Making a splash: Canadian Navy divers jump into P.E.I. training exercise

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Sarah Weir and Nour Houdeib, each sailors third class, sat on the fringe of the Bell Aliant Centre pool on Nov. 20 equipped in flippers, masks and heavy vests laden with scuba tanks and all the opposite gear wanted for a dive with the Canadian Navy.

Weir and Houdeib have been a part of a gaggle of naval reservists from HMCS Queen Charlotte in Charlottetown, HMCS Cabot in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and HMCS Scotian in Halifax who met within the pool on the weekend for some dive coaching.

Weir’s father was within the Navy and urged her to develop into a diver.

“He’s like, ‘It’s a terrific alternative,’” she stated, flippers flapping on the water’s floor.

The coaching train had a couple of function. It was an opportunity for members with older diving certificates to get checked out on some new know-how known as CABA-Lite. It’s a brand new materials that’s lighter than aluminum and has attachments that can be utilized in a wider vary of dives. 

Some members have been practising emergency procedures like rescuing a diver who turns into unconscious underwater. Others have been practising switching to an emergency respiratory machine from their facemask whereas underwater. 

Poolside studying

Sailor third Class Vlad Petrusevich, a port inspection diver candidate, hasn’t taken the entire coaching but, however he has handed his dive tender examination and is making use of his time to be taught poolside.

For instance, divers have to know the best way to talk with the dive tender and vice versa. 

“Within the Navy, we talk with the diver via the rope, we ship the indicators,” he stated.

Along with the coaching targets, the pool train was an opportunity to hang around with fellow Navy divers.  

Mischief was afoot as Sailor third Class Jake Goyette was making ready to dive in. His flipper saved mysteriously coming off whereas he was preoccupied along with his co-workers serving to him gear up. 

Bubbles and a darkish form beneath his toes gave away the prank – one in all his buddies was tugging away the strap of the flipper.

The joking was over by the point he hit the water, although, because it’s severe enterprise to hold almost 100 kilos of substances even within the close to weightlessness of the pool. 

On deck, Grasp Sailor Zack Barnes was conserving the dive tables, monitoring how lengthy every diver was down and the way deep. They have been cleared to 6-60 or six metres deep over 60 minutes.

Ending up too deep isn’t a difficulty within the pool, which is lower than 4 metres deep, however, just like the tender indicators, the tables are an necessary a part of real-world procedures. 

Alison Jenkins is a reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. She may be reached by electronic mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @ReporterAlison.