Lynn Eastes is a volunteer with Reach for a Dream. She accompanied Mohammed Hendricks at the Two Oceans Aquarium on 26 February 2011 – it was his dream to experience a dive here.

The Hendricks family met dive instructor Iain Robertson and myself at the Two Oceans Aquarium early on the Saturday morning.

Mohammed, wearing his Reach for a Dream (RFAD) cap from camp, was full of smiles.

We went upstairs to a room on the Aquarium’s roof, where Iain told Mohammed all about the ins and outs of diving and what he can expect to experience.

Mohammed had a few questions in between, but when Iain was finished explaining and asked him whether he had any other questions, he just hesitantly pointed to the “Shark Attack Medical Kit”.

Iain laughed and assured him that it had only been used once – for an employee whose finger got nibbled by a turtle – and that they continually have to throw the kit’s contents away because it expires.

Mohammed was happy with his answer and with that we were off to find him a wetsuit.

While we thought he might be a bit nervous about his dive, just the opposite was true. He was beaming with excitement!

We went to a diving school’s swimming pool in Blouberg so that Mohammed could practise breathing with scuba gear and swimming with flippers. He did extremely well and his little brother loved splashing in the water.

We were able to take photos of him under the water thanks to a glass panel on the side of the pool.

When he got out after about an hour, he confidently declared: “It is better to be under the water than on land!”

No doubt he was going to go ahead with his dream dive (Iain had had three people not go ahead just the day before)!

We went for a quick bite to eat at the V&A Waterfront – Mohammed, his sister and their mom had Simply Asia and his dad had food from Anat.

Mom and Dad said that they had always wanted to eat there so it was like a mini-dream come true.

After lunch, Mohammed ran ahead to get to the Aquarium and told us he’d meet us there.

The more his excitement grew, the more anxious his parents were getting, but his sister was also full of excitement for him.

Back on the roof, Iain and Mohammed got changed and headed for the top of the I&J Predator Exhibit.

Two Oceans Aquarium Tourism, Communications and Sustainability Coordinator Renée Leeuwner was also there to witness this wonderful experience.

As soon as Mohammed slipped into the water, we ran downstairs to see them submerge.

His parents were extremely nervous, but Mohammed does not have a scared bone in his body!

He had an absolute ball, swimming between the yellowtail, rays, turtles and, of course, the ragged-tooth sharks. They even found a shark tooth that he could keep.

He must have felt like a real celebrity with all the Aquarium visitors taking photos of him!

After 27 minutes, the divers were on dry land again – and a very relieved family surrounded Mohammed, who told them all about his amazing experience: How it felt, what he saw and how much colder it was than it had been in the pool!

The family was so grateful for what we had organised and after Mohammed got an official certificate from Iain, they went for a walk around the Aquarium, with his little brother constantly calling “Piiiish! Piiiish!”

Reach for a Dream seeks to alleviate the strain that a life-threatening illness takes on children and their families, by providing the children with the opportunity to realise their dreams. The following letter is from Reach for a Dream: Western Cape Branch Manager Heidi Rowley.

Dear Anne-Marie, Iain and all involved in Mohammed’s dream

There is no way for us to adequately express our sincere thanks to you and the team for facilitating Mohammed’s very special and unique dream!

When I met with Mohammed to do his assessment, he was a very quiet and reserved boy, but it certainly does seem as if still waters run deep – who could have imagined that this would be his dream and that he would actually go through with it!

I think you have definitely given Mohammed renewed energy to face another day … He is even writing a book about his experience. You were all just so amazing. So patient and willing to help make Mohammed’s dream a reality – thank you! We are incredibly grateful to each of you.

With grateful and sincere thanks,
Heidi and all at Reach For A Dream