Non Tactical, High Risk Diving...

[TacticalRifleBKH]

Figured I'd start a new topic....

I'm interested in hearing from any public safety divers about dives involving high risk environments, such as pipeline penetration, overhead environments, or extreme cold/ black water.....
I have hundreds of dives in these situations, and would enjoy hearing from other divers about team Prep,JSA's, and overall conduct of dive ops...

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[bd]

Hey Tac-

Dive story time:

Most memorable time I ever had was a SAR training exercise our team was on a few years ago (apparently 2 orange 50 pound concrete blocks had a little too much to drink and then tried to go swimming...hehehe). Lake diving in late Feb. Outside air temp was a balmy 50F. Surface water temp was 48F. Winds out of the north at 25 and gusty. Visibility: mask at surface, up to 3 feet at 40 ft.

We were told the bottom had "some trees" but was mostly rock with an average depth of 40 ft. Decided on a recon dive. The trees turned out to be an underwater cedar forest that had been submerged when the lake was built in the 60's. We decided to take our 12 man team and divide up into a search component, a recovery component, and a safety component. Since the cold was dictating our planning, we had EMT's standing by as well.

We had our report of basically where things went down and were limited with our options after the recon dive. No linear or grid search would work well, so we decided to run an arc pattern with a surface tender on shore with a two man team, and our standard two man safety team in gear. One problem with using the arc pattern was the trees, so we had to have a surface swimmer as well. We ran our line from the tender, to the surface swimmer, to the divers. I turned out to be the surface swimmer. So I got to swim the arc and the divers below me could have a marginal amount of freedom but still maintain a good pattern. We were all wearing 6mm 2 piece suits (so 12 mm over the torso). I don't care what they say, 48F water is the way lower limit for comfort in a wetsuit. One thing I always do is use heat packes and place them under my arms and along my waist. Helps a bunch. It was so cold your mouth would get numb with your regulator.

I had a hard time doing the surface swimming with the wind and waves, and the divers below had hell in the "forest". Even with head and hand lights, the viz was garbage. It took us about 1/2 hour of pattern to locate our targets and send up bouys. That was enough for us. I was exhausted from the surface swimming. We sent our second recovery team down to float them.

Having the EMT's on standby was a great asset. They got in some training as well checking us over once we got out (mod ambulances have great heaters).

All in all, that ranks as my most memorable. Even more than looking in zero viz for 5 day old bodies or any overhead dives. Got lots of other interesting dives as well.

BD

[sarc88]

Hey,
I recommend Dive Rescue International, run by Scott Romee (sp) in CO. Very professional organization I had the priv of working with as military diver. My knowledge of rigging, fastwater and search techniques went thru the roof just working with them. They focus on Public Safety and federal/state LE training and have a good www site.
sarc88

[TacticalRifleBKH]

sarc88,

I've had the pleasure of talking to Mr Romee on a few occaisions, I've even volunteered the assets of my company for use, anytime the need arises, as we are usually ready to fly within the hour..
I'm really just trying to increase the amount of interest within the DIVENET forum...
If anyone has any ideas I'd love to see them posted, so that we all as a team can further the knowledge base between Commercial, Public Safety, and Tactical L/E diving...LOL, who knows we might learn something safe from one another....

[skibum]

My team (the Summit County Water Rescue Team) routinely (actually, almost always) dives at operational elevations of 10,000' plus, visibility typically 6-18 inches, water temps generally 35-55F; air temps vary from -10F in the winter to quite comfortable 70's & 80's in the summer. We're a small, all volunteer team, surviving on the scrounging abilities of the more experienced members, grants (EMS, Fish & Wildlife, FEMA, etc) and a very small budget from the county government.

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Semper Fidelis

[TacticalRifleBKH]

I got to do some diving up in the Glaciers of Austria while I was stationed in Germany. No Swiftwater stuff but still pretty cool. I come from the school that believes that there is absolutely no such thing as a "Rescue Diver", only "Recovery Divers"...Although I do see the merits in Swiftwater Rescue...

Fellas, sorry I haven't been posting in a while, deepwater exploration projects have had me as busy as a one legged man in an ass kickin contest...Has anyone seen the new Hardsuits that oceaneering ordered, man straight outta star trek, lol, beautiful....

[DFC5343]

Got some gear for sale....

[skibum]

Yeah, you're generally right about the "rescue" vs "recovery" diving, although we treat every response within the "golden hour" as a rescue...HOWEVER, when you figure that it usually takes 20 mikes to muster at the rescue barns, plus 10 -15 mikes transit time (longer for more distant parts of the county), that golden hour is whittled away pretty quickly. Our rescues have always bees ice or swiftwater rescues.

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Semper Fidelis

[Linus]

Allright!

You guys are still at it over here, I take it? I thought these forums were as dead as my gramp...

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Honestas supra omnis

[Linus]

Well, at least I caught your attention for a while... Write some'n good now or I'll post more drag pics! :p

[dvpj]

Hey you got my attention too!
I've been up to my rear busy, and now have a little more free time...glad to see that bucketheads can still play here!

Years ago we were sent to Hill AFB to find an F-16 that was struck by lightening...the driver punched out after giving up trying to land his flying rock, and the plane went in at or near part of the GSL called Bear lake. (BTW we were told that his wing man glided his bird back to base!)

The vis. was ZERO, water temp was in the 50s, and air temp in the 20s-30s with wind to boot! We ate up half a dozen props. We got our truck stuck so many times trailering the boat the AF left an all-terrain forklift out there for us! Not to mention the absolute insanity of scuba ops in a F%#$&*G saline lake! We sucked up Air Force per diem for three or four weeks.

Never found mister airplane, just small pieces of composite on the beaches around the lake. The only eye witnesses to the impact into the lake were a pair of poachers...who scored a zero on the reliability scale.

I will never forget the look on my buds face when the waitress at a Mexican chain resturant brought our drinks. One of the guys ordred a margritta and the barmaid brought a shot of tequilla and a slurpie! We still laugh about that!

The best part of that job was the short dive windows due to bad weather, and long nights at the local "strip joint" I think it was called leather and lace. We worked with CDU from NAVSTA San Diego, and EODMU3, I was at CSDG-1 then.

Great times! We had fun in those days. The Reagan White House was good to us!

[Linus]

Good story, but why are you guys always bitchin' 'bout the temp? Wusses... ;)

[dvpj]

A happy sailor/diver is a bitching sailor/diver.

If it wasn't the temp it'd be something else like the high altitude tables faxed to us. I think they were in French, and the fax was so typical it looked like it was crumbled up dabbed with coffee, then mimeographed before being faxed.
And, our doc...he was so occupied with the altitude, he would go for runs around the lake...he'd take a radio, but the guy would just go off and run just disappear.

But, bitching is in the NEC PQS guide for deepsea!
At least before we became a kinder gentler Navy.

[dvpj]

I guess they don't bitch anymore...they have focus groups and strive to reach out and make contact!

Sorry guys...but us old guys always say it was tougher back then.

[TacticalRifleBKH]

Man dvpj you got it right, lol I remember not too long ago doing a river job in Newell, WV at the old Quaker State refinery that was bought by Ergon Refining. It was winter, if I'm not mistaken about 14 degrees, and raining. I remember some idiot not too long ago told me that is wasn't possible to rain when it's that cold, yeah ok...... There was some huge labor dispute going on inside the refinery, blowing up the porta shitters, and guys up on the ridgeline taking potshots at any and everything they could...Gee bubba, was dat dare thang on the river with the guys in rubber suits, shit I dunno, lets shoot at it.........

Hey what is it with divers and strip clubs, lol when the dispute got bigger, we spent each and everyday and night in a club called Lady Goddiva's in some shithole steel town named Wierton, WV. Cool place, great people, lol, eventually got so they just stopped taking our money and gave us free.........um.......stuff, LOL.....I mean free booze!!!!

Be cool fellas, hope the years are being good to you......

Bruce:D

[dvpj]

Funny you mention strip clubs. I sit here and recall several jobs that were staged and mobilized with local "utilities" being easy to reach. Some of the "utilities" required were...Lowes, Wal-mart, Hooters, strip joints, bars, and a Mail Boxes, etc.

Overseas was a problem, we could'nt find Lowes or Walmart in Israel, Dubai, or Japan; so, a good ship chandler made up for that...and most know the local girlie bar scene!

[BP]

I think I heard that story once before. What year was that?
If it was the same story I am thinking of, I used to work with one of the divers on the op. Great guy. I thought you all recovered some stuff?

[dvpj]

We did two of those lake jobs; one in Pyramid Lake, NV (that one sucked), and that one in GSL, UT. Both were in the late 80s around October -November 85 or 86 the jobs and dates start to run together after a while.
The EODMU3 det OIC was a good guy with a oriental name...again memory fades a bit.
The master diver was an old DEVGROUPER...again the name thing..."Master...something or other"...hell I can't recall. You get it though. I did run into the Master diver on an A-6 recovery in San Fran. He was at the SIMA dive locker in Alameda then. During the lake job he was a CDU, San Diego guy.
If you see him ask him about the wrist rocket and the street lights!!! And, the speed prop polishing service they were running!!

[BP]

I am quite sure we are talking about the same op. He was probably a SSgt (Air Force Pararescueman), at the time.

I remember him saying something about the wind chill and high salt content, causing you to feel/look like you have taken a couple fists to the face.