LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State Police added six new divers to their Underwater Recovery Unit after they graduated Friday, according to a Michigan State Police press release. This brings the total to 26 members of the team who are strategically placed throughout the state for calls for service.
The last dive team to graduate was eight years ago when six members graduated in April.
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The Basic Dive School is a four-week intensive training program that is conducted by members of the MSP who are certified scuba instructors or National Association of Underwater Instructors.
The dive school consists of real world training with divers receiving 160 hours of classroom instruction, swimming approximately 25 miles and spending an additional 20 hours in the water during the training at various locations around the state including the Great Lakes and an MSP training tank.
The graduates received instruction in dive physics and physiology, decompression diving, assembly and disassembly of scuba gear, water entries, buoyancy control, air sharing, emergency ascents and rescue techniques.
The class also received training in the theory of diving, methods of searching in low visibility and fast water conditions, repetitive deep diving and high winds and cold water conditions.
The Underwater Recovery Unit provides diving expertise for the department in areas of body recovery, evidence collection, underwater inspections, recovery of stolen property and maritime security details.
The dive team responds to about 70 calls a year, assisting other state, local and federal departments.
The new graduates include:
Name Post
Tpr. Ronald Beckett Gaylord Post
Tpr. Shawn Reynolds Gladstone Post
Tpr. Christopher Boven Hart Post
Tpr. Dennis Brazaski Jackson Post
Tpr. Joel Kuhn Metro Post
Tpr. Jay Kurowski Tri-City Post