Divers become creatures of observation

FDU divers PO1 Giles Pease (top) and LS Ryan Burrell (bottom) dive in the Pacific Canada Pavillion at the Vancouver Aquarium. PO1 Pease is diving with CABA (SCUBA) dive gear and LS Burrell is diving the CCDA rebreather.

FDU divers PO1 Giles Pease (top) and LS Ryan Burrell (bottom) dive in the Pacific Canada Pavillion at the Vancouver Aquarium. PO1 Pease is diving with CABA (SCUBA) dive gear and LS Burrell is diving the CCDA rebreather.

Rachel Lallouz , Staff Writer –

Five clearance divers plunged beneath the surface in an unusual environment a week ago.

The members from Fleet Diving Unit Pacific (FDU(P)) donned wet suits and rebreathers over the Jan. 16 weekend and slipped into the Pacific Canada Pavilion tank at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre.

Surrounded by halibut and sturgeon, and under the watch of visitors, the divers carried out demonstrations to showcase their navy work. Interactive displays were also set up inside the
aquarium.

“People don’t know what we do, typically,” said Lieutenant (Navy) Greg Oickle, FDU (P) Executive Officer. “So there was a lot of contact with the public and it gave us the opportunity to talk to others about our jobs doing clearance diving or port inspections.”

Lt(N) Oickle and PO1 Giles Pease teamed up to give a special presentation on diving opportunities within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) on Saturday afternoon. More than 30 people listened raptly as they discussed training, career paths in military diving, and basic diving tasks.

“They send divers down to diffuse explosives, risking their lives, and the extent of what they do is amazing,” said Nerina Black, a seminar audience member. “I had no idea they do so much. They truly save lives.”

The Aquarian’s annual Divers’ Weekend, now in its 17th year, focused on the Arctic, with seminar topics ranging from the impacts of climate change to exploring shipwrecks in the waters off Cambridge Bay, NU.

During the clearance diver presentation, Lt(N) Oickle talked about diving under the Arctic ice last spring following the discovery of the HMS Erebus wreckage, one of the ships that sank on the journey to find the North West Passage during the 1845 Franklin Expedition.

Leading Seaman Marc-Andre Ouimet, LS Ryan Burrel, and Petty Officer First Class John Wood were also on hand to carry out two morning and two afternoon diving demonstrations.

“Two divers would suit up in either a wet suit or dry suit and head to the tank, where they were counted down to enter the water by the narrator as the crowd watched through the underground viewing glass,” says Lt(N) Oickle. “Once underwater, divers swam around, gave high fives and waved to the kids.”

Divers then demonstrated the difference between regular scuba diving gear and rebreather diving gear. With rebreather diving gear, carbon dioxide is filtered from the air through a closed system, meaning no streams of bubbles form in the water as the diver breathes. This is used primarily during underwater bomb disposal so as not to disrupt the device.

“We all really enjoyed getting to be behind the scenes at the aquarium,” said Lt(N) Oickle. “Just getting to be where the general public isn’t allowed was something really special. The whole experience was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity, not only for us but for the audience as well.”

 

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