Good news for watersports wallflowers

By Malcolm Weatherup

A PRODUCT designed for “water sports wallflowers’’ is catching on fast in the Pacific.

The ‘Australian Snorkeler Afloat’ is a inflatable PVC apparatus, ergonom ically designed to support the body at the correct angling for surface snorkeling. It is made with two separate air chambers if one is punctured, the swimmer still has some support in the water.

The product is good news for a surprisingly large number of people who miss out on the grandeur of underwater seascapes because they cannot swim, or feel insecure when snorkeling.

According to the company, proof that the problem is widespread is seen by the runaway success of the new product during the early tourist season in north ern Australia. It also is catching on fast in the Seychelles Islands and the Mal dives, and Trad clinks Pty Ltd of Suva has just been appointed its Fiji agent.

One of Australia’s most experienced underwater photographers and explorers, Ben Cropp, has done extensive

testing of the Float on the Great Barrier Reef, and he believes the product will be those wanting to get the best vle ™ Th ? product will provide a new experience for non-swimmers who would otherwise miss out, but it also is ideal for experienced swimmers. It will allow the confident snorkeler to float for much *png er periods on the surface without tinn g* Also included is a long retaining cord wi ? h a wrist st r a P> to all ow experienced swimmers to dive to the seabed without oat drifting away, The Float was designed by Townsville tour boat operator Doug Tarca, who noticed that many tourists he took out to the reef, particularly Japanese visitors, watched glumly from the boat while their companions saw the beauty of the coral gardens firsthand, It took Tarca four prototypes before he came up with the perfect design, which is made in three sizes.

“It will provide a missing link for people who’ve been missing out for so long,” he told Pacific Islands Monthly. □