Naval Diving & Salvage Training Center

• Largest Diving Facility in the World: The Naval Diving & Salvage Training Center (NDSTC), located at Naval Support Activity Panama City, Florida, is the largest diving facility in the world, with over 23,000 students trained annually. • Established in 1981: NDSTC was officially commissioned in 1981, consolidating various Navy diving schools to create a centralized, state-of-the-art training center. • Multi-Service Training: NDSTC is unique in that it trains not only Navy personnel but also members of the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and international military divers. • Massive Training Pools: The center boasts six main training pools, including a 133-foot-long, 22-foot-deep pool and a 40-foot-deep diving tower, allowing for a variety of underwater scenarios. • Salvage and Explosive Ordnance Disposal: NDSTC is the primary training site for Navy Salvage Divers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians, who learn to neutralize underwater explosives. • Hyperbaric Chambers: The facility features multiple hyperbaric recompression chambers for training and real-world treatment of diving injuries such as decompression sickness. • Historic Shipwreck Recovery: NDSTC-trained divers have participated in high-profile salvage missions, including the recovery of aircraft black boxes, sunken ships, and even space shuttle debris. • Female Pioneers: In 1975, Donna Tobias became the Navy's first female deep-sea diver, and the NDSTC continues to support and encourage diversity in military diving. • International Cooperation: The center hosts students from over 30 allied and partner nations, enhancing global maritime cooperation and underwater interoperability. • Challenging Curriculum: The training at NDSTC is known for its intensity, with rigorous physical and academic standards. Only about 70% of students successfully complete the demanding courses.