What is HUET ?

Did you know about this special training before HUET, which stands for Helicopter Underwater Escape Training?

What is HUET?

HUET is a specialised safety training course designed for individuals who travel by helicopter to offshore oil rigs, platforms, or other remote maritime locations. It prepares passengers to survive an emergency ditching (forced landing) into water and escape from a submerged and possibly inverted aircraft.

Key Components of HUET

Classroom Instruction:

• Introduction to helicopters: Design, emergency exits, flotation devices, seatbelts, etc.
• Ditching procedures: What happens during an emergency landing in water?
• Physiological effects: Disorientation, panic, cold water shock, and breath control.
• Survival equipment: life jackets, emergency breathing systems (EBS), life rafts, and personal locator beacons.

Pool Training (Simulated Ditching):

This is the core of HUET and includes multiple drills in a specially designed dunker simulator—a mock helicopter cabin that can be dropped into water and inverted.

Typical pool exercises include:

• Strapping in and escaping upright: 
• Learning to open the exit, unbuckle, and swim out.
• Inverted escape: 
• While blindfolded (to simulate low visibility), students must stay calm, locate the exit, and get out while the cabin is upside down underwater.
• Emergency Breathing Systems (EBS): 
• Use of a small air bottle is part of offshore safety gear.
• Life raft procedures: 
• Boarding, righting if capsized, and survival techniques.
• Use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment):
• Aviation life vests,
• Immersion suits (in cold regions),
• Breathing apparatus (where applicable),

Purpose and Benefits

• Reduces panic during real emergencies,
• Improves survival chances in water landings, particularly in inverted situations.
• Builds muscle memory for quick, calm action under stress.
• Mandatory for most personnel working in the offshore oil and gas industries.

Certification

HUET training is often part of a broader certification like BOSIET (Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training), which includes

• HUET,
• Firefighting,
• Sea survival,
• First aid.

HUET certification typically remains valid for 3–4 years, depending on regional and industry requirements.