08.06.2026.
River Flotilla conducts regular deep diving training
Divers of the Serbian Armed Forces River Flotilla have conducted a field training activity involving diving and search and rescue operations at great depths at Zavoj Lake near Pirot.
During the seven-day field activities, they mainly practiced underwater search techniques using various diving methods and the recovery of a submerged object using a diving lift.Commander (N) Željko Krmpot, commander of the 93rd Diving Company of the 1st River Detachment of the River Flotilla, explained that this training activity is important as it allows divers to adapt to conditions at great depths, including increased hydrostatic pressure and reduced visibility and water temperature.
- Here, we are also training in the recovery of submerged objects using diving lifts. The training includes members of the 93rd Diving Company and other River Flotilla personnel who are undergoing training and hold diving qualifications. During the training, it is important that the diving team functions as a single unit. The diving team is composed of a dive supervisor, a backup diver, a dive medical technician, and diving pairs - said Commander Krmpot.After completing his military service, Sergeant Đorđe Palačković, a deep sea diver and a member of the search and rescue team, joined the River Flotilla as a signalman and engineman on an assault boat. While waiting for the announcement of a diving training competition, for which he promptly applied, he gained valuable experience in the unit.
- It was demanding and exhausting, and it required a great deal of effort, but diving has always been something I wanted to do, as I grew up on the Jegrička River in Žabalj, and I have always wanted to know what lies beneath the water. It is a great honour to be a member of the 93rd Diving Company, which includes experienced divers from whom my younger colleagues and I have learned a great deal. They taught us to dive with open-circuit breathing apparatus, to operate inflatable boats, and to fill diving cylinders using a compressor, and there is still more training ahead. This is one of the training areas I look forward to the most, as it allows me to master a lot of skills - Sergeant Palačković said.In line with the training programme, the divers first underwent conditioning at the barracks in Novi Sad in a hyperbaric chamber, simulating depths of up to 50 metres. This was followed by river training as part of the Blue Danube 26 exercise with Romanian Armed Forces personnel.
Diving training in the Serbian Armed Forces is highly demanding as divers are expected to be fully prepared to operate in all weather conditions. This level of readiness can only be ensured through continuous training on rivers and lakes. River Flotilla divers are trained in underwater demolition, mine countermeasures, and anti-sabotage defence of critical infrastructure along inland waterways, as well as in search and rescue operations in all weather conditions.
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