Royal Australian Navy (RAN) clearance divers sharpened skills with divers and explosive ordnance teams from the Sri Lanka Navy as part of Indo-Pacific Endeavour.
It was the latest opportunity for the two teams to work together, building on previous diver exchanges under Indo-Pacific Endeavour.
Commanding Officer RAN Clearance Diving Team One Lieutenant Commander Michael Hutchesson said the team quickly developed a constructive relationship with the Sri Lanka Navy Command Diving and Salvage Unit.
“This activity highlighted the cultural similarities shared by Australian and Sri Lankan military divers, including high standards of professionalism, high fitness standards, resilience, ingenuity and commitment to excellence in their fields,” Lieutenant Commander Hutchesson said.
“Each country’s teams have different experiences, and events like this provide an excellent opportunity to learn from each other.”
Sri Lanka Navy participants were given an introduction to deep, mixed-gas diving procedures and equipment, including a stealth rebreather dive set.
Rebreathers recirculate a diver’s breathing gas by replacing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide. They have several advantages over conventional scuba diving systems, including being quieter and creating fewer bubbles.
Workshops also developed a shared understanding of underwater search tasks and introduction to mine countermeasure procedures.
Sri Lanka Navy divers were shown the RAN’s in-service side scan sonar, which delivers high-resolution images of the seafloor from both sides of the vessel.
The system is portable and designed for single-person deployment in shallow water.
Commander Indo-Pacific Endeavour Commodore Michael Harris said the activity strengthened relationships.
“Divers from both countries have learned from each other, and that’s what Indo-Pacific Endeavour is all about – building people-to-people links, because we really are stronger together,” Commodore Harris said.
