RGIT Training - Day 3

Today we completed our offshore survival training. Short after arriving, we got dressed into our survival suits and put on out life jacket and re-breathers. Re-breathers are a way of putting air into your life jacket and breathing the air underwater for up to 1 minute or more. It is a pretty simple mechanism but in case of ditching into the sea, it can save your life. I found it very easy to use although some people could not get use to breathing under water and two people left the course not being able to complete the training and hence not being able to work offshore. Our hardest task was the inverted helicopter escape where you tighten your harness, put on a hood, and check your suit zip. After this you put one hand on the window and the other on the harness release mechanism. Just before hitting the water you deploy your re-breather (putting the nose peg on and the mouth piece in). Pulling a knob, you fill the life jacket with one big breath just before you are submersed underwater. As the helicopter flips over you count to seven and push out the window nearest to you before releasing yourself from your harness. After swimming out you pull the cord on the life jacket to fill it up. After this we headed back to the classroom and learned about HSE legislation (which I learned during my diver training). Needless to say it was BORING and after lunch we had a multiple choice exam which I passed. So know I can work offshore… yep but I need to sort out more paperwork tomorrow!