Heli-dive is a company formed by Stuart Caton in 2002 in Sydney. Stuart is a very experienced helicopter pilot and has been training rescue personnel in helicopter safety and rescue techniques since 1994.
While running these rescue courses someone would have to jump out of the helicopter and be rescued. Stuart was often asked by the course participants when would they get their turn to jump out of the helicopter. This prompted Stuart to create a course to give divers and snorkellers that opportunity.
The Heli-dive course proved to be very popular when introduced in 1997, and is now a fully accredited dive course with PADI, NAUI and SSI. Stuart informed us that many people get such a buzz jumping out of the helicopter that they are too excited to then go for a dive.
All the time Stuart was in Sydney the Heli-dive was only a small part of the helicopter training business. However, recently the company relocated to Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, after Heli-dive successfully tendered to be one of the operators to take divers to the HMAS Brisbane.
Working in partnership with local dive operator, Resort 2 Diving, Stuart is now marketing the heli-dive as the main part of the business and has already received bookings and enquires from around the world. Until all the paper work is sorted out to take divers to the HMAS Brisbane, Heli-dive is running trips to the local dive sites off Mooloolaba.
Heli-dive is offering two main courses for divers and snorkellers. The Seal Team Challenge is a half day course for snorkellers. The course costs $245 and includes all snorkelling gear. After training, the snorkellers board the helicopter for a flight out to the dive site and then jump into the ocean just like a Navy Seal.
Scuba divers can do the full day Heli-Diver Course for $297. Once qualified, repeat jumps are only $198 and every fifth jump is free. The course is available to all Open Water Divers, with a minimum of ten dives logged, and includes all dive gear.
To tie in with the whole military feel of the operation the helicopter and dive boat have been painted in camouflage colours and course participates can also undertake a mission, to retrieve a top secret file locked in a strong box on the bottom.
We were fortunate enough to join Heli-dive for their first official day of operation in Queensland and do the Heli-Diver Course. The day started at the Heli-dive office, on the Mooloolaba Spit. Here we signed up and ran through the Heli-Diver Course study manual. Stuart, assisted by dive instructor and aircrew officer Nathan Pollard, taught us helicopter safety on and off the ground, emergency procedures and how to safely enter and exit the helicopter.
After gathering our dive gear we headed off to Maroochydore Airport. Here we again ran through all the safety procedures and also practised getting in and out of the helicopter as it sat idle on the tarmac.
The helicopter, a Bell 206 Jetranger, can carry five people, however with Stuart as pilot and Nathan as aircrew officer they only take out two divers at a time. We were first up.
After gearing up Nathan led us over to the helicopter, while Stuart did the pre-flight check and warmed her up. With the rotor blades spinning around, Stuart gave the thumbs up and we slowly walked towards the helicopter.
Once strapped in, a very important consideration, as there are no doors, the helicopter started to rise and cross Maroochydore Airport. Within seconds we were flying over the lovely beaches of the Sunshine Coast.
Stuart headed south for a hair-raising 200km/h joy ride. The adrenaline was pumping as Stuart rocked the helicopter side to side and flew close to the surface of the ocean. Swimmers and surfers were waving to us, but were too busy holding on to wave back. We reached Mooloolaba Beach and then turned around for the return trip up the coast to our dive site, Old Woman Island.
We were both glad to be strapped in as Stuart did a very tight circuit around Old Woman Island, scaring not only us, but some sea birds and a couple of surfers below. Stuart then brought the helicopter into a hover about 4m above the water.
Nathan then tapped Nigel on the arm, it was time to exit.
Nigel undid his seat belt and slowly stepped out onto the skids. Mask on, reg in, Nathan then placed his fins under his arm. A quick count of three and it was time to jump.
Nigel looked straight ahead, steeped sideways and splash, he was in. After signalling he was okay it was Helen’s turn. Helen repeated the procedure and was quickly into the water. She bobbed to the surface with a huge grin on her face.
We both then swam over to the pickup boat, wanting to watch the next divers jump before our dive. Everyone on the dive boat, out for a double dive, quizzed us about the experience. We were on a high and the main word we kept repeating was “fantastic!”
About fifteen minutes later the helicopter reappeared with the next two jumpers. We watched then both step out onto the skids and jump. Not only was the Heli-dive a spectacular thing to do, it was also a spectacular sight to see someone else do it.
With the adrenaline still pumping we went for a dive at Old Woman Island. This site has some lovely coral gardens with a wonderful collection of invertebrate species and reef fish. The dive was great, but our minds were still replaying that incredible helicopter ride and entry into the ocean. We both wore grins during the dive and also on the boat trip back to Mooloolaba Harbour.
Heli-dive is the only operation of its kind in the world. The chance to jump out of a helicopter like a Navy Seal is an experience that we will never forget.