Navy Diver 1st Class William Davis takes slack out of a line connecting a surface buoy to an underwater concrete anchor at the line separating U.S. military and Cuban waters. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class, Navy diver, Brett Roberts/Released)

U.S. Navy divers take on dangerous tasks every day—and now they are part of a multinational effort near Estonia to help clear the Baltic Sea of underwater mines left over from as long ago as the First and Second World Wars.

“Open Spirit” will be among the biggest naval exercises in the Baltic Sea this year, where more than 150,000 naval mines were planted during the two world wars. It’s all part of a day’s work for U.S. Navy divers, who in addition to hazardous missions face natural perils like oxygen toxicity and decompression sickness every day.

This video highlights how Office of Naval Research (ONR) scientists are working with medical experts to protect America’s undersea warriors.

The field is called Undersea Medicine—and it is designated a National Naval Responsibility by the Chief of Naval Research. Viewers can get an inside look at this remarkable world of the deep in “Protecting Navy Divers: The Undersea Medicine Solution”—a look at the groundbreaking work being done by the divers beneath the waves, and the scientists improving their ability to perform missions.

“There is no such thing as a pure 100 percent safe dive,” said Cmdr. Matthew Swiergosz, a program manager with ONR. “Navy divers take on jobs that are extraordinarily dangerous, and they do them with a poise and professionalism that would inspire every American who could see it.”

Continued domination of the undersea domain, officials say, is a vital component of national security.

“The Earth is mostly water,” said Swiergosz. “Most people live within a handful of miles of our oceans, seas, rivers. So any military force that’s supposed to provide national security must have underwater capabilities.”

The new video offers viewers unique insights into the hazards that await divers every time they splash into the water—and the progress being made to lessen the dangers.

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