New EOD, Navy Diver Learning Site Begins Training

The Center for Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Diving (CENEODDIVE) has established a new learning site at Training Support Center (TSC), Great Lakes, Ill., where the first class commenced Oct. 19 with a group of 18 EOD students. The new site was created to conduct preparatory training for Navy Diver (ND) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel emerging from Recruit Training Command (RTC), Great Lakes.

Traditionally, an ND or EOD Sailor would receive training at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center (NDSTC) in Panama City, Fla., following boot camp at RTC. By undergoing preparatory training at Great Lakes, however, Sailors who have elected to participate in the ND and EOD special programs will receive a basic introduction to diving physics, equipment, and weapons handling prior to reporting to follow-on ND/EOD training at NDSTC, where they will be required to perform various tasks in an underwater environment. Windhorst explained that the new learning site at Great Lakes is now the first course in the ND/EOD “A” School pipeline. The ND/EOD course, which is conducted separately for each rating, consists of 12 days of ND preparatory instruction covering the fundamentals of diving in relation to anatomy and physiology, operational risk management, equipment operations, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and small arms qualifications. The course is divided between classroom instruction and practical training, requiring each student to pass a 1,000-yard swim test using mask, fins and snorkel and a 2,000-yard sidestroke.

Existing facilities are being used to accommodate the new learning site, including the gymnasium indoor swimming pool. ND and EOD students will also receive training on the firearms training simulator at the Great Lakes police department as part of the weapons familiarization portion of the curriculum. Additionally, Sailors in the ND rating will receive an introduction to engineering via a 20-day curriculum at the Basic Engineering Common Core School at the Center for Naval Engineering Learning Site, Great Lakes, prior to commencing the preparatory course. The EOD and ND ratings are considered a part of the Navy’s special programs. Candidates must pass a pre-screening test for eligibility, which consists of a 500-yard swim completed in less than 14 minutes, 42 pushups and 50 sit-ups in less than two minutes, six pull-ups and a mile-and-a-half run in less than 12 minutes and 45 seconds. Following completion of the preparatory course, Sailors will continue ND/EOD training at NDSTC (70 days for ND ratings and 40 days for EOD ratings) where they will receive their first dose of underwater instruction, including instruction in scuba diving.

By Eva Kowalski, Training Support Center, Great Lakes Public Affairs Source: NavNews