BOSET & Helicopter Underwater Escpae Training (HUET)

Finally, after three days of theories and practical classes, i am officially qualified for offshore mobilization. Upon completion of the 3-day course, they will issue a ID and a certificate as shown below:

The course is commonly known as B.O.S.E.T-R which stands for Basic offshore Safety and Emergency Training with Re-breather.

This kind of training demanded a medically-fit person in order to attend. There were story about an English man who boughta fake medical certificate, ended up unconcious during one of the session and eventually declared as "Da pao-ed by god".

So means, if you don't want to ended da pao-ed, better be honest and go to the approved panel medical center for check ups before enrolling with this training.

The 3-days course includes the following:

1. Re-breather (Breathing through scuba-diving alike equipment, difference is just that you are breathing your OWN air from your lung intead of oxygen tank)

2. Offshore Safety Induction

3. Sea Survival (Jumping from a platform and stay "survive" in the water)

4. Basic Fire Fighting & Self Rescue (Inc. Escaping yourself in a confined and dark space)

5.Boat Transfer & Swing Rope and Basic Life Support

6. Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET)

Among all of the above, the one training which i scared/enjoyed/pissed myself off is the training no.6, which is the HUET training.

It involved a few person sitting in the helicopter simulator submerged in the water, and twisted 180 degree before you can escaped through the small "window" aka emergency exit inside the water. (Try sitting in your washine machine, only without the detergent)

It is not easy as at this moment, where it involveslosing all of your sense of the orientation, unbuckled your safety belt, breaking out the window, before freeing yourself to the surface. (It was conducted in two different session, with and without breathing appratus).

Since i am not allowed to take photos (i don't have time anyway), i am posting a video which shows the HUET training conducted at the very same place of my training center, the CONSIST in Ampang. The simulator is exactly the same one that i am using.

During the simulation (without the breathing apparatus), i have one of those moment where i tried to escaped through the window, forgotten to unbuckled my safetybelt, which in turn caused half of my body out from the helicopter (still in water), and another half of my body in the helicopter.

At that moment, my instinct told me not to panic. So i stayed where i was, sticking out both of my hand, lifeless (like drowned), to signal the diver to come and rescue me. Things doesnt turn out so good when he himself have the difficulty to unbuckle the belt.

In my mind is shouting "you bloody well have a cutter with you now".

Luckily, after few more seconds which felt like forever, he finally done it and i made it out from the cockpit.

That was the time when i knew that god doesn't fell in love with me just yet.

Out of the five session involving the simulator, that is the only time i have faced the difficulty.

Thank god i managed to pass them all!

In fact, our group has done it faster compared to the two team before us!

Not too bad for a guy who only start swimming lesson at 14.

But the qualification will only last for three years and then i have to go back for a refresher course, so thank you to the CONSIST team (all of them are really cheerful and funny character)

for your patient in dealing with us for the past 3 days.

It is indeed a very exciting and wonderful experience which i would love to give it a try again in the future.

See you guys in 2013!