Deep training with the Royal Engineers At the end of October I visited the beautiful Scottish island of Skye, where the Royal Navy and Royal Engineers do their deep diver training, writes Michael Cocks. My trip was made possible by Major Stuart Robertson, and I was well looked after by two of Stuart's senior instructors, Sergeant Paul Farrell and Corporal Paul Beardall, with assistance from two other highly trained divers and the class of divers on the Army Advanced (Surface Supply) Course number 8. Royal Engineer divers do an air diving course to train them in the use of the SABA scuba equipment. Then, after a year or so, they can attend the advanced surface-supply course. In 2004 these courses are to be combined so that trainees will complete all diver training in ten weeks. There is a three-day aptitude test, including a three-hour endurance dive, before students are accepted on the course. It is fairly common for students to fail, although most are allowed to come back on a later course. I was privileged to be one of the few civilians to be allowed to take part in this training. On my first dive I accompanied Paul Beardall down a shot line 35 metres to the seabed to watch him do some Broco cutting. The ascent up the shot line, with heavy weighted boots, and the 10-minute in-water stops were exhausting but exhilarating. Old wreck preparing for a dive to check through-water comms during the Army Advanced (Surface Supply) course on the island of Skye, in the Scottish Highlands My second dive was a shallow one in an Aga mask to test the through-water comms provided by Divex. I had seen these in use earlier as the students dived on an old wreck in threes to a depth of about 15 metres. These comms worked a lot better than some I tried a few years ago. My first dive was supervised by a diver undertaking the Army Supervisors' course, and I applaud the fact, that, unlike in the ADC scheme, the would-be supervisors are tested on a real dive. The equipment worked well and my dressing in and tending could not be faulted. Every morning the students are fully briefed on what will happen, and the standby diver and anyone who is worried about clearing his ears is put in the chamber and compressed - a sensible practice that I had previously seen in operation only at Plymouth docks. Nothing is taken for granted and all the time, even when doing the in-water stops, the divers are asked questions. The instructors frequently dive with the students to watch them at work - another excellent way of ensuring accomplished divers. Disentangle I also discussed the Royal Engineers training that takes place at Horsea Island, and I particularly support the testing of companion diving drills, where the standby diver is crashed out and has to disentangle another diver wrapped up in his own umbilical. I have asked if I may take part in this exercise next year. As I have said in past articles, it is important that a trainee diver is subjected to some stress. Rather than merely being put down to depth in a hot-water suit in a wet bell, he needs to have to climb down and up a long shot line and do some physical work at depth and be given difficult tasks to undertake. In the July/August 2001 issue of Underwater Contractor International there was an article on the work that Royal Engineer divers have to carry out both at home and abroad. Some of the divers on this course had worked in Kosovo, and as a small team they have to be conversant with every aspect of diving, including the maintenance of equipment. Extra pay Kitting up for a surface-supply dive, which was supervised by a diver undertaking the Army Diving Supervisors' course. Every morning students at the Skye centre are fully briefed, and anyone worried about ear clearing is put in the chamber and compressed. At the time of writing there are more than 400 qualified RE divers - 105 Army Diving Supervisors and 64 Unit Diving Supervisors, looking after 105 Advanced Divers (Surface Supply) and 146 Army Compressed Air Divers. Much to my surprise, there is not a long line of engineers lining up to do the course, even though divers get extra pay for their work. Perhaps many are not willing to undertake the tough training. I could not have been made more welcome by everyone on the Royal Engineers course - particularly by the students, some of whom were about a third my age. I still enjoy my dives and it enables me to see at first hand how good the equipment is and how thorough are the preparations for a dive. I never claim to be a full professional commercial diver. I hope I am a safe one, but I do feel by diving at various schools that I can form an opinion of which are excellent and which need to be improved. I have never had any hesitation in assisting ex-Royal Engineer divers to find work. I know that in almost every case they will make disciplined and efficient commercial divers. All they will need to do on leaving the army is a week's top-up course, involving dives in a hot-water suit and wet bell, which should not cost more than £1500. I was pleased to see again that the fine tradition of army diving begun in the mid-19th century by General Pasley is being fully maintained.

© 2003 Underwater World Publications Ltd.