Under the Deep Blue Sea
Story by Lt.j.g. Collin Bronson
Photos by Lt.j.g. Kyle Young
With the advent of the new Maritime Safety and Security Teams, the Coast Guard diving program was brought out from obscurity. Yet many people, even other Coast Guardsmen, don't know what it means to be a diver. It is a duty that goes largely unnoticed until a cutter needs its annual hull inspected or has a fouled screw.
From diving in the 28-degree waters of Antarctica to the tropical climes of Guam and the south Pacific, to Puget Sound in Washington State, Coast Guard divers are busy getting the job done. Coast Guard dive teams, like many operational units, are often tasked to perform under severe conditions with little advance notice. Divers provide service in the Polar Regions, support aids to navigation and port security missions.
Polar ice diving is probably the least understood of the three missions. The three "red ones," cutters Polar Star, Polar Sea and Healy, all have dive teams comprised of one diving officer and up to five SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) divers. Dive teams are tasked with underwater ship's husbandry (USH), scientific research support and casualty control.
Diving in the ice has a unique set of challenges to overcome in order for the divers to be safe and effective. The temperature plays a huge role in the ability to stay down for any period of time. When diving in 28-degree water, divers and equipment don't work as well as they do in 75-degree water.
Current dry suit technology keeps the body fairly warm in this environment but the one weak link is the gloves. Gloves are dry, but by no means warm. There is a fine line between gloves that keep a diver's hands warm enough, yet allow enough dexterity to work in. Typically, the amount of time a diver can stay on the bottom is limited by the length a diver can stand having near frozen hands.
The regulator, the device that provides air to the diver, also presents problems in the Polar environment. A regulator often "free flows" due to moisture collection and can cause a fairly rapid loss of air. The dive must be aborted if this happens. Redundant systems are always used and an absolute must in these unforgiving conditions.
With all of the hazards and effort involved in polar ice diving many would ask, why bother? But any diver who has spent time diving under polar ice will say it is one of the most amazing sights anywhere on earth.
Coast Guardsmen interested in the dive program should visit the Office of Cutter Forces' web site on the Coast Guard Intranet.
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