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 My old dad said to me many years ago that the only way I could swim would be with the help of an oxygen tank. Well, after 40 years of being a total non-swimmer, it was time to find out if the guy was right. An upcoming cruise to the Pacific island of Vanuatu meant I needed help with my problem, immediately. If you can't swim, you don't get to properly see the colourful fish and pretty coral. With one day to departure, I turned to local scuba diving business Divewerks to finally find out if I could sink or swim.
Anybody from the Heathcote area who uses Port Hills Road to get to the city will have passed the large, blue compression tank with the words Divewerks painted on it. It's opposite the Caltex petrol station as you leave Heathcote and enter Opawa Road. For me, this day was different. Instead of driving past, I thought hard of pretty fish and coral, turned left and got talking to owner Russ Byfield. I told him I hoped he could fix a lifetime's non-swimming before leaving tomorrow, and his comment was that I had left my run pretty late!
 Russ has been organising diving courses and selling and servicing all the necessary equipment from the Divewerks site for over ten years. It is a pleasantly peaceful spot and is home to a three metre deep pool that looked like it would provide a stern test of my desire to see fish and coral. It wasn't long before Russ had me dressed up in a 5mm thick rubber wetsuit, large green flippers, gloves, goggles and snorkel.
The suit meant that the cold water wasn't a problem and I soon discovered that sinking wasn't either as I happily swum up and down the pool. Russ asked me to try to touch the bottom, knowing the air trapped inside would make it nearly impossible for me. Didn't stop me trying though and those watching said all they could see was my bottom going around in circles! With my confidence up, I was offered a heavy 14kg diver's belt to try on. One feel of the weight as I picked it up and a glance at the pool, and my confidence was back down in my boots (flippers?). Surely I would sink, possibly without trace. Russ had judged the situation perfectly though as again, to my amazement, I still found it easy to swim around in comfort.
 Driving home I realised my old dad was wrong. Anybody, even after 40 years of saying "I just can't swim", should take a trip down to Divewerks. For me, it opened up the opportunity of a couple of magical hours snorkelling off the coast of Pentecost Island, a small island in the island group of Vanuatu. I got to see my pretty fish and beautiful coral. Best of all though was a deep blue coloured starfish living in a hole in the reef. Give Russ a call and maybe you will get to see them all too.
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