PDA Graduates Brush Up Nicely

(Former PDA Graduates Came Together For Prestigious Maersk Contract)

A large group of Professional Diving Academy graduates taken from courses over the last 4 years, came together recently for a prestigious diving project run by Shearwater Marine Services. Shearwater is the sister company of the PDA and operates out of the same spacious unit in Sandbank, Dunoon.

The contract which had been awarded by global shipping company Maersk, required a full hull clean, propeller polish and video and inspection on five of Maersk’s 350m long deep-sea bulk carriers. For many diving companies this would be a highly intimidating undertaking, but Shearwater have a long established pedigree in this type of work, having provided diving support to the MOD at the Faslane Submarine base on the upper Clyde for over a decade. All the graduates on this contract had accumulated a great deal of experience since leaving the PDA having worked on various diving projects in the UK and further afield in countries such as Holland and India.

Ships Husbandry is an important discipline for any working diver. Understanding the correct terminology to use for the various hull components can be particularly daunting for inexperienced diving personnel conducting ships surveys. PDA Premier Package Candidates receive a comprehensive grounding on vessel hull cleaning and propeller polishing techniques by using hydraulic hull cleaning and prop polishing equipment. Steel thickness inspections are also undertaken using compression wave ultrasonic’s, and corrosion potential surveying using a diver operated hand held voltmeter with video report compilations capping off an excellent module of the Premier Course.

The Professional Diving Academy is unique by having such direct ties with the commercial diving industry, through its highly successful sister company. There is little doubt that candidates have benefited greatly from the embedded knowledge and experience that the PDA has in its management and training staff members. This fact is highlighted by the number of Commercial Diving Companies who choose the PDA as the preferred training choice for employees who require additional courses.