Navy dive unit tests humans, gear

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Several hours into a diving experiment aboard Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, a Navy test-dive subject in a prototype dive suit floats near the bottom of a pool in water – ranging from 35 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit – and communicating with a team of engineers, physiologists and technicians at the Navy Experimental Diving Unit. The team’s mission is to test human biometrics, glean vital data points, and assess dive gear for form, fit and function before it’s sent out to the fleet, says Navy Master Diver Ryan Langley of NEDU’s operations department. (Source: Defense Media Activity 07/29/16) Gulf Coast Note: OSF was developed in the late 1960s and installed at the NEDU Panama City in the early 1970s before being commissioned in 1975.