Navy Public Affairs Support Element East Detachment Southeast
Do you think that U.S. Navy Divers have the easiest, most laid back job in the Navy? Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC) diving division proves that the job is not only hard, but very dangerous.
Chief Navy Diver (DSW/SW/PJ) Mark Cooper says he gladly will dispel the myth that diving is easy.
“People assume that we just dive in the water and look at stuff and play with equipment, they don’t realize that we fix things on ships and ensure that they stay mission ready.”
Cooper and his team of 10 divers perform task such as replacing and rebuilding Auxiliary Propulsion Units, (APU), replacing propellers and plugging valve holes for valve replacements. They work on various underwater jobs on the ships in the area in order to keep them mission ready at all times.
Cooper says the job is very physically demanding, which is why divers have to be in excellent physical condition.
Navy Diver applicants are tested in five areas of physical fitness: push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and running and of course swimming. The applicant must be able to swim 500 meters using either a side or breaststroke nonstop in less than 14 minutes. They have only a 10-minute rest and then must perform 42 push-ups in two minutes. The applicant gets a two-minute rest and they must perform 50 sit-ups in two minutes. After another two-minute rest, applicants are not timed but must do six pull-ups. They get a final rest period of 10 minutes long, then complete their test with a 1-1/2-mile run in under 12:45 minutes and Cooper says all of that is just to get into dive school.
Once an applicant is accepted into the dive program, the Navy Diver Preparation Course begins in Great Lakes, Ill. where the candidate endures 32 days of intensive training in engineering, academics, emergency medical services, physical training and water adaptability. Students become proficient in SCUBA, tying knots, using a mask and snorkel, and being comfortable under water. Once the prep course is completed, students move on to complete a 70-day training school at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Florida, for Second Class Diver training.
SERMC Diving Division Leading Petty Officer, Navy Diver 1st Class (DSW) Christopher Coreil says being physically fit is one major part to the job and the other major part is safety.
“It is really important to have your head on straight on the job because when you have guys in the water we are having to not only focus on the job, but also make sure the guys are getting enough air and that they are getting it correctly as well as making sure that whatever equipment is being used is operating correctly,” said Coreil. “There is absolutely no room for error in this job,”
Coreil said though the job can be dangerous he and his team do not really worry because they know they can trust the guys above and below the water to take care of each other.
“This job is about teamwork, there is no room for individual thought here,” said Coreil. “One thing we all know as divers is that up and down the chain throughout this community we all know how important it is to be safe and we all know that all of our lives depend on each other doing what we are supposed to.”
Cooper and Coreil say “Customer service is job one,” but they make it very clear that safety of their team is top priority.
Cooper said the team he is working with at SEMC is some of the hardest workers he has had the privilege of working with.
“I am very lucky with the group of guys I have here,” said Cooper. “No matter what time it is when we call them in, no matter what the mission is, they deliver top performance and they never complain. They really are a great team.”
So no matter what the task, Cooper says his divers will do their very best work and they will do it safely and with 100 percent.
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