Coastguard divers sharpen emergency response skills
Divers with the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coastguard sharpened their emergency response skills at a special training session last week.
The seven-day course, organised in partnership with EcoDive, involved a “pretty brutal” fitness evaluation with a 500-metre free swim, an 800m mask-and-snorkel swim, 15 minutes of treading water, recovery of an item from the seabed and a weighted tread-water period.
As a result of the course, three instructors and six divers earned certifications with Emergency Response Diving International, a public safety diving agency.
Captain Jason Harrell, the coastguard second-in-command, said: “This is internationally recognised and will help raise the skills that we already have.
“We’re looking for new ideas and ways to increase our overall skill level as divers, as well as looking at different pieces of kit and equipment that will aid us in doing the job.”
Thomas Powell, a North Carolina-based instructor who joined the EcoDive training team last week, said the participants did well tackling training, which included working in reduced visibility and communication between a diver and those on shore through rope pulls.
He added: “We also do lifting techniques — anything from heavy objects all the way to a body bag that they need to control.”
Lance Corporal J. D. Symonds, who earned ERD Instructor certifications, said: “Our skills need to be refreshed so that we go out there and do the best that we possibly can, whatever mission or task is at hand.”
Corporal Neville Vanderpool, who worked for a recreational diving company before he joined the coastguard full time, added: “The training has been a good refresher to get in the water and put into practice, in more structured exercises, some of the skills that we’ve used in the past.”
Sam Bennett, the owner of EcoDive, said it was fantastic to partner with the RBR and expand their diving skills.
“It’s part of why I wanted to start EcoDive, so that we’re not just offering basic recreational courses and training but to advance that into instructor level, technical level and public safety as well,” he said.
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