Navy Divers set national record for deep diving

Kochi, Feb 17 (ANI): Five Indian Navy Divers on board INS Nireekshak of Southern Naval Command have set a new national record for deep diving earlier this month.

Lieutenant Commander Abhijeet Sangle, Chief Petty Officer KK Singh, Chief Petty Officer Shriom Singh, Leading Seaman MK Prusty, and Leading Seaman Narender Kumar dived to a depth of 233 metres in the seas off Kochi, breaking an earlier record set by Indian Navy divers.

Such deep dives called saturation diving in professional circles, involve complex support systems from the Diving Support Vessel (INS Nireekshak) to enable the divers to explore the final frontiers in physical and mental endurance.

Water pressure increases by 1 kg/cm2 every 10 meters as the depth increases. Other complications of deep dives include physiological problems of bubbles formed by gas throughout the body causing "decompression sickness" as the divers come up to surface.

The complex science of saturation diving circumvented these problems with the aid of devices like decompression chambers.

The saturation Divers are pressurised to the required depth in the deck decompression chamber (DDC) on board the Ship, till their bodies are saturated with specially prepared breathing gas.

A diving capsule pressurised to the same pressure is thereafter connected to the DDC and the Divers move into that capsule. The capsule or bell is then lowered into water to the set depth and one or more divers swim out to accomplish the task.

The Divers use an umbilical chord that provides breathing gas, communication and hot water to keep them warm at that depth.

On completion of task, the divers re enter the bell, close the hatch and return to the support ship under the same pressure. This procedure could be repeated till the task is completed.

Once the task is completed, the DDC is gradually brought back to normal pressure over several days based on calculations, as the Divers continue to remain inside.

Commander AP Golaya, Commanding Officer of INS Nireekshak said that he is proud of his men.

He also pointed out that Indian Navy affords its personnel, the satisfaction and challenge of stretching the limits of human endeavour in all spheres of activity.

INS Nireekshak commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1995, has a crew of 120 including Divers, and undertakes salvage and other underwater operational tasks for the Indian Navy. (ANI)