Step back in time this summer with our early Service Newspapers, which capture the spirit of Australia's armed forces and the society they serve.
Defence is funding the digitisation of these historic editions in Trove, giving every Australian the chance to explore the collection.
This piece references an original story about clearance divers featured in Navy News from 1961, and another from this year.
Former Navy clearance diver Wally Reynolds descended 327 feet to set an Australian aqualung diving record off Newport in March 1961, according to a report in Navy News.
The dive broke the existing record by 87 feet.
Mr Reynolds did not attempt the world aqualung record, which was 396 feet or 120 metres at the time, because he considered it too dangerous.
Fast forward to July 2025, Navy clearance diver Lieutenant Ruslan Pnevski made it to the wreck of SS Nemesis - a coal hauler that sank off the NSW coast in 1904.
Lieutenant Pnevski descended 160 metres to reach the wreck and in doing so broke his previous diving record.
In a Defence News story - Navy diver breaks own record in search of wreck - Lieutenant Pnevski said, "More people have climbed Everest than have dived to 100 metres, and the difference between 100 metres and 160 metres is massive".
"To go to 160 is quite unique, and to be one of a small amount of people in the world to be able to achieve a depth like that and do it in challenging conditions, it's amazing."
Clearance divers are the ADF' specialist divers and form a crucial role in the nation's defence.
Because Australia is dependent on maritime trade, specialist divers are fundamental to preventing and disarming any attempt by adversaries to disrupt ports.
Divers handle surface and underwater demolitions, disarm and dispose of explosive ordnance as well as conducting underwater reconnaissance.
Lieutenant Pnevski is an instructor at the ADF Diving School. He started diving at the age of 16 and always knew he would become a Navy clearance diver.
Explore more stories about the Royal Australian Navy in Trove.
Citation
1961 'No title', Royal Australian Navy News (National : 1958 - 2024), 30 March, p. 4, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article267347331
