Canadian Coast Guard use TT’s ‘dark water’ for training

The divers have selected TT for their training as it is the only island in the Caribbean which has ‘dark water’, that is water which extends to more than 1,000 metres below the surface of the ocean, so named for the lack of light at such depths.

Newsday spoke to Major Pino Talarico of the Canadian Armed Forces who said that the exercise was crucial in developing skills for navigating in deep water which can be especially dangerous for divers due to the limited light and low temperatures.

He said that in addition to providing much needed training, the experience also allowed for an important exchange of skills between regional and international forces.

“Dark water is really only found in few places and TT is one of them, this gave our guys the opportunity to try their hands to train in this environment.

This can be particularly useful in search and rescue missions and vehicle recovery missions where a vessel or a vehicle sinks to several metres below the surface.

The experience also allowed for some important Subject Matter Exchanges, in which the local Coast Guard would show our divers how to effectively navigate these waters.” On Wednesday several members of the Canandian Coast Guard were involved in a vehicle recovery exercise in Chaguaramas, in which divers using a massive inflatable raft were able to recover a sunken army jeep.