Pushing Dive Limits at NEDU

The MK-21 helmet is used by divers in several branches of the U.S. military.

A behind-the-scenes tour of the Navy Experimental Diving Unit

By Aida “Idee” Belau

When scuba divers earn a certification card, they learn well-established rules and practices for survival underwater. From dive gear to behaviors, scuba divers memorize and practice techniques and safety measures developed through decades of research. Where does that research come from? Would you volunteer your mind and body to expand the limits of what we know about dive physiology and safety? The dedicated team of military professionals at the Navy Experimental Dive Unit (NEDU) in Panama City, Fla., does this on a daily basis.

Members of the Florida Chapter of the Explorers Club were recently invited on a behind-the-scenes tour of the NEDU and the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, arranged by CWO Bob Barth (Ret.), also a member of the Explorers Club. Notice that the Aquatic Training Facility is named in his honor. Here are more snapshots from our visit.

“We’re not sure where they came from, but we think they’re friendly.” Our guide explained that the thick metal pods shown here are entry points to larger interconnected hyperbaric chambers, set on standby in the event of a dive emergency. From anywhere in the facility, a diver in distress can be brought to this lab and be under treatment in less than three minutes.

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The NEDU hosts all branches of the military. Each branch explores their mission needs for underwater and diving technology.

Here, we were introduced to the “fresh paint”, a newly applied logo displaying the U.S. Marine Corp’s dive unit symbol. Do you think PADI will ever create a certification for USMC Combatant Diver? I suspect we’d learn a few more ways to use a dive knife.

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A diver services his gear in a lab. This ultra lightweight rebreather kit is structurally different than commercial rebreathers, and is mounted in a small hard-cased pack on the diver’s chest. This configuration allows a soldier to carry up to an additional 70 pounds on their back. And you thought your tank and BCD were heavy.

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Navy divers assist one another in an exercise in the world’s largest pool cleaned and treated with carbon dioxide. Due to this rare cleaning system the color of this expansive and deep pool is a deep sapphire blue. The depth of this pool can be expanded by removing the grated floor at the pool’s bottom. On this day, no less than 30 divers prepared poolside for their turn in the water.

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The CO2 Pool as seen from below. Viewing port holes along with an entry/exit chamber dot the bottommost level of the pool. Here we see several Navy divers finishing an exercise. Note the grated bottom of the pool. The grates can be removed for a much deeper exercise area.

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While we’re all familiar with hazardous marine life such as sharks, jellyfish and sea urchins, this painting offers a whole new perspective on who’s at the top of the underwater food chain ­— and it’s not me. Military divers take their missions and diving very seriously. In all diving activities, exercising proper awareness keeps you alive. In military diving, underwater survival must become second nature.

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Making all this possible is the brilliantly designed MK-21 dive helmet. This helmet is said to withstand pressure at depths over 1,000 feet. The fiberglass and brass helmet weighs 27 pounds and works with an open circuit and an integrated second stage. Extra padding lines the interior helmet much like the padding in a football helmet. The yellow and black tubes connected to the helmet are air supply and communications lines. I was allowed to try on the MK-21 (after much begging) and needed some assistance managing the weight over my head. A small oral-nasal mask covers the lower half of the face to reduce CO2 buildup. Despite its bulk, the helmet is surprisingly comfortable to wear and affords reasonable visibility, but I don’t think we’ll see them on store shelves anytime soon.

The Navy Experimental Dive Unit and Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center prepare our young men and women for extreme operations in an environment not unlike the moon’s surface. What they learn while pushing the limits of scuba diving technology, safety, and technique is passed on to the realm of recreational scuba diving. The Florida Chapter of the Explorers Club membership and guests were honored to learn more about the equipment, facilities, history and traditions of the NEDU and NDSTC. The spirit of exploration is embedded in our military’s scientific pursuits and mission support.

Aida "Idee" Belau, Seaduction’s resident video journalist, is a member of the Explorers Club and Chief Operation Officer for Out There Expeditions. Her “Alive 2 Dive” video series is available exclusively on Seaduction.com. For more on her diverse diving background, read her full bio here.