Florida State University's (FSU) Academic Diving program recently conducted a 40-hour training course on surface supplied diving techniques. The training utilized the Kirby Morgan Superlite-17B and covered topics such as regulatory compliance (OSHA, DOT, and ADC), advanced diving medicine, physiology and physics, line-tended, and surface-supplied dive searching techniques.

The training was hosted by the Florida State University Marine Laboratory at Turkey Point. The Marine Lab provided classroom facilities, lodging for all instructors and course participants, pier and storage facilities, and support craft for use as a diving platform.

This was the first offering of what will continue to be a series of intense training sessions designed to support the operations of public safety dive teams and the scientific diving community. The course was designed to provide thorough and intensive training while keeping cost and time requirements as low as possible allowing the largest numbers of active divers exposure to the training opportunities. The course also provides a platform for exposure to and potential incorporation of, established commercial diving safety measures and regulatory requirements into the diving techniques of the scientists and public safety officers. Additional training offerings will follow a similar intensive 40-hour model. Training can be tailored to meet the specific needs of various agencies and on-site training can potentially be coordinated for larger diving teams allowing training on the equipment generic to the dive team.

Emphasis on Regulations
The initial training focus for the course was a thorough lecture covering the OSHA, DOT, and ADC regulations governing commercial diving operations and the reasons behind them. Compliance issues discussed included commercial diving equipment, training, and personnel requirements.

This phase of training continued into an in-depth discussion of exemptions under the legislation, as well as supervisory responsibilities and liabilities in determinating the specific nature of projects in accordance with the regulations. A comparison of parallel safety requirements between the public safety, scientific, and commercial diving communities was presented.

The scientific and public safety divers perform diving operations under OSHA and DOT exemptions specific to each group. The goal is that, through combined training and open discussion of the techniques, projects, safety, and maintenance operations conducted by the different groups, safer and more efficient diving operations will be the result.

The next training modules included advanced diving physics, charting, calculations, diving physiology, and advanced diving medicine.

The next topic covered was identification of diving related injuries, with focus placed on conducting pre-project or annual baseline evaluations using standardized neurological examination techniques. Training for the next phase focused on the specifications and limitations of scuba diving equipment and techniques, full-face mask diving techniques (both scuba and surface-supplied), and hard hat diving using surface-supplied equipment and techniques. Advantages and disadvantages were discussed for each method of diving, as well as methods of selection of diving techniques for specific projects based on location, nature of project, support and personnel requirements, and of paramount consideration safety of divers and personnel involved.

Hands-on Training
Following a lecture on procedures specific to the Kirby Morgan Superlite-17B, the final course topic began with a discussion of the procedures and techniques involved for each position on a surface-supplied diving side. This allowed a smooth transition to the hands-on training, with students conducting pre-mission and pre-dive maintenance on the diving equipment and setting up the station for diving operations. A test dive was conducted by staff, allowing the students to perform as members of a diving side before the next day's diving.

The following morning began with an early start. The students again completed the station setup and maintenance procedures under the watchful eye of the instructional staff. The first training dive was conducted just outside the Marine Lab channel, allowing a shallow depth, sand bottom, and some amount of visibility. A staff diver critiqued the students on the performance of emergency procedures.

When all the students had completed the training objectives, the dive site was again moved back to the Marine Lab turning basin and pier facility, referred to as Murk Lagoon. The Marine Lab provided a wonderful training environment for the students to perform searching techniques and limited visibility diving, with a silt bottom and continuous influx of tannic stained fresh water adding to the challenge. The students conducted a series of searches using a combination of line pull signal controlled searching techniques, augmented with continuous monitoring and instruction from the topside supervisor. This allowed the students to become comfortable with standard diving terminology while using communications equipment.

An Extra Night Dive
The candidates asked for an additional night dive outside the normal course hours, which gave them an additional seven hours of training. The students' performance and motivation far exceeded the expectations of the instructional staff, including strong performance during operations conducted on little sleep long into the night and morning of the next day.

After a short reprieve of six hours, the candidates were again running through the procedures. When the diving operations were concluded, students performed post-dive and post-mission maintenance. They then met in the classroom for a course critique session. The training program will continue to be a tool scientific and public safety divers can utilize to expand their knowledge base and provide exposure to different techniques or new perspectives for conducting similar projects. UW

Jeffrey M. Lane is an instructor with FSU's ADP, as well as a certified ADC diving supervisor, life support tech, YMCA/CMAS scuba instructor, former US Army deep-sea diver, and former instructor for the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center. Contact Florida State University's Academic Diving Program for future course dates.

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