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13 February 2007
Six RNZE divers recently completed the Surface Supply Breathing Apparatus (SSBA) course, the second phase of their training at the Navy Dive School at HMNZS Philomel in Auckland.
The SSBA course teaches divers to use pneumatic and hydraulic tools, welding, metal cutting and underwater construction techniques.
SSBA is a very safe form of diving. Wearing a helmet or mask, the diver receives a continuous flow of air from the surface through an umbilical (hose) and is in constant communication with the surface via a two-way radio system. Air can be supplied to the diver from a portable compressor or dive cylinders.
With divers trained in SSBA diving, the RNZE Dive Team has an underwater demolition and construction capability that may be employed for prolonged periods. Scuba divers are usually limited to reduced underwater periods of around 30 minutes at 15 metres depth.
A highlight of the SSBA course was seeing fire underwater for the first time. A lowlight was experiencing an electric shock while welding underwater.
At the end of the course, participants Lieutenant Paul Mead, Lance Corporals Joshua MacLaurin and Lee Tauti, and Sappers Jeremy Pelvin, Kevin McCartney and Cody Hall, gained an Australian Dive Accreditation Scheme (ADAS) Part 2 Commercial Diver. This valuable qualification is recognised internationally.
The first phase of their training was the physically and mentally demanding four-week Defence Dive course, which teaches basic scuba diving in a military setting.
Underwater Ops
The RNZE Dive Team’s role is to conduct engineering operations underwater, including search and recovery, construction and demolition tasks.
With the completion of the recent basic diver course, the team increased in size. It is now aiming to remain a deployable capability for 2 Engineer Regiment.
To give new team members a better understanding of the team’s role and capabilities and a chance to practice procedures and skills, and to refresh the skills of experienced members, the team recently completed Exercise Splash Planet.
The week-long Exercise Splash Planet was held in Wellington. The capital city is an ideal location for diver training, as its harbour and many inlets allow divers to revise a wide range of skills.
Our first task, on behalf of the Wellington harbour master, was to find and recover concrete block yacht moorings that had lost their buoys.
We began by locating the moorings, by conducting a search group swim. This was conducted by a group of divers swimming in an extended line following a jack stay: a line weighted to the seabed which goes through the search area.
Once a mooring is found, they are marked with floats. Two divers are sent down to the mooring: one with a lift bag, the other with an inflation cylinder. The lift bag is attached to the mooring and inflated, lifting it off the seabed so it can be towed inshore and then marked for the harbour master to extract at a later date. This task was completed successfully.
Our second task was a ship’s hull search on the Bluebridge Ferry. The aim of this search is to ensure a vessel is free of limpet mines or improvised explosive devices, which may have been planted while the ship was docked in unfriendly waters.
Using an extended line-style search, one diver is on the keel, one is on the surface and a number of divers search in between, depending on the size of the vessel. All divers are connected together to ensure the hull’s entire area is covered.
The task ran smoothly. As the first ship’s hull search for most of the team since the Defence Dive Course, it was a useful “refresher” task.
At the end of the week, every team member walked away with more experience under their belt and a better understanding of what it means to be a Defence diver. With new divers constantly arriving, we hope to increase the frequency of this training to enhance our skill and endurance below the waves.
This page was last reviewed on 16 February 2007 and is current.
