Bevin Burr Findley
Highline
Community College has had many programs that have come and gone in the
last forty years. The diving technician course that was offered
at Highline is one such course. Many students throughout the nation
attempted to get into the program; however, there were certain prerequisites
that needed to be met. The costs to attend the classes also were
a factor to enrollment. Numerous commencements, dedications, and
opening ceremonies occurred as well. There were many interesting
facts of the diving technician course. Unfortunately, through the
years there has been a seeming declining interest in deep-sea diving programs.
Hence, the college no longer offers this course.
The diving technician program began in 1967. This two-year program plus one summer quarter was offered with college-level academic courses, as well as diver’s training and instruction as an engineering technician (“Highline’s Diving Tech Course”). In the beginning, academic courses were combined with the deep-sea diving courses during the same quarter. Having the sea training and academic classes became difficult for the students and an annoyance for the instructors. The students would show up late to classes and also wet from the dive training. The decision was made to have the classes separated to different quarter. They termed them as dry land courses and wet courses; there were a total of three quarters of dry land and four quarters of wet (“Highline’s Diving Tech Course”).
For this particular course, special admission was needed as well as endurance for lifting and wearing heavy equipment and the possession of quick thinking abilities. Some realities of this course were: long hours of studying, physical exertion, and potential hazards of the undersea environment (“Diving Technician”). The enrollment limit was fifty students; however in the end only thirty usually graduate from this course. It was mandatory that all students carry health and accident insurance and to sign a liability wavier (“Diving Technician”).
Money is always a factor with students who are attending college; it is somewhat more of a hindrance for those who specialize in certain courses because of additional fees. Regular tuition was charged to the students as well as the lab fees and student’s personal diving gear. For the first year the students were only required to purchase fins, mask and a bathing suit. The second year was another matter all together. Students are required to purchase specified equipment, which could cost as much as $250.00. In 1973 this was a moderately high amount of money and still is to some (“Diving Technician”). Prior to the outlay of money the students were exposed to the rigors and demands of the program and a chance to learn about the career field (“Diving Technician”). The instructors also evaluated the students and determined the likelihood of completion.
On November 29, 1973, Highline Community College spent $180,000, but not on a new “building” or repairs to an old one. The money went towards a “classroom” by the sea. It was 260-foot concrete pier constructed for the diving technician students (“Highline College Makes Splash”). The ceremony took place down at the pier with Dr. Orville D. Carnahan, president of the school, splashing a bucket of Puget Sound Sea water on the gates to open the ceremony (“Highline College Makes Splash”). Other speakers consisted of the diving instructors, Peter A. Williams and Maurice P. Talbot, Shirley Gordon vice president of Highline, John Dermody assistant director for operations of the Washington Sea Grant Program, and John Terry deputy director of the State Board for Community College Education.
Some of the more interesting things with deep-sea diving are the equipment used and the intensive training needed. The equipment, which was received with the new pier, consisted of a decompression chamber and control console. This is vital for divers who reach depths as much as 450 feet below the water’s surface. There was a two-man diving bell, which enclosed two men in a ball-type object, allowing them to work in great depths longer without as much fatigue and providing more safety than the suit. One other interesting point is as of November 1973 only one female had graduated from Highline Community College’s Marine Technician field. It was stated: “She was an exception—a graduate oceanographer from an Eastern university” (“Highline’s Diving Tech Course”).
Due to lack of interest and funding the diving technician course was closed with the last classes being Spring of 1990. On average 15-20 students per two year’s time graduated from Highline Community College; after which they moved on successfully obtaining careers in the military service, placed in a diving job, or transferred to a four-year college (“Status of Graduate”). Maybe interest will increase in the Marine Diving Technician field in the future, however it does not look as though that will be occurring anytime soon.
Works Citied
Status of Graduate – Diving Technician Program. 1973. Highline Community College Public Information Office Collection, box 10.
Diving Technician. Highline Community College Public Information Office Collection, box 10.
Highline Community College. HCC’s Diving Graduates Well Accepted By Firms.
November 29, 1973. Highline Community College Public Information Office Collection, box 10.
Highline Community College. Highline’s Diving Tech Course Is 2 Years of Plain Hard
Work. November 29, 1973. Highline Community College Public Information Office Collection, box 10.
Highline Community College. Highline College Makes ‘Splash” with $180,000 Diving
Tech Pier. November 29, 1973. Highline Community College Public Information Office Collection, box 10.