Bio – David Holland, Lieutenant (Navy, Retired)
Lieutenant (Navy) David Holland retired after a 25 year career as a Canadian Naval Clearance Diving Officer to continue his undersea consulting business and instructing Public Safety Divers. He amassed many diving, EOD and seamanship qualifications, the most significant of these include: Canadian Naval Ships Diving Officer; US Navy Salvage Diving Officer; Canadian Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer; NATO / Non-NATO Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer and Commanding Officer Mine-Countermeasures Vessel. Having joined the navy initially as a Boatswain (seaman, small boat operator), David Holland completed his Bachelor Military Arts & Science – with distinction from Royal Military College and would serve as a Naval Officer in HMC Ships East and West coast fleets. As a Clearance Diving Officer, he held positions including: EOD Officer Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic, Diving Training Officer Fleet Diving Unit Pacific, Exchange Officer US Navy EOD Technology Centre (Maryland), Officer In Charge of Side Scan Sonar operations (MANTA) and retiring from the Experimental Diving Unit in DCIEM (now DRDC) Toronto.
With 35 years of diving experience, David Holland has specialized in the training of police and EMS dive teams drawing on his numerous military and civilian diving qualifications: LGS / ACUC Public Safety Diving Instructor; DCBC Unrestricted Surface Supplied Supervisor and SCUBA Supervisor (Commercial qualifications); commercially certified HAZMAT Surface Supplied Diver; Sport SCUBA Diving Instructor with various diving agencies (including DAN) with his highest civilian SCUBA qualification being Instructor Trainer Examiner. He has trained and worked nationally (throughout North America) and internationally. David Holland has been associated in various ways with LGS since 1982, assisting in editing publications and his strong recommendation of LGS equipment that is used by the Canadian Forces Divers. Holland has been involved in various LGS courses from New Hampshire to California, including Canadian teams: wrote the Surface Supply Contaminated Water Diving course; co-created the Subsurface Technical Anti-Terrorist Training (STAT) course; Rapid Deployment Search and Rescue / Recovery; Small Vessel Operations; Large Area Rapid Deployment Search and Rescue / Recovery; Under Water Vehicle Extrication Specialist; Moving Water Dive Specialist; Rapid Deployment Ice Diving Rescue / Recovery; and Surface Ice Rescue Technician.
Within the Canadian SAR organization David Holland was the Unit Training Officer and a Crew Coxn for a Coast Guard Auxiliary 7.33 metre fast response rescue RHIB, where his SAR experience was recognized with his investiture as a Serving Brother in the Order of St John. He holds several maritime qualifications and has received numerous commendations, as well as communications of appreciation for Outstanding performance. A leader in many ways, Chairman of the Emergency Services Diving Association and President of the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society – Great Lakes Chapter; receipient of the MAR Award for Outstanding Contribution; Chairman, speaker, panel moderator at several Annual Meetings. David Holland has been a speaker at various conferences and symposiums: International Police Diver Symposiums; Public Safety Diving Conferences; Maritime Security Symposium; EMS Conference and Underwater Canada.
As well as assisted in editing LGS publications, David Holland is also a writer published in Canada and Europe. He is an award winning Photographer published in national different magazines. He has a passion for photography and is often scene with using one of his cameras during Team LGS courses – remember to look good for your hero picture. David Holland’s expertise in high-tech deployments (side-scan sonar, GPS, rov) as well as operational diving experience: from surface supplied to SCUBA; major aircrash disasters to single victim and evidence recoveries provides an extra level of service to Team LGS clients.
