Military divers from Vancouver Island to conduct mine clearance training in South Korea

Members of Fleet Diving Unit Pacific will participate in the annual Multinational Mine Warfare Exercise from Oct. 16 to 27, 2023. (Facebook/Fleet Diving Unit Pacific)

A team of highly specialized divers from CFB Esquimalt is travelling to South Korea for a training mission.

The clearance divers with Fleet Diving Unit Pacific find and dispose of underwater mines.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize it, but there are thousands of mines leftover from World War II and they’re just floating around out there waiting to be found,” said Sailor 1st Class Morgun Knutson.

Knutson and his colleagues from CFB Esquimalt and allied nations are participating in the annual Multinational Mine Warfare Exercise from Oct. 16 to 27.

“We get to see the techniques they use for mine countermeasures and they get to see the tools that we use,” he said.

Those tools are used to keep shipping routes free of explosives.

Navy Lt. Alex Castagna said there are about 130 clearance divers in the Royal Canadian Navy.

“Diving for bombs is dangerous, but it’s also an exciting job,” he said. “Some militaries do have mine capabilities, so it is still a threat within the oceans.”

The team must be physically fit and mentally sharp.

“They work in austere environments and they’re by themselves, so they have to think quickly and problem solve on the fly,” Castagna said.

Knutson is looking forward to submerging himself in new techniques in South Korea. “I’m very excited to go and work with our partners and allied nations,” he said.