Practical training in depth
As part of their training at armasuisse, the apprentices Tirza and Noelle as well as the practice trainer Sina gained comprehensive insights into the world of the army divers. Not only were they able to view the material, but also try it out themselves in a real «diving baptism».
Calista Radjenovic, Communications Department, Strategic Staff
The army divers ensure the core competency of diving throughout the entire Armed Forces. They conduct engineering technology investigations under water, search for and rescue persons, material and ammunition and perform various underwater jobs. In addition, they support the forces in safety and rescue services at and on the water. They also perform periodic underwater inspections on infrastructures.
This insight into practice was enabled thanks to the close cooperation with the army divers, whose amphibious material is provided by the procurement team of the competence centre. Amphibious materials are military-grade materials which function equally well on land and water and are extremely resistant.
First of all, the Head Army Diver, the Head of Army Diving Training and one of the army diving instructors introduced the participants to the theoretical principles. The introduction ranged from safety aspects to materials science and practical diving.
Tirza, Noelle and Sina were then allowed to enter the water themselves and experience diving under professional guidance for around 20 minutes. They completed various exercises including mask change and changing the breathing valve.
All three mastered the tasks confidently and at the end received the official certificate on passing the «Diving baptism of the army divers». This experience combined theory and practice clearly and demonstratively and offered the apprentices valuable insights into an unusual field of activity.
