Actually, I went through 2nd Class Diver training, then on to Explosive
Ordnance Disposal.
Both schools have helped me keep the family fed!
After I got out of the Nav, I worked for Seaward Marine cleaning Navy ships
hulls, then EG&G working on subs and other things for the Navy. When I came
back from Kuwait I worked for Continental Shelf and a couple little BS
companies doing inshore work.
I was working a U/W construction job at the FPL plant in Port Lauderdale and
walked when I came topside and the supe and standby were smoking dope and
the project manager didn't do anything about it. Had to reconsider working
for the South Florida types!
In the mid 90s, I got a job offer to work in the gulf, 6 bucks an hour with
the first year choking rope, had to pass it up. That industry isn't what it
used to be!
Haven't been paid to get wet since I got a full time job doing EOD. Don't
feel like such an old man at 46 doing this stuff!
MMC

"Bob" wrote in message
oups.com...

MMC wrote:
I was Navy.

A real diver................ !

Don't know if the commercial schools continued use of the Mk 5
after we put them in mothballs.

The school I went to was using them through out the 1980s Sort of a
"right of passage."
NOdoubt you saw the movie "Men of Honor." I think the Mark V stuff was
loaned from the
DIT school in Seattle. I suspect the civilian schools still use them.

Navy Diving was generally behind the commercial world when it came to
gear,
I believe you commercial guys were using the Superlight when we came out
with the Mk 12, which was a real overpriced POS.

Ya, but it sure looked cool. That alone was worth the extrat $1000.

Navy just went to the Superlight in the last few years.
I dove the Superlight for a while as a commercial diver after I got out
and
think it's the best thing going.

Personally I really enjoyed some of the old fiberglass air hats for
brownwater stuff.
Finally was able to get my hands on an old MIiler. I enjoyed that till
I went back home to Oregon to lick my wounds.

Who did you work for?
I ended up in Morgan City, LA with an outfit called Ocean Tec. Their
shop was a couple blocks from Oceaneering's in Patterson, LA. Most
the guys from my school went with a company called International
Oilfield Divers. They (IOD) were a real low bid operation. Lots of
horror stories from those guys.
Still Bobing