Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific), located in Colwood, BC, provides diving support to Canadian Maritime Forces on the Pacific coast as well as to other government departments and research projects. The unit was established shortly after the Second World War as a mine countermeasures diving unit, and this task remains the unit's primary responsibility. FDU(P) has a number of core capabilities and conducts Clearance Diver training to maintain its high professional standard.

In order to maintain this standard, members of the unit carry out numerous diving and demolition tasks and exercises, often in cooperation with foreign Navies such as the United States, Great Britain, and Australia. Canadian Clearance Divers also complete a rigorous and intensive training program. All Clearance Divers begin as either ship's team or combat divers, where they will spend several years completing tasks using SCUBA diving equipment. After this period they may volunteer to become Clearance Divers and must complete a gruelling two week preliminary course. On the "prelim" they are assessed by instructors while competing for a limited number of positions on course. If accepted, they will then complete a one year course learning to use numerous different types of diving equipment as well as diving medicine, recompression treatment and chamber operation, demolition and Explosive Ordnance Disposal, underwater welding and cutting, ice diving, underwater photography and many other tasks. On successful completion of the course the students are awarded the coveted "dolphin" badge of the Clearance Diver.

Once in the unit the divers will be assigned to one of several sections. The Mine Countermeasures (MCM) section is responsible for mine detection and disposal, and maintains its proficiency through both exercises and actual taskings. The BDR (Battle Damage Repair) section carries out numerous ship repair tasks (such as removing and replacing ship's propellers and sonar domes) throughout the year. In addition, the BDR section is prepared to deploy at short notice anywhere in the world to carry out neutralization of ordnance and repair of underwater damage incurred in the modern Naval combat environment. BDR is also capable of carrying out salvage operations (including surveying and raising sunken vessels).

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) section carries out land-based bomb disposal tasks for the Southern Vancouver Island region, as well as investigating and disposing of unexploded military ordnance. EOD's role has become increasingly important in recent years, and it now responds to dozens of IED (Improvised Explosive Device) calls each year, as well as to calls involving such things as wartime "souvenir" ammunition or commercial explosives.

The Repair section maintains all of the diving gear, and operates the unit's recompression chambers. Repair also maintains and operates FDU(P)'s Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV's). The Training section runs courses for all Canadian Forces Divers (including Air Force Search and Rescue Technicians, Army Combat Divers, and Navy Ship's Team, Reserve Inspection, and Clearance Divers). Additionally, the unit as a whole may be tasked with additional responsibilities such as submarine search and rescue, recompression treatment of diving casualties, or scientific research projects.

A variety of diving equipment is used by FDU(P). SCUBA gear (consisting of US Divers "Arctic" Regulator or AGA II full face masks plus twin aluminum 80 cu ft bottles) is used for the majority of ship repair and other shallow water tasks. Mine Countermeasure tasks are accomplished using the Canadian Clearance Diver Apparatus (CCDA) and the Canadian Underwater Mine Apparatus (CUMA), both of which are Canadian-designed rebreathers, built by Fullerton-Sherwood in Mississauga, Ontario. CCDA is a set-flow Nitrox rebreather capable of diving to 180 feet sea water (FSW), while CUMA is a variable-flow Heliox rebreather with onboard diagnostics capable of diving to 270 fsw (Nitrox is an enriched oxygen mixture, such as 60% O2 / 40% N2, while the Heliox rebreather supplies a set amount of pure oxygen and adds increasing amounts of helium to this as the diver descends). For deep non-MCM diving, the Kirby-Morgan Superlite 17 helmet with surface supplied mixed gas (compressed air or Heliox) is used. At the deeper depths a hot water suit is also used to prevent hypothermia from the extreme cold.

A variety of diving equipment is used by FDU(P). SCUBA gear (consisting of US Divers "Arctic" Regulator or AGA II full face masks plus twin aluminum 80 cu ft bottles) is used for the majority of ship repair and other shallow water tasks. Mine Countermeasure tasks are accomplished using the Canadian Clearance Diver Apparatus (CCDA) and the Canadian Underwater Mine Apparatus (CUMA), both of which are Canadian-designed rebreathers, built by Fullerton-Sherwood in Mississauga, Ontario. CCDA is a set-flow Nitrox rebreather capable of diving to 180 feet sea water (FSW), while CUMA is a variable-flow Heliox rebreather with onboard diagnostics capable of diving to 270 fsw (Nitrox is an enriched oxygen mixture, such as 60% O2 / 40% N2, while the Heliox rebreather supplies a set amount of pure oxygen and adds increasing amounts of helium to this as the diver descends). For deep non-MCM diving, the Kirby-Morgan Superlite 17 helmet with surface supplied mixed gas (compressed air or Heliox) is used. At the deeper depths a hot water suit is also used to prevent hypothermia from the extreme cold.

Additional equipment used by members of the unit includes several recompression chambers (including the Draeger Duocom chamber which is portable and capable of fly-away operations), underwater cutting and welding gear, hydraulic and pneumatic tools, video and photographic equipment, hand-held and side-scan sonars, and two ROV's; the advanced "Phantom IV" deep underwater vehicle and the larger "Trailblazer" Bottom Object Investigation Vehicle. The Diving Unit also possesses many vessels used for support of diving operations. YDT-11, used for deep diving, is a 130 ton diving tender with an onboard 6-man recompression chamber and mixed-gas surface support equipment. A second tender, YDT-9, is an 80 ton vessel used for many harbour repair tasks and ROV operations. Many smaller craft are also used by the unit, either on their own or in support of the larger dive tenders.

FDU(P) is at the forefront of diving technology, and will continue to expand and develop its capabilities in the future. Increasing integration of Naval Reserve Inspection Divers in FDU operations (in keeping with the Canadian Forces "Total Force" concept) acts as a "force-multiplier" (providing a pool of trained personnel to assist and conduct ship repair and underwater searches).   With the "SOOKE", a 290 ton, 110 foot diving tender, the unit is able to extend the reach and scope of its diving operations even further. The Fleet Diving Unit Pacific is Maritime Forces Pacific's only operational mine countermeasures, explosive ordnance disposal and battle damage repair asset. The officers and men of FDU(P) are ready to respond to any situation and remain true to the unit motto: "Strength in Depth