NZDF career turns dream into reality

The Royal New Zealand Navy’s Petty Officer Diver Shaun Heaslip, from Matamata, is living out a childhood dream.

He’s diving in warm Hawaiian waters – as part of the world’s largest international maritime exercise.

At Exercise Rim of the Pacific – known as RIMPAC – Shaun is a diver supervisor with the New Zealand Defence Force’s Littoral Warfare Unit.

This is a Navy specialist unit comprising of divers, hydrographers and mine counter measures specialists. Shaun is one of those conducting salvaging and underwater searches during the exercise.

Twenty-seven nations, 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC, from June 30-August 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.

For Shaun, one of the biggest highlights so far has been diving on the USS Arizona. The Arizona Memorial, located at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, marks the resting place of 1102 sailors killed on the ship during Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941. The attack led to the United States’ direct involvement in World War 2.

The sunken remains of the battleship are a US national historic landmark.

“The Arizona is usually closed off to divers as it is a war grave. It’s an amazing dive,” says Shaun.

Coming straight from a Southern Hemisphere winter, he’s also enjoying the warm climate of Hawaii and the opportunity to work alongside other nations.

“It’s great to be able to learn from other nations and militaries, such as Canada, Australia, the US Coastguard, the US Army, and China, and improve our integration and interoperability.”

The goal of RIMPAC is to foster and sustain co-operative relationships between the participating nations. Such relationships are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes on the world’s oceans.

The Royal New Zealand Navy’s maritime component commander, Commodore Jim Gilmour, who is commanding the amphibious taskforce of 13 ships from the taskforce flagship USS America, says it is vital that New Zealand protects its interests at sea.

“Roughly 70 per cent of the world is water; 80 per cent of the world’s population lives on or near a coast, and 90 per cent of international commerce moves by sea.

“Capable maritime forces help ensure stability and prosperity around the world, and RIMPAC helps participating nations develop these capabilities. Our role is to protect our interests at sea,” says Jim.

This is Shaun’s second deployment to RIMPAC. He went to Coronado Island, San Diego, for Exercise RIMPAC 2012 as part of the Mine Counter Measures team, which conducted beach grading surveys. He’s been deployed on 12 exercises during his eight-year career in the RNZN.

The former Matamata College student says his career is a dream come true. Not only has he been able to see the world, but being paid to dive is something he’s always aspired to.

“I grew up diving and wanted it as a career. I started diving while at school, completing Professional Association of Diving Instructors diving courses, and diving for crayfish and so on.”

Off duty, he’s still never far from water: his passions include fishing and kitesurfing.


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