Police divers given ‘in-depth’ training
The divers' mental and physical abilities were tested.
TWO local police divers, Warrant Officer Marc Wiid and Sergeant Stanley Holloway from Port Shepstone K9 Unit, were part of a team of 28 police divers from all over South Africa who recently completed a special training course in Richards Bay.
The divers’ mental and physical abilities were tested as the training entailed the identification of explosives, searching for explosive devices on the ocean bottom and along harbour walls and inspecting the hulls of vessels.
The luxury passenger liner, Silver Cloud, which was in port at the time, and the tanker, Sea Confidence, were two of the vessels which formed part of the exercise.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel ZandraWiid said that police divers have to practise on a continuous basis to be prepared in cases of emergency and therefore police divers have to be in top physical condition. She explained that they regularly undergo medical examinations and also receive the necessary inoculations against several diseases which pose a danger when they have to enter contaminated water or other areas.
“Police divers and search and rescue members form a close bond as they have to rely on each other when they find themselves searching for drowning victims or exhibits in dangerous conditions such as swift water or deep dark waters where visibility is often very poor,” she said.
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