During June, the majority of the NDC staff were in the field conducting operations on the MONITOR. The Dive Center is once again fully staffed and your request/questions can be directed to specific personnel.

We continued to receive questions regarding the proposed physical schedule and when it will become effective. The new schedule is in the draft regulations and will become effective once the new regulations are adopted, (hopefully later this year). Until then, physicals for all divers are required annually.

We need your input in the form of articles, stories and pictures describing diving procedures and experiences at your unit. There is no specific format for submission of your articles, just keep them small (300 words or less) and send them via E-mail or fax. Original authors will receive full credit.

-LCDR  Frank Wood -
 

Beginning in November, regional UDS meetings will be sponsored by NDC and conducted throughout the country. The meetings will be two days in length and will review NDP policies, regulations and operational procedures. A new UDS manual and refresher training material (on CD-ROM) will also be distributed. Exact locations and dates are not yet set and UDS's will be contacted to determine suitable locations and availability. Attendance will be mandatory.

Please review the enclosed roster which reflects the records at NDC for the date of print. Inactive/terminated divers are to return SEP equipment or resolve their status to active as soon as possible. Units will be assessed SEP charges for inactive divers who are in possession of gear. Please annotate and return a copy of the roster indicating any changes to personnel or diver status. Diver certifications will be suspended when a physical has expired or when diving activity has lapsed for six months.
 

Several divers were removed from active status by NDC this month. Several of these individuals have not completed a dive in over six months and have been without a dive physical for over 18 months. It is imperative that active divers in your units remain current by completing required proficiency dives and annual physicals. In the past, NDC would only remove a diver from the active roster with UDS concurrence. This policy is no longer in effect and NDC will act when a divers physical is out of date for more than 15 months or diving activity has lapsed for more than six months.

It is the UDS's responsibility to ensure that the divers in the unit remain current and to remove those who can or will not. Divers who where made inactive by NDC can be reinstated after completion of a formal requalification program conducted by NDC.