There are many reasons you should consider joining an Army's underwater arm. These reasons range from Da Vinci's underwater army to the most demanding course for combat divers in the Army. You can even train with dolphins! Here are five great reasons to join the Army's underwater army. It's the ultimate way to become a 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. The Mediterranean Coast was in turmoil and embroiled into a series a international border disputes.
Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance artist who was fascinated with the underwater world. He envisaged a diving army that would repel the invasion of enemy ships. They would be equipped with diving gear to make holes in enemy ships' hulls. Although this plan didn't materialize, the underwater army that he created may have inspired the first scuba equipment.
Special Forces dive school in Florida Keys
If you're interested joining the military, and would like to learn how you can conduct covert missions under water, then you could enroll in a Special Forces combat diver school in the Florida Keys. This course will teach you how to use heavy closed-circuit diving equipment. These equipments do NOT produce bubbles making them extremely clandestine and useful for covert missions. Students will be taught how a'mixedgas' system works, such as a Draeger LARV. It recycles mixed gases that a diver exhales back to the cylinder. During the course, students will also learn about diving physics and physiology. They will also learn how to treat a diver's injuries if they occur while underwater.
The water around the Florida Keys is home to one of the U.S. Army's only Special Forces Underwater Operations school, or SFUWO, in the U.S. Army's Southeast Command. It has been in existence in the Keys since 1960. Combat diving training teaches students how to navigate the ocean floor. This training is important because a contractor once dug up munitions from the Civil War in the area. SFUWO divers were then partnered up with the NOAA Blue Star Program, which aims at protecting the marine environment from hazardous materials.
Army combat divers face the toughest challenge
The Combat Diver Qualification Course focuses on tactical aspects in combat diving. The Mark 25 Draeger Oxygen Rebreather (closed-circuit underwater breathing system) is taught. It emits no air bubbles and allows divers to go unnoticed. The course also teaches combat divers how to navigate the oceans and perform various insertion and extraction strategies. This course is typically the most difficult for combat divers.
After completing the seven-week Combat Diver Qualification Course, Falkenstine was invited back to complete the supervisor course, which prepares them to oversee combat dive operations. Combat diving is physically demanding, but it can also be mentally challenging. Falkenstine states that although the training is very difficult, it is an honor to be part of such an elite club. She said she is astonished at the camaraderie between combat divers.
Training with dolphins
It is not a novel idea to create an underwater army using dolphins. The Soviet Union used dolphins to train their sailors. It also uses seals or other marine mammals in part of its training program. The Ukrainian navy resumed its training program after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Dolphins can swim faster than humans, and they have superior diving and swimming skills. They are excellent patrol animals and can dive without getting decompression sickness. The ethical issues surrounding the use of dolphins for weapons are still present. Animal rights activists have long called to end this program.
Dive in the Gulf of Mexico: Dangers
Oil from the Gulf of Mexico has leaked into the waterways, contaminating them with liquid oil and volatile, inflammable gases. These chemicals can cause severe harm to marine life and people working in the field of clean-up. Avoid any oily areas if you are diving in the Gulf of Mexico.
Commercial divers are outfitted with sophisticated breathing equipment but the environment in the ocean is still challenging. The water is very cold, the currents are turbulent, and visibility can often be poor. Divers must also be alert for mud, sand and sharks. Hyperbaric pressure can also be dangerous for divers.