GrownUpSAC Trip Report - HUET March 2003

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Seventeen of us turned up to have a go at the Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) and survival course at Andark. We were split into a group of ten and a group of seven. I guess maths isn't their strong point! We were given some initial lecturing on safety and then it was explained what we were to learn that evening. I was in the group of seven, and we got to play with the helicopter simulator first, while the other group went off to play with the life = raft. The seven of us got in the helicoper and it was then sunk into the swimming pool, up to about waist height. It was then tipped over to about 40 degrees, which put the person on the far side fully underwater. I was on the near side and so almost totally out of the water, although hanging somewhat precariously in the harness. When the others had cleared I released the harness and promptly fell down into the water, where it was then easy to duck down and swim out of the window. When we'd all tried this it was time for the full inversion. We did this four at a time. We all got securely strapped down and then the helicopter dunks itself, rolling over as it goes. Finally you are left hanging upside down, underwater, from the harness. When it's your turn to go, you release the harness and then slide over toward the window and pull yourself through. This is hugely good fun and beats any fairground ride. We all had a go at this and then we had a go with all seven of us in the helicopter. As there are only two windows to exit by this means that some people have to wait a while (upside down, underwater) to allow the others to get out first. We had a pre-arranged order to get out in, and I think we managed to follow this successfully. We had a few runs at this and then it was our go with the liferaft. We put on our lifejackets and had to enter the water off the 3m platform. One hand goes on the top of the lifejacket (as it rides up when you hit the water) and one hand over your mouth and nose and off the platform you go. From that height you do hit the water with a bit of force, although I couldn't help thinking that the drop was tiny compared to that off the side of a cross-channel ferry. Once in the water we went over to the side of the liferaft (a 12-man RFD jobbie), where we hung on the side and then climbed in one by one. Once inside we went through the procedure of what you should do (cut the painter, take sea-sickness pills, secure the canopy). Then it was back into the water, practising techniques for keeping warm in the water and doing the "crocodile", which is a very splashy technique for a line of people to move through the water. Next we each had a go at righting the liferaft when it is capsized. This was fairly easy, although it's unnerving when this large liferaft lands upon your head. In reality it is so large that an airpocket gets trapped under it so although you are underneath it you can still breathe. Then we went back to the helicopter and did an escape from that with all seven of us, but this time in the dark. You had to pay a bit more attention to be able to tell when the others had left the helicopter and it was your turn to get out. Next there was the grand finale! All seventeen of us jumped in off the 3m platform, in the dark, with the sprays in the ceiling on and someone hosing us down with cold water as well. We then gathered into our two groups up in the shallow end, and then crocodile swam back to the liferaft. There we let the other group (the 'B' group) get in to the liferaft while we hung around the outside, covering our mouths and noses against the "rain" that was falling around us. It was all hugely good fun.