There are many reasons you should consider joining an Army's underwater arm. These reasons include Da Vinci’s underwater army to the most rigorous course for combat divers of the Army. You can even train alongside dolphins! Here are five great reasons to join the Army's underwater army. This is the best way to become combat diver.
Da Vinci’s underwater army
Leonardo da Vinci invents the diving suit. This device could have helped the Republic of Venice defeat Ottoman Navy at the turn of 16th century. At the time, the Mediterranean Coast was in turmoil as it was embroiled in a series of international border disputes, including a full-scale war.
Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance artist, was fascinated about the underwater world. To repel enemy ships, he envisioned a diving army. The soldiers would be equipped in diving suits to cut into enemy ships' hulls. Although this plan never materialized, the underwater army he devised may have inspired the invention of the first scuba equipment.
Special Forces combat diving school for the Florida Keys
A Special Forces combat school in Florida Keys is available to anyone who is interested in joining military service and learning how to perform covert missions underwater. The course teaches you how to use closed-circuit, heavy dive equipment. These equipments do not produce bubbles, making them very clandestine and perfect for covert missions. The training will teach students how to use a'mixed-gas' system such as a Draeger LARV which recycles the'mixed gases that a diver exhales into the cylinder. Students will also be taught about diving physics, and physiology. Students will learn how to treat injuries sustained underwater by divers.
One of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces Underwater Operations schools, or SFUWO in the U.S. Army’s Southeast Command, is located around the Florida Keys. Since the 1960s, the facility has been operating in the Keys. Combat diving training includes instruction in how to navigate on the seafloor. This training is important as a contractor once excavated munitions from the Civil War area. SFUWO divers were later partnered by the NOAA Blue Star programme, which aims protect the marine environment.
Toughest course for combat divers in the Army
Combat diving is a tactical aspect of combat diving. The Mark 25 Draeger Oxygen Rebreather underwater breathing apparatus is also taught in the course. It emits no harmful bubbles, so operators can swim unassisted. Combat divers learn how to navigate oceans and implement various insertion- and extraction strategies. This course is usually the most challenging course for combat divers.
Falkenstine had completed the Combat Diver Qualification Course for seven weeks. He was invited back to do the Supervisor Course. This course prepares them to manage combat dive operations. Combat diving requires physical strength, but also mental challenges. Falkenstine acknowledges the challenges of combat diving, but feels honored to be part in such an elite group. She claims that combat divers are a camaraderie unlike any other.
Training with dolphins
A dolphin-powered underwater army isn't a new concept. The Soviet Union has used dolphins to train its sailors. It also uses seals and other marine mammals as part of its training program. The Ukrainian navy resumed its training program after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Dolphins can dive and swim faster than humans. They are great patrol animals as they can dive with no decompression sickness. However, ethical concerns surround the use and possession of dolphins to be used as weapons. Animal rights activists long demanded the end of this program.
Diving in the Gulf of Mexico is dangerous
Oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico, contaminating the water with brown liquid oil and volatile, explosive gases. These chemicals can be harmful to marine life as well as those who are involved in clean-up. Avoid oily areas when diving in the Gulf of Mexico.
Even though commercial divers have sophisticated breathing equipment, it is still very challenging in the water environment. The water temperature is low, the currents and visibility are often poor. Divers must also be alert for mud, sand and sharks. Hyperbaric pressure can also be dangerous for divers.