If you’re looking for a tight-knit community and a job that keeps you active and challenged, then read on. The Coast Guard is looking for the next generation of divers, and active-duty E-2s through E-5s are eligible to apply for the Dive Candidate Screener (DCS). Applications are due July 31, 2026, and applicants will be notified in October if they’ve been selected.
To give the Coast Guard workforce an inside look at the exciting — and critical — Diver (DV) rating, MyCG spoke with Petty Officer First Class Dakota Gasdiel-Goldberg, who serves as a diver instructor at the Service’s Aviation Technical Training Center (ATTC) in Elizabeth City, N.C. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
MyCG: Where are you from, and why did you join the Coast Guard?
Petty Officer First Class Dakota Gasdiel-Goldberg (GG): I’m from Chicago. I joined the Coast Guard, just like most people do, to be somebody who saves somebody’s life. I was initially a Marine Science Technician (MST), then became a Diver.
When I joined the Coast Guard, I didn’t even know becoming a diver was an option. I loved being an MST, but when the pandemic hit, my job ended up being more of an office job than I’d hoped. I was planning on getting out when my contract was up, then a friend told me about the diver solicitation. I thought, “well, I got nothing to lose, I’m about to get out anyway. So, I’ll give it a shot.” I went and I got through, and that’s how I became a diver.
MyCG: Where does your love of diving come from?
GG: Well, so that’s the thing. It wasn’t really the diving at all. I barely knew how to swim – just enough to pass the Coast Guard [physical fitness] test. What really got me interested in the program was the community. It is a small group, and the people are extremely motivated. It’s not something you can get into easily. I knew I’d be around like-minded people, and I was willing to do anything and everything to be a part of it.
MyCG: It seems like you really like the challenge.
GG: Definitely the challenge, but also the DV rate in itself. Not only does it have great people, but the opportunity you get as far as traveling around the whole world…I’ve dived in plenty of places that nobody even gets to visit, let alone dive.
MyCG: What’s a moment underwater when you thought, “This is the coolest job in the Coast Guard?”
GG: One moment that stood out to me the most was the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) mission in Vietnam [DPAA’s mission is to account for over 80,000 Americans missing from past conflicts]. We were recovering guys whose helicopter had crashed during the Vietnam War. I was 100 feet underwater with zero visibility. I couldn’t see anything. I was down there for over an hour. And I thought to myself, “I can’t believe I have the opportunity to be doing what I’m doing and could be bringing people home who have been lost for over 50 years.” At the end of the mission, we actually did bring people home. That was the most rewarding thing I’ve done in the Coast Guard.
MyCG: That’s amazing. I want to turn to your future in the Coast Guard. What does it look like to you?
GG: Right now, I’m an instructor, so that’s a great opportunity. I’m going to continue growing in every way I can. I’m helping out with the Coast Guard’s new fitness program, and it’s great to be a part of that and to help bring other people up.
MyCG: Okay, last question: has diving changed you at all as a leader or as a person?
GG: Oh yeah, definitely. It’s raised my personal standard and made me take more accountability. I now have to meet or exceed my standards in every aspect of my life.
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If you want to learn more about the Diving Program, join Master Chief Petty Officer Donald Selby and the Assignments Branch of the Office of Enlisted Personnel Management (EPM-2) for a virtual townhall on Tuesday, July 21, at 2 p.m. EST. To attend the townhall, please email Selby to request the link.
For more information about application requirements and deadlines, please see ALCGENL 019/26 and ALCGENL 072/26 (CAC required). If you have any questions about the application, please contact Chief Petty Officer Tucker Day, DV “A” School Chief.
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