Competition heats up as mates square off over ciggies
Floyd Carter had no plans to give up smoking – then his mate decided to quit.
‘‘I didn’t want to be the one who failed, lost. Especially to Tony,’’ he said.
The pair are both on Huntly’s Subsea Training Centre course, studying for a commercial diving ticket. They may descend up to 50 metres, weld underwater, or use an ultrathermic lance to melt metal – so the stronger their lungs, the better.
Carter, 23, of Auckland, enjoys smoking and had no intention of stopping before the course.
‘‘Zero to none,’’ he said.
On the other hand, Tony Cleaver – 28, of Invercargill – was ready to chuck the habit.
‘‘I’ve had about two or three [cigarettes] over the whole five weeks,’’ he said.
The pair were fierce competitors in the five-week Once and for All programme, which Pinnacle Midlands Health Network runs in Waikato.
Almost 3000 people enrolled in the year from July 2017, Pinnacle figures say, and almost 53 per cent of them kicked the habit.
For the April to June 2018 quarter, the Waikato quit rate was about 57 per cent.
Subsea diver trainer Tua Karalus was a bit surprised to find about six smokers in his class – normally there are just one or two.
Their qualification could lead to work like salvaging ships, working on an offshore oil rig or dams, or biosecurity inspections of ships.
Smoking adds risks for divers, Karalus said, including carbon monoxide poisoning when they’re down deep, and the fact they’re working with large quantities of oxygen.
He asked who wanted to give up. One student said yes, and the others got on board.
So Karalus rang his sister – K’aute Pasifika chief executive Rachel Karalus – and asked if she could send a quit coach.
Roz Hooker arrived with gum, patches, lozenges, and a ‘‘smokerlyser’’ to keep the guys honest.
‘‘They have got to stop for their jobs, basically,’’ she said. ‘‘They’ll have more chance of getting employed if they tick non-smoker.’’
Things got competitive on Mondays, when Hooker used a smokerlyser to measure the carbon monoxide levels in the divers’ lungs.
Over 10 is classed as a bad reading and Cleaver blew a 13 at the start.
Now he’s down to one.
He coughed up a heap of stuff in the first few weeks, he said, but now feels he uses less air when diving and is more relaxed.
Carter has had to concede defeat to his mate, but his persistent morning cough is clearing up. And he had three or four cigarettes last week – ‘‘next to nothing, considering where I came from’’.
Anyone interested in doing the Once and for All programme can sign up online, through a GP, or by ringing 0800 6623 4255.
Those who pass the course receive a $50 supermarket or petrol voucher.