On the second day dive in Cairns, I was given the opportunity to try out a
'new' piece of equipment that the manufacturer hoped would be of use to dive
operators carrying out 'Try-a-dive' courses!  (Personally, I'm opposed to
'try-a-dive' courses.  In my book people either have a burning desire to
dive - or they don't! :-)

Called the 'Power-snorkel' it consisted of a circular watertight housing
with a cell battery driving a compressor.  Air was sucked in from a
.75-metre high snorkel on top of the housing and then pumped into a large
thermo-plastic reservoir that floated on the surface.  The single hose from
the reservoir plugged into an inverted 'Y' joint with each arm having about
20ft of hose connected to a waist belt adaptor into which could be plugged a
regulator.  A large, bright yellow, inflatable ring surrounded the housing
like a doughnut and allowed the divers below to tow the unit behind them.

Having a claimed battery life of about two hours, Col and Lisa were the
first to try it out.  While Dave and myself swooped and soared through the
water; wrigggled in and out of swim-throughs; and fought off Titan
Triggerfish in the ocean depths, Col and Lisa drifted above us admiring the
shallow reefs.  :-)

On the second dive, Dave and myself took over the 'Power-Snorkel'.
Power!!!!!  I got to 5-metres before my left and right cheek met in the
middle of my mouth as I tried to suck air through!  Dave made one-half a
metre.  "Hah!  You bloody wimps!" said Col.   Spurred on by these
encouraging words we tried the unit again.  Dave went up to the surface
spluttering.  (Admittedly with only one person - me - breathing from the
reservoir it was marginally easier.  Marginally!)  :-)

Not game to have further accusations about my wimpish nature thrown at me, I
grabbbed hold of the 3-metre deco bar and hung on, desperately attempting to
suck air into my lungs.  As dizziness set in, I elected for wimpishness.  I
ascended and - back on the surface - said something like, "You're a better
man than I am, Gunga Din, if you can breathe off of that bloody thing.".
Col hopped in the water to show me how easily the thing breathed!  Face down
in the water and breathing through a snorkel, I watched him.  His eyes
bulged and his cheeks sucked in.  He ascended, towed in the unit and checked
the battery.  After about 60-minutes of total use it was pumping enough gas
to revive and out-of-breath nudibranch!  :-)

The up-side is that - back on shore - he bought me a beer!  :-)

With no gauges to show air pressure the 'Power-Snorkel' is yet another,
"Even-'though-I've-never-dived-myself-let's-make-it-easier-for-others", type
of device that doesn't even have the scientific credibility of the 'Nitrox
Snorkel'!  :-)

Just in my opinion, of course!  :-)

Strike