Finding His Quiet Place

The Story of T Cumming, the World’s Youngest Master Diver

Have you ever found it tough to focus?

Maybe your mind wanders in class, or during a conversation? For kids with learning disorders, that lack of focus can be nonstop—and can make school and other activities seem impossible.

That’s what it was like for Tennessee “T” Cumming, who was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and several other learning difficulties.

T struggled so much that, on school days, his parents often couldn’t get him out of bed. But everything changed when T discovered SCUBA diving.

In the quiet world beneath the waves, T found a place where his troubles drifted away and he could thrive—so he devoted himself to the sport, becoming the world’s youngest certified Junior Master Diver in 2016, a day after he turned 12.

After taking up SCUBA, T’s grades and social abilities improved—so much that he no longer dreaded going to school, and even gave a presentation to his classmates on how he’d become a master diver.