought to have gained the qualification from a diving school in Mustique, the report said.
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.
Kate is a well-known fan of tennis, sailing, skiing and hockey.
