The Combat Diver Course is a 31-week course specifically designed to train military divers of the Navy. The course is divided into four phases as follows: Phase 1 is the Physical Phase, where trainees go through strenuous training to train up their physical and mental strength. This phase ends with the Team-Building Week, more famously known as "Hell Week". Phase 2 is the Diving Phase, where trainees are taught techniques in basic diving, as well as land and underwater demolition. Phase 3 is the Land Combat Training Phase, where trainees go through land-based training. Phase 4 trains shipboard competency. (http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/mindef_websites/atozlistings/navy/microsites/ndu/index.html)
It was with great jubilance as the family witnessed the Passing Out Parade of Clem from the Diving Phase of Combat Diver Course on 10 Nov 07. He is now in Phase 3 which is the Land Combat Training Phase.
NDU is the only unit in the SAF that specialises in diving. The bulk of NDU’s responsibilities lie in search and rescue (SAR), explosives ordnance disposal (EOD) and general salvage work. Readily responsive to calls for assistance, our naval divers are also involved in less critical situations, such as “evidence recovery.” MSG Norris Charles, a veteran instructor, said: “There was once in 1994 when we spent five hours below Anderson Bridge recovering a gun which was accidentally dropped by a robber!”
One of the most challenging tasks for the EOD divers took place in 1990 when a team of 60 divers worked around the clock for three days to clear 21 World War Two bombs in the waters off Pulau Brani. MSG Charles who specialises in EOD said, “Mine clearance is a very long process, as it can take days, weeks or months. All EOD divers have to attend a specialised course before they qualify as mine clearance divers.”
He emphasised: “Of course, safety is top priority. We inspect every single diver before diving to ensure that his equipment is fully demagnetised to prevent any explosions when approaching underwater mines.
“On top of that, every mine clearance diver goes through currency drills under close supervision every quarter so that he is thoroughly familiar with all the standard operating procedures.”
Although naval divers operate primarily underwater, they are certainly not “fishes out of water” and will surface in times of need. NDU’s combat capabilities include shipboarding, force swimming (groups of divers swimming in formation) and close quarter combat. Such capabilities are necessary when hostages have to be rescued from hijacked ships or when ships suspected of carrying contraband cargo have to be boarded and searched. SSG Eric Tay, a combat-trained NDU diver said, “Compared to normal salvage jobs, combat diving is a different ball game altogether. There are special tactics that you need to learn. In order to be a good combat diver, you must also possess situational awareness and survival instincts.”
He added: “Fitness also plays a part, because you are not just diving. You also have equipment and weapons, and you will have to swim fast. The diver’s mental state is also very important, as in how much you can motivate yourself to achieve your objectives.”
PUSHING TO THE LIMITS
A firm grounding in physical fitness and mental agility is provided to all trainee divers during the training process at NDU. As in all cases, training builds the competence required to perform the job. However, it is a little different in the NDU, where every trainee diver knows that the training will either “make or break” him, depending on his determination to persevere through the rigorous training.
It takes about six months for a trainee diver coming straight from Basic Military Training to complete his Class 2 Diving Course, where theoretical and practical knowledge on diving is imparted. To build up the trainees’ water confidence level and their knowledge of how their equipment would perform underwater, a pool competency course is conducted in the first half of the course. Under the watchful eyes of the safety officer, trainee divers are subjected to simulated stress akin to actual underwater conditions.
Each diver’s performance is closely monitored to ensure that he is competent in managing potential underwater problems. During these drills, all trainees must maintain a cool composure and alert mind to be able to extricate themselves from the problems that they face underwater.
After he clears this stage, a week of sweat and toil awaits him. Popularly known as ‘hell week’, the old adage - the survival of the fittest - certainly applies here. Hell week means a gruelling 120 hours of non-stop physical exertion both on land and in water, with trainees allowed three hours of sleep only on the third day. Only the best will make it.
SSG Tay said: “The aim of hell week is to let each individual know that he can be pushed beyond his limits. There is a saying that the human brain is about 10 times stronger than the body. There’s no way you can test a person’s psychological strength until you break his physical strength first.
“So the first three days of hell week are very physical. However, you must keep on going if you want to succeed. Those who quit will be deemed unsuitable to be naval divers. You have to be a team player to survive. There’s no ‘Rambo’ in the Navy.” If you thought that hell week would be the culmination of training, guess again. Naval divers have to brace themselves for another three months of basic combat training before they can graduate from the course. In this last phase, trainees are taught the rudiments of combat tactics. In an exercise called drown-proofing, trainee divers are dumped unceremoniously into the pool with their hands and legs tied. They are then required to bob up and down in the pool, swim for about 100 metres and perform manoeuvres like somersaults underwater.
Without a doubt, our naval divers are all set to create a deep impact in the new millennium. “Nothing stands in our way” was the motto adopted by NDU in 1995 to reflect the daring and “can-do” attitude of the divers. You can be sure that with the tenacity, grit and determination of our naval divers, nothing will stand in their way.
(http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/Singapore/NDU/Default.htm)
