Identical to the Master Diver breast insignia for Enlisted personnel except for the fact that it is gold rather than silver, the Diving Officer badge is awarded to officers who have completed diver training courses appropriate to a billet that requires experience and knowledge of diving, salvage, or underwater-related duties. The focal point of the insignia is a U.S. Navy Mk V diving helmet, flanked by two sea horses.
Officers from several branches of the United States Armed Services seeking to qualify as Divers attend the Joint Diving Officer Course held at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Florida. As the introductory training pipeline for officers who have been assigned to a diving command, the course is available for Army, Navy, and Coast Guard personnel, and provides them with the requisite skills and knowledge to carry out duties as a Diving Officer, Diving Supervisor, dive-team member, or diver as delineated in the U.S. Navy Diving Manual and other technical documentation.
In terms of Naval officers, the course is offered to those in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Engineering Duty, and Civil Engineering fields. Specialized training is according to the officer’s billet. For example, officers assigned to the billet code 9314, Diving Officer (Ship Salvage), will need to complete the Military Diver Personnel Qualification Standards (formerly known as the Diving Salvage Warfare Specialist PQS). Officers assigned to billets which involve saturation dives (long durations) must complete a saturation diving course.
The only enlisted personnel who may wear the Navy Diving Officer breast insignia are CWO Diving Officers (720X) from the Navy Diver rating, which was established in 2006. Until that time, Navy Diver was a qualification rather than a specialty unto itself.