Combat divers drop into Pacific from helicopter during military training exercise

Military divers trained by jumping out of a helicopter into the Pacific Ocean near Metchosin, B.C., Friday.

Divers with the Canadian Armed Forces took polar plunging to the extreme on Friday, dropping into the Pacific Ocean from a helicopter.

The freefalls are part of an annual training exercise called Rougish Buoy, bringing military personnel from across Canada to southern Vancouver Island.

The jumps from a CH-148 Cyclone into the waters off Metchosin, B.C., are known as helocasting. It’s a means of getting divers into the water when there’s no access by land.

“It could potentially be a plane crash,” said Capt. Willis Ripley, director for the exercise.

“Maybe there are cliffs along the sides, in which case we could get a boat (and) we could get divers in the water to potentially establish a footprint.”

CTV News captured the training exercise on camera. Watch the full story above.