COMSUBIN, closed-circuit rebreather training completed in Lake Serraia for Student Divers

The students of the Ordinary Diver Course 2026 of the Italian Navy have completed a new training module in the waters of Lake Serraia, in Baselga di Piné, in the province of Trento.

The activity, conducted with the support of the instructors from the School Group of the Underwater and Incursion Command Group “Teseo Tesei” (COMSUBIN), allowed the participants to operate for the first time in a lake environment using closed-circuit breathing equipment, commonly known as rebreathers, provided to the Underwater Operational Group (GOS).

Training in fresh water and low visibility

The training path of a diver in the Italian Navy must prepare operators to intervene in extremely different environmental conditions: salt or fresh water, deep or shallow seabeds, cold temperatures, darkness, and greatly reduced visibility.

During the module in Trentino, the aspiring divers applied the procedures adopted in the NATO context for diving in shallow waters and low visibility conditions.

The participants also practiced searching, locating, and identifying mock explosive devices, applying EOD, Explosive Ordnance Disposal techniques, even in a context different from the marine one.

Clearing ordnance in inland waters

Training in lakes is of particular importance for the Underwater Operational Group. Among the institutional tasks of the GOS is the clearance of explosive ordnance and war remnants found in inland waters.

The divers of the Italian Navy may be called to intervene in lakes, rivers, artificial basins, and waterways, where operational conditions are often particularly complex due to low visibility, low temperatures, and muddy seabeds.

The use of the rebreather allows the operator to breathe by recycling exhaled gas, reducing or eliminating bubble production and ensuring greater autonomy and discretion during the dive.

Oxygenation march up to 1,500 meters

At the end of the training cycle, the students also faced an oxygenation march in a mountain environment, reaching an altitude of 1,500 meters.

The activity represented an additional physical and operational test in the long journey that will lead the participants to obtain the diver's license and wear the traditional blue beret.

The Italian Navy also highlighted the collaboration offered by the local community and the personnel of the 2nd Engineer Regiment of the Italian Army, defined as a concrete testimony of the synergy and mutual respect between the different entities involved in the exercise.