JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
The 511th Engineer Dive Detachment at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, held an exercise to practice various diving techniques and certify diving supervisors in emergency protocol Oct. 9 through Nov. 5.
The team reacted to simulated, emergency scenarios throughout the exercise to include unconscious divers, underwater injuries and decompression sickness, commonly known as the bends. Soldiers had to use their training to assess and react to each situation accordingly to receive their certification.
The exercise also included operating the team's recompression chamber. The chamber, worth approximately $1 million dollars, simulates various ocean depths with air, and is used to treat military personnel and civilians suffering from decompression illnesses.
“Exercises such as these are very important because of the risk that our divers take,” said Staff Sgt. Ray Cortright, 20th Engineer Brigade diving supervisor. “Diving is always extremely hazardous. We mitigate this risk by training and certifying all levels of divers through the year.”
The exercise is also used to help prepare master divers, the highest level of diving proficiency an enlisted Soldier can attain.
“Our master divers go through the same training as the diving supervisors, but literally twice as difficult,” Cortright said. “Also, they don’t do this qualification at their unit, they go in front of a panel of five master divers in Panama City, Florida. Tensions are high and the scenarios can last anywhere from one to two hours.”
Divers start off their training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri where they go through a high intensity, high stress three-week course covering the basics of diving. Phase two requires them to go to Panama City, where they spend six months diving and learning new skills.
Once their training is complete in Panama City, they split off into different teams in Virginia or Hawaii.
“I’ve been with this team for two years and there’s no other team I’d want to go to,” said Spc. Garrett Utsler, 511th EDD two check diver.
Utsler, like all the other divers, must go through different checks before getting in the water.
It starts with putting on all the appropriate equipment such as a harness and other gear, which a supervisor will check over. A team member known as the tender then puts the dive hat over the diver and secures it. After a few other service checks of equipment and communication lines, the diver is ready.
“This exercise also gave our new Soldiers an opportunity to sharpen their newly inherited abilities, like dressing out a diver, tending divers, and operating equipment on the dive side,” Cortright said.
This certification will ensure the Army can trust each diver to be safe and complete each mission successfully no matter what the task is.