Teamwork
A diver’s life depends on being part of a team. Divers train and dive in teams. Divers working in the water are supported by their shipmates on the surface. Teamwork is at the core of everything divers do.
“…the diving community is also a very tight-knit, close group….the friends that I made at the Supervisor of Salvage and Diving…have been friends for life.”
Karin Lynn
“…women are part of the community within the Navy divers, and they are equally trained, equally capable, and equally successful as their male counterparts…you get out of it what you put into it.”
Debra Bodenstedt
“…having separate standards is almost like sabotage. There’s no way you can have a good team. You know, what we’re here for is to do the work and be part of the team.”
Karen Kohanowich
“One of the other jobs that I’m probably most proud of was, while [I was] CO of this underwater ships husbandry unit, we removed 30-ton propellers from a carrier in the water…That is quite a task, an engineering feat, that’s done underwater…”
Barbara Scholley
“And one of the things that exists…is the camaraderie. We all have each other’s lives in our hands. …But you’re all in it together…you get weary together, and you get cold together, and you laugh together.”
Donna Tobias
“When divers see a dive-pin on your chest, no matter who you are, they know you went through a rite of passage unique among divers. Everyone went through the same rigors of physical training. Navy diving is based up on a buddy system. Your life depends upon that buddy in the water with you. You have to trust them in their knowledge and ability, as well as they have to trust you to take care of them if things go sideways. The result is that the Navy diving community is another family within the Navy family.”
Marie Knafelc
