ERDI Training Turns into Live Operation

When you start an Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI) course, you never know exactly when the training you are about to receive may be put to the test. Public safety diving (PSD) is unique in this way, but for a group of ERDI public safety divers, the answer to that question was: immediately!

During an ERDI open water training session in Taiwan, a group of public safety divers came upon a pair shoes just sitting on an otherwise empty bridge. They were not just an old pair of shoes that someone had thrown out. They were well kept and belonged to someone, but there was no one in sight, other than their fellow divers? After searching for a few minutes, the team discovered a lifeless body floating on the surface of the lake, approximately 30 metres off the shoreline. This was not some training exercise cleverly implemented by the instructor. This was a real.

The situation quickly transformed from an ERDI training course into a real-life PSD operation. The team conducted the operation/recovery in full accordance with ERDI Public Safety Diving standards and procedures. This incredible chance scenario not only put these divers’ training to the test, but it was also a solemn reminder to every person on the bridge that day; there are many more operations and missions to come, but the ultimate mission is to return home every night.