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Can Marines get their bubble?

StorminNorman

StorminNorman

Trying to hit the Dangerzone
After searching this site, among others (chiefly the NDSTC - the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center's) I have come up with a question. Can Marines get their SCUBA bubble? I know that the Recon Guys will go through the MCD course - but assuming I don't want to go Recon and want to get certified SCUBA through the Corps at NDSTC, is it possible?
S/F,
Ross Norman
OCAN
 
Depends on available school slots. Recon will go since it is an MOS requirement, all others if there are slots. Grunt Battalions will get a few slots a year to allocate as they see fit.
I havent heard of a slot for a Squadron, ever. Doesnt mean they arent there I just havent seen it.
 
I wouldn't say it's impossible, but if you're not recon it'll be muy hard. I've been in 7 years, and not seen a single jarhead with a bubble who wasn't recon.

Best bet...Build connections & get a billet in your battalion training office and work out a drug deal. Happens every day.
 
usmarinemike said:
I wouldn't say it's impossible, but if you're not recon it'll be muy hard. I've been in 7 years, and not seen a single jarhead with a bubble who wasn't recon.

Best bet...Build connections & get a billet in your battalion training office and work out a drug deal. Happens every day.
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You need to look at from service perspective. Can you make a case as to why they should spend scarce funding on sending you to a specialized school like that? What would be their Return on Investment (ROI) unless you were in a MARSOC liaison billet or somewhere similar that required you to potentially use that training. Some schools that have unfilled billets sometimes allow folks to attend on no-cost TAD orders. Would you be willing to go and pay your own way?
 
skidkid said:
Depends on available school slots. Recon will go since it is an MOS requirement, all others if there are slots. Grunt Battalions will get a few slots a year to allocate as they see fit.
I havent heard of a slot for a Squadron, ever. Doesnt mean they arent there I just havent seen it.
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You're the Marine so I may be out of my lane here, but I believe Recon goes to a combat diver course not the scuba course. I believe they learn on the drager rebreather instead of the open circuit scuba. I have a long time friend that is currently Recon that got his "scuba bubble" at USNA and said it basically meant dick once he got to Recon, so they sent him back through their course.
 
heyjoe said:
You need to look at from service perspective. Can you make a case as to why they should spend scarce funding on sending you to a specialized school like that? What would be their Return on Investment (ROI) unless you were in a MARSOC liaison billet or somewhere similar that required you to potentially use that training. Some schools that have unfilled billets sometimes allow folks to attend on no-cost TAD orders. Would you be willing to go and pay your own way?
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No kidding. Jesus Christ, people. Pick a designator and stick with it. What is with these people whose prime interest is in accumulating random schools and quals that they have no business having or even asking for? The military is not a Boy Scout jamboree, and the purpose of a dive qual or going jump school isn't so that you can accumulate another merit badge to bolster your self-esteem. WTF is going on here? :icon_rage

Brett
 
Brett327 said:
No kidding. Jesus Christ, people. Pick a designator and stick with it. What is with these people whose prime interest is in accumulating random schools and quals that they have no business having or even asking for? The military is not a Boy Scout jamboree, and the purpose of a dive qual or going jump school isn't so that you can accumulate another merit badge to bolster your self-esteem. WTF is going on here? :icon_rage

Brett
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I agree. My favorite is the motor T guy with the lead sled as a reenlistment incentive. My comment about getting into the training office and getting hook-ups specifically applied to a guy I knew who got to go through SAWC and all kinds of other small weapons courses up in Quantico. I know a lot of people even on this board that would love to go to that school. There's no badges or anything for it (I think it might be a prereq for Marine gunner), but it's a sweet course to go through.
 
My favorite was the fiscal corporal from DFAS Kansas City who was in my SERE class as a "reward" for Marine of the Quarter or something. I totally thought, "WTF?"

Airborne training is a gimme. Marginal cost is almost zero, and the Army trains so many more than will ever conceivably jump into battle, that it's more of a motivational or confidence-building tool than anything else. Our SgtMaj has passed that Marines who ask for that in their reenlistment papers will likely get it honored.

Dive training is specialized and higher risk. It would be a travesty for anyone not requiring it to go. ESPECIALLY an aviator or prospective aviator--barotrauma, anyone? ANGLICO used to send a lot of their personnel to dive training, but I think that's tapered off.

SCUBA as an insertion technique is such a corner case as to be almost silly. Hydrographic reconnaisance is probably one of its few combat roles.
 
In the Navy I have only met one guy who had the qual and was not in a specialty requiring to have it. He was a sub officer and he went because, as he explained it, each sub has to have one or two guys qualified as divers and he happened to be the convenient guy (inbound to the ship but not checked in yet).

Other than that, it would be a waste for extraneous guys to go.
 
About the easiest way I've seen people get anything (jump wings/air assault/dive/etc) is to do it as a Mid. Plus, the guys I know who did those schools called/asked around and found a class with an open slot and then lined up no-cost orders from the Navy.

Otherwise, I think it's about impossible to get one of those schools unless your job needs it. The Navy just doesn't want to pay for it.
 
insanebikerboy said:
The Navy just doesn't want to pay for it.
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Not exactly...it's a matter of the priority of what to spend precious TAD funding on with so many bona fide needs. Hence suggestion that no-cost TAD orders is an option (like some Mids do) when there is an available slot and the command can afford to have you off doing a good deal that doesn't benefit the command per se.
 
eddie said:
Other than sub divers, who in the Navy gets the regular SCUBA bubble (not deep sea)?
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I don't know which bubble means what, but I do have an EOD and ex PH(prior to commission) buddy who have their bubble head pins.I think sea bees can get one also for underwater welding.
 
phrogdriver said:
My favorite was the fiscal corporal from DFAS Kansas City who was in my SERE class as a "reward" for Marine of the Quarter or something. I totally thought, "WTF?"
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Who in the blue hell would consider SERE as a "reward?" Yeesh . . .
 
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