Ship's Divers

[Navy_Blue]

Never know if you have time between BMQ and your QL3 you might get the chance.  My room mate out west got luckey and did his Dive Course while he waited.  Its rare but an Ideal time to get it out of the way.  If not hold off till your MOC training is done, maybe even your tech course.  You have the next 25+ years man worry about the now.

 

[M Feetham]

The chances of you being loaded on a dive course while waiting  for you QL3 course are slim at best, however you never know what will happen if you ask. Once you get on your ship, youi probably won't get a chance at a dive course until at least your drawings are completed, there are a lot of drawing for any class of ship. Best bet, wait till your onboard and go talk to your PO1. Once you get a feel for how he regards you aspirations to become a bubble head, go talk to the ship's diving officer. Once he knows that you are interested he can assert a little pressure in the right direction when your packages are done. You still have to follow the chain of command as far as requesting the course but it will help. Don't try to work around your divisional system you will only f__k yourself in the end. The course itself is a blast with a lot of hard work, but it is awsome. Dry suit training , LMDE training and Mildly contaminated Water diving training. So good luck and remember No bubble no trouble.
Cheers Marc

 

[NavyGuy2006]

I haven't really understood and I have tried to look for the answer but what are the QL steps......after basic its sea enviromental then the first MOC....but where does QL3 fall into place....is there a QL2 and QL1?   

 

[SweetNavyJustice]

If I'm not mistaken the PRes has the QL1 and QL2 but I might be right out to lunch with that. 

As for the reg force: 

QL3 basic trades training
QL4 usually onboard qualification (in case of NESOP's there was an onboard QL4 exam, and now there is a seperate course before your 5's)
QL5 (also known in some trades as a QL5a), also the course required to make your Leading Seamans substantive (actually qualified)
QL6a required to make your PO2's substantive
QL6b required to make your PO1's substantive

And that's the end of your formal trades training. 

 

[Melbatoast]

If I'm not mistaken the PRes has the QL1 and QL2 but I might be right out to lunch with that. 

As for the reg force: 

QL3 basic trades training
QL4 usually onboard qualification (in case of NESOP's there was an onboard QL4 exam, and now there is a seperate course before your 5's)
QL5 (also known in some trades as a QL5a), also the course required to make your Leading Seamans substantive (actually qualified)
QL6a required to make your PO2's substantive
QL6b required to make your PO1's substantive

And that's the end of your formal trades training. 

Oops, you missed QL5b.  It's a prerequisite for Master Seaman, in the sonar world at least.  I'm not even sure if you can be made an acting-lacking Master without your 5b, but there haven't been enough courses run through for it to be an issue yet, though.  And, being loaded on it is a matter of where you merit, which is a little better than the old system of just having your QL4 done and Fleet Exam written/passed.

 

[youngboot]

I wondering if anyone here is Diver for the Canadian Navy. I have some questions about the trade of the Divers do you have take the same training as combat diver? I'm guessing not but i could be wrong. But what do you need to become A Canadian Navy Diver and what it takes? As well i hear of Ship Diver and Clearance Diver what are the roles of each of them? i did some search on this site and google and got Little info I would like to talk Canadian Diver here if there is any here on this site. Also where is the Diving unit in Halifax can someone who not in the Canadian Force walk in and  visit the unit sit down and talk to a Diver about the trade. I'm thinking about becoming a Diver but who like to talk to one that has years of it behind of him or her.

Thank You For your Time
Aaron

 

[M Feetham]

A lot of the questions that are being asked can be answered on the Fleet diving unit web sites. Go to the canadian forces web site then to the navy site and then find the fleet diving units, one on each coast. They should have most of the answers
Feet

 

[eliminator]

Ship's Team Diver PT Standards for express Test

ANNEX A -- PHYSICAL FITNESS STANDARD FOR CANADIAN FORCES DIVING PERSONNELThis annex prescribes the physical fitness levels that shall be maintained by
all CF divers. These levels are to be displayed during CF EXPRES Plan tests
and in-unit fitness inspections.
Table 1 -- Standards for Male Divers
                                AGE GROUPS

ITEM DETAIL                    17-19  20-29 30-39  40-49  50-59

1    Push-Ups                  35    30    25    21    18

2    Bent Knee Sit-Ups          44    40    34    29    25

3    Combined Hand Grip Strength101    105  106    103    96

4    Predicted Maximal          52.9  48.7  42.7  37.9  34.1
    Oxygen Consumption (ml/kg/min)

Table 2 -- Standards for Female Divers

                                AGE GROUPS

ITEM DETAIL                    17-19  20-29 30-39  40-49  50-59

1    Push-Ups                  21    23    22    18    15

2    Bent Knee Sit-Ups          35    31    24    20    14

3    Combined Hand Grip Strength61    60    60    59    55

4    Predicted Maximal          38.8  36.1  33.4  29.8  25.5
    Oxygen Consumption (ml/kg/min)

Note -- The above standard is only an interim one until a study of a diver's
true physical fitness requirements is made. Therefore, this interim standard
should not be accepted as the gold standard and diving personnel should
endeavour to attain a higher level of aerobic fitness.

I did my std course back in 04. We started off with about 11 candidates and finished with only 4. It was pretty intense, but it all depends on your staff an the physical fitness level of the course. They will Tailor the pt to your level so everyone is pushing 100%. IE, my friend and I were in very good shape, so we'd be constantly sprinting ahead of the main group and doing pushups till they caught up. An open water course did help. The first few days is when alot off ppl fail and it's due to their inability to relax underwater. I hear that my course was the last course where they duct taped everyones masks over.

BTW, anyone know much about the 5 day re-qual course. I'm loaded on one for this month, but not sure what to expect. I did the prepackage and got signed off from the doc, etc.

 

[Rhibwolf]

Aaron, if you still have further questions after the answers above, PM me.

As for the PT standards,  the little bit about it being interim has been there for a very long time.  It has been interim since at least 1999, when I did my first course, and probably even longer.  That said, I participated in the evaluations for the new Diver's PT Test, and I am glad that they are finally near completion.  I suspect that I may have done my last annual Divers EXPRES test, and will now be able to get exempt without worrying whether or not my inability to crush stones with my less-than-super-grip will cause me grief. The new test consists of a lot practical activities that bear a striking resemblance to what we as divers do.
It is broken into 3 sections:
land based - lift tanks, move kit, walk up and down ladders with tanks on, pull on ropes with great weights attached
Pool based - tread water at neutral buoyancy with a 5 lb bean bag in your hands, swim several lengths dragging a load,
Pool based - underwater - complete a timed distance swim at about 4FSW (works out to 8 x 90 second laps)
Its not too hard, but you sure know you are doing a test. It is way better than the CF EXPRES test, which you will still have to do anyways, but only to CF standards req for your age.

 

[navydiver]

All concerned
I can answer most questions. Regarding team size - max is 12 pers per major combatant. KIN class do not have dive teams.  Not an OPSEC issue as this info is public domain and quite UNCLAS. For those with DWAN access go to the NDHQ/CMS web site and hunt for MARCORD 46-500 (believe it is posted under DGMPR/DMPOR). I have links to it on my CF DWAN web site at MARPAC -> J3 Operations -> J3 MAR 4 OP READ -> J3 MAR 4-3 Diving and Coastal Warfare (that's me). It spells out most of what you folks are asking? Also the Naval Diving Operational Concept of Employment (my baby when I was in Ottawa) is also posted there. Both FDU(P) and FDU(P) post their course dates a year in advance on their respective web sites - linkable from my DWAN site.
Strength in Depth
Navydiver

 

[navydiver]

Of course I meant FDU(P) and FDU(A) in my last post - bent finger problems ;-)

 

[JackD]

Hi! I do apologise for breaking into this interesting exchange, but I thought the articles contained on the sideboard of this main article would be of interest to the diver community: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/07/opinion/07trumbull.html?th&emc=th The articles are on the raising and salvage of the sunken ships of Pearl Harbour during the war, and details the roles of ship's divers. These are pdf files of the original newspaper story which was not apporved for release at the time