The phrase "a test dive" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a trial or experimental dive, often in the context of scuba diving or underwater exploration.
Example: "Before the main expedition, the team conducted a test dive to assess the conditions of the underwater site."
Alternatives: "trial dive" or "practice dive."
The Squalus, carrying 59 men, was on a test dive off Portsmouth, N.H., in May 1939 when its rear compartments flooded and it went down.
In a test dive, he has already broken the modern depth record for piloted vehicles, going down more than five miles.
In March Cameron completed a test dive in which he traveled to a depth of approximately 5 miles (8 km), a record for a solo mission.
Based on "The Terrible Hours," Peter Maas's 1999 best seller, "Submerged" tells the story of the Squalus, a state-of-the-art Navy submarine that went down during a test dive off the coast of New England in May 1939.
In 1850 Bauer built his first submarine, Le Plongeur-Marin ("The Marine Diver"), which in February 1851 sank in 50 feet (15 m) of water during a test dive in Kiel Harbour, trapping Bauer and his two crewmen.
After his five-mile test dive, he wrote that propeller wash from the thrusters barely "kissed" the bottom, forming silken tendrils that undulated and hung "like ectoplasm".
To lay a pipeline this far down, the Norwegian authorities financed a series of test dives, with the American diving industry helping develop safe methods to allow divers to work up to 1,300 feet beneath the waves.
To lay a pipeline this far down, the Norwegian authorities financed a series of test dives, with the American diving industry helping develop safe methods to allow divers to work up to 400 metres beneath the waves.
Other activities include a scuba tank offering demonstrations and test dives, radio-controlled model boat races, and a Discover Boating center with advice for newcomers to the sport.
Mr. Cameron said test dives were scheduled for early next year.
If we could pass a series of written exams and skill tests in the pool, then we could move on to the next step — four test dives in open water that would lead to certification.
