Deep Dives on the M/V Response

Text to be added later.  Here are some of our pictures from our Deep Dives module...

Off Campus & Scuba

110-10 has spent the past three weeks traveling to a pool on Mercer Island, Shilshole Beach, Pier 66, and Alki Beach obtaining our Scuba certifications and starting our 40-foot surface supplied dives.  This module has been both fun and educational because we've been diving in areas that are very diverse and very different from the controlled environment at DIT's campus.  We also had the opportunity to dive off of an HP air bank (versus the air compressor fed system on campus), which was a practical application similar to what the inland diving industry uses for jobs. 

Click Here are a few pictures from Off Campus and Scuba: 

(Our underwater cameras weren't working for most of the dives, so we don't have pictures of the unique and fascinating wildlife we saw.)

Still No Melby

Paul Melby is still missing somewhere on Crystal Mountain.  It is believed that he fell into a tree well - the empty space that forms under tree branches when snow falls and accumulates around the tree.  Avalanche dogs and over 100 searchers have been looking for Melby since he disappeared last Tuesday.  Still no signs of him. 

Please keep Melby and his family in your thoughts and prayers.  We hope that he's found soon.

http://kimkircher.com/2011/03/07/search-for-missing-skier-waiting-for-snowmelt/
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/117453943.html
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/03/06/1572298/crystal-mountain-search-for-lost.html

Where's Melby?



DIT Instructor Paul Melby disappeared on Tuesday afternoon (March 1st) after 4:00 while skiing on Crystal Mountain.  Searchers have spent the past two days looking for him as over three feet of snow has fallen. 

Melby is always quick with a joke or prod and always has a good story ready to share.  He has shared on multiple occasions that his motivation for working is to support his skiing habit...

Please keep Paul Melby in your thoughts and prayers. 

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=436687
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2011/03/03/missing-skier-is-tough-brother-tells-kiro-tv/
http://www.kirotv.com/news/27065282/detail.html
http://www.kirotv.com/news/27052729/detail.html
http://www.king5.com/news/local/Search-continues-for-missing-skier-at-Crystal-Mountain-Ski-Resort-117311913.html

Diving the Mark V

After the successful completion of the salvage project by everyone in 110-10, we spent the last two days of our "Salvage" module getting everyone caught up on dive time.  These past two days were also our last days officially diving on DIT's campus (the rest of the curriculum is diving off campus), and a handful of guys who had completed their bottom time requirement were given the opportunity to dive the Mark V gear. 

This particular hat was manufactured on June 6, 1945.  It is literally a piece of diving history, and diving it was a real treat. 

Click here to see our pictures:



Salvage

Over the past two weeks, 110-10 has been split into three groups.  Each group was tasked with developing a salvage plan for a boat that was sank next to Classroom 7's Concrete Barge.  The salvage plan required each team to send divers down to the wreck and take measurements of the hull to approximate the boat's weight and also measure the holes to be patched.  Each team then fabricated patches for the hull and wrote out a specific plan to surface the boat using the patches, lift bags, and floodable pontoons.   On February 24th, 28th and March 1st, each team implemented their plan and successfully raised the boat. 

Here are our pictures, in no particular order:



Hydraulics

Class 110-10 spent the past two weeks learning about underwater hydraulic tools, metrology, and advanced rigging techniques.  Here are our pictures:



Welding & Burning

We've spent the past two and a half weeks learning valuable skills for our chosen occupation: how to weld metal together, then how to cut it apart by burning it at 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. 

These are our pictures:

HazMat

After a week in the classroom, we spent three days practicing penetration dives and hazardous materials procedures. 

LightWeight - Week 2

After a couple of challenging days during the first week of LightWeight, 110-10 hit the water on November 8th with better organization and teamwork and really had a great week.  This week we learned how to properly hat ourselves (put on the helmet without assistance), use search signals via line pulls from our tenders to find objects underwater, assemble simple projects under water, and replace a stricken diver's air hose under water. 

Here are our pictures (in no particular order):

LightWeight - Week 1

This week, our class started the LightWeight module of our course.  We spent the week learning how to don our gear appropriately, set up dive stations, work in multiple roles (diver, tender, comms, charts, rack operations), how to correctly put on and remove the different hats (diving helmets), and the daily care and maintenance of our equipment. 

Nearly everyone in the class had the opportunity to dive this week (two students had medical waivers). 

Here are our pictures from the week (in no particular order):

Chamber Group 2

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, the second half of 110-10 headed to the chamber.  Here are their pictures:

The Chamber!

Half of our class completed the Chamber course on October 20th and 21st.  Here are our pictures:

(click the image to open the gallery)