Diving enthusiasts Graham Sharp, his son Craig, and Roy Cunningham, all of Gore, passed on scuba diving skills to about 25 children during the three-hour course.
The course came about by chance. Mr Sharp's daughter Keli wanted to go diving in Doubtful Sound but her father decided she needed some practice before the trip.
While carrying out that practice run at the Gore Aquatic Centre they were spotted by manager Kim Peterson, who was keen for them to pass on their skills.
Mr Sharp was surprised by the number of children who turned up for the event.
‘‘A whole lot of kids turned up. It was a fun session,'' he said. The children learnt basic scuba diving techniques, which involved using snorkels and fins.
The session began in the shallow end of the pool and progressed to deeper water, he said.
‘‘We were above them [the young divers], so we could go down and bring them up if they were showing signs of panic but they never did. They were totally confident in the water,'' he said.
The participants were all competent swimmers. The course increased their self-confidence, he said.
So successful was the course, Mr Sharp agreed to tutor a similar one during the next school holidays.
Mr Sharp has been scubadiving for 23 years and thoroughly enjoys the sport.
He said he normally went diving in Milford or Doubtful Sounds.
Mr Sharp, a member of the Gore Boat Club and The South Coast Underwater Club, took a party of 40 into Doubtful Sound at Easter.
He said among aspects he enjoyed about diving was seeing the vibrant colours of underwater plant life and fish.
He always went diving with a friend and took a spare regulator in case of emergencies.
‘‘Your diving buddy [often] becomes your good friend.''
