For the quartet have passed a gruelling course organised by Nautilus Diving to qualify as open-water scuba diving instructors.

And -- as well as the ten-day course plus exams -- all four notched up extra courses from top sport governing body PADI, including first aid and servicing equipment.

The four graduates were Marco Barbersi, David Stafford, William Soares and Pc.

Christopher Taggett of the Marine Police Section.

William Soares will now work for his father, MP Harry Soares, at Grotto Bay Hotel's Scuba Look in university vacations.

Harry Soares said: "The vast majority of instructors in Bermuda come from overseas and the majority come in for the season, but these guys are all Bermuda residents.

"I'm trying to encourage more Bermudians to go into this -- it's a new frontier for us.

"We didn't exploit diving enough in the past, but with the whole tourist review going on, we have discovered that we have a national treasure on her hands which we didn't fully recognise.'' The course director was Boston, Massachussets-based Dr. Chris Michel, and the external examiner was Arch Archibald from Minneapolis.

And the four graduates will now join a growing tourist attraction for the Island as increasing numbers of divers catch on to the wealth of wrecks in Bermuda's waters.

Bermuda has recently notched up magazine firsts as the best wreck-diving site in the Caribbean area, as well as top marks for novice divers and out-of-water activities as well.

And the Island's dive shops have clubbed together to ensure they are jointly represented at trade shows in the US -- the Island's major market.

Mr. Soares said: "Before, dive operators were a very loose-knit organisation -- but now we meet on a monthly basis and work things out together.'' And he said the industry was gaining increasing support from the Tourism Department, singling out staffer Wayne Smith and Tourism Minister David Dodwell as keen advocates for diving in Bermuda.

Mr. Soares said: "We're now on the world map for diving and we are the new product.

"Many people we talk to have been to other places, but they've never been here before. It's new to the market and that's very exciting -- for us and for the divers.'' AWARDS AWD