JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR - HICKAM, Hawaii - U.S. Army Pacific Divers with 7th Engineer Dive Detachment, 84th Engineer Battalion, conducted their annual Deep Blue exercise aboard the Logistic Support Vessel - 4, the Lt. Gen William B. Bunker.
The primary purpose of the exercise was to reinforce the leadership skills and diving knowledge of the dive supervisors. During Deep Blue, divers trained on Recompression Chamber operations, surface-supplied deep-water dives, and scuba scenarios at depths of more than 120 feet.
"Our master divers ensure that our dive supervisors are sharp with their skills and protocols, so when they go out with a dive team, they're successful," said 1lt. Charles Masters, the detachment executive officer. "It's important that we keep all of our divers' proficiency at the highest levels. Lives depend on it."
The increased risk associated with deep water diving missions means the divers need a complete understanding of their equipment, conduct rigorous inspections on the equipment, and have a complete understanding of the operation.
"What we're doing here prepares you as a supervisor, to go out and be competent and know that you can handle situations if they arise in remote locations," said Sgt. Thomas Behar, a 2nd class diver and lead diver. "It gets you thinking about the things that you need to be concerned with as a supervisor when you're in those situations."
The team mitigated risks for future operations by reacting to simulated, emergency scenarios throughout the exercise. The scenarios included unconscious divers, underwater injuries and decompression sickness, commonly known as the bends. Soldiers had to assess and react to each situation accordingly.
The exercise also included operating the team's recompression chamber. The chamber, worth approximately $1 million dollars, simulates various ocean depths with air. The 7th Engineer Dive Detachment uses the chamber to treat military personnel and civilians suffering from decompression illnesses.
As the divers performed their tasks underwater, the Soldiers on the surface maintained the diver's life-support equipment. Trust between Soldiers is as vital as the diving-umbilical cables that supply the air to the divers below.
Soldiers from the dive team frequently support missions in Asia - Pacific countries like Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines.
While the dive team relies on each other, USARPAC relies on the unique capabilities of U.S. Army divers to accomplish necessary missions within the Indo-Asia Pacific area of operations.
"Our divers need to be able to operate in the most austere environments in the world," Masters said. "Although we are a small detachment, our impact in the Indo-Asia Pacific Theater is profound."
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