July 1, 2007: In the United
States, the FBI has sent a warning to all scuba diving schools. Diving
instructors are told to be on the lookout for anyone requesting instruction in
techniques that could be used by terrorists. In short, these are "combat swimming"
techniques. While some diving instructors have military diving experience, most
do not, and would not normally recognize requests for training a terrorist
could use. This includes stuff like how
to dive in murky water, or up pipes, or how to handle being towed while in the
water with diving gear, or how to use re-breathers, do deep diving and handle
diver propulsion vehicles (DPVs). Interest in underwater navigation training is
another warning sign, as are those who pay in cash and refuse to give any personal
information. Anyone requesting help in purchasing diver propulsion vehicles
(DPVs) could also be up to no good.
A lot of these requests can be
legitimate. Some people have special diving needs. But if people from a country
not noted for a lot of scuba divers, pays cash, and asks for training in arcane
diving subjects, diving school personnel are asked to let the FBI know, and the
feds will take it from there.
Something is up, or some FBI
bureaucrat doesn't want to be accused of ignoring something similar to the
pilot training alerts that were phoned in prior to September 11, 2001. The FBI
is interested in anyone who has, in the past, received, or requested, the
suspicious training subjects.
