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Now, there should have been a Miss Scuba Belize pageant to ensure that the best candidate was selected. That wasn't done because Miss Scuba International has a series of requirements that potential candidates need to meet, and Joswanie was the only one who met them all. Today, the local coordinators hosted a press conference to introduce her to the nation. 7News spoke with all involved about this opportunity being presented to Belize for the first time. Here's what they told us:

Zenaida Moya - National Director, Miss Scuba Belize
"We had the website. We had our Facebook page, and we asked around also. Person applied. We did have different persons applying, and it had to be shortlisted as to who met the qualifications. Two of the qualifications had to be that you can swim. There is a certain distance you have to know how to swim. You also have to know how to scuba dive. So you have to be a certified scuba diver. So, Joswanie was the only one who met all the certifications. You also had to be a minimum of 5 feet, 4 inches. So, she surpases that as well, and of course, you have to be fluent in English. You have to have excellent knowledge of marine conservation, and so forth. And so, all those had to be looked at, so, as I told you, it's important that people learn how to swim, because just by not knowing how to swim, it would put you out of the competition."

Ofier Casanova - Pageant Coordinator, Miss Scuba Belize
"Joswanie will be preparing for a number events, where she will be at Malaysia. Actually, she has been preparing when it comes to the pageant. She has been doing the catwalk like Miss Zenaida said. Also, she has been preparing with her talent. We have found that she is a very fast learner, and she definitely has a strong possibility of winning, and we let Belize, our entire nation, know that Joswanie will represent Belize the way an ambassador should be representing. She will represent Belize, and she will definitely be making all of Belizean on a whole proud."

Joswanie Hall - Miss Scuba Belize
"My thoughts are to promote my country, and it's beautiful things it has. Many of us do not explore it, but I can say that this weekend was my first weekend I went diving. And it was really challenging for me, but I got out there, and it was so amazing under the water. It's like a different world."

Reporter
"How long have you been swimming, since that's one of the requirements?"

Joswanie Hall
"I'm 18 right now. I started swimming like about 9 years. I can swim so, yeah."

Reporter
"In terms of being able to promote the country, if you were on the world stage right now, what would you tell the world to promote Belize and the environment."

Joswanie Hall
"Well, I would tell them about the things it has that they could come, and enjoy, spend some time in Belize, and know what Belize has because of its beautiful eco-system it has."

Zenaida Moya
"We want her to win the area of not only talent, but also marine conservation. It's a big deal. Who wins the marine conservation segment often times is the one who wins. I've been studying it, and so, I'm hoping that she'll be prepped well enough. She's an honor student. She can do it. And she will win in that segment."

Joswanie Hall and a small delegation from the Miss Scuba Belize team will travel to Malaysia in a few weeks' time to compete in the pageant which will run from November 6th to the 18th.