On a bright and sunny October 3, search and rescue technicians from 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron conducted a dive exercise at the 14 Wing Greenwood-owned Lake Pleasant Campground in Springfield.
This was the only serial to use Lake Pleasant and provided an opportunity to clean up some neglected litter on the lake bottom while providing exposure to the unique challenges posed by freshwater dives.
“It allows the divers a chance to work with the dive equipment and ensure that they keep their skills sharp in case it is needed for a dive tasking,” said Sergeant Calvin Slute.
In spite of the clear weather on the surface, visibility was “murky,” according to Slute.
“As soon as you pick up a piece of garbage or touch the bottom at all, the visibility that you did have goes down to zero.”
Even with the poor visibility, Slute added, “we did find quite a bit of garbage – the most interesting things being a ladder and some old tires.”
As one of two required dive exercises per year, there was much more to accomplish than solely cleaning up the lake bottom. Ensuring comfort and familiarity with all of their equipment is critical to keep everyone’s skills sharp in the event of a dive tasking.
Following the exercise at Lake Pleasant, the SAR-Techs moved on to Port Mouton for two days of ocean dive training to further hone their skills.
