Diving for bodies

[Jeffe]

Fresh water, River, Body Recovery Dive.
Visibility four inches.
Current eleven miles per hour.
Water Temperature 38*.
Air Temperature 34*.
Maximum depth 12'.
All team members wearing wet suits.
Office of emergency services set dive limits at 20 minutes in water each dive, I made three that day.
Tethered Dive as follows:
Tight line across the River
Jon Boat clipped to the tight line fore & aft.
Hauling lines attached to the jon boat fore & aft.
Ground crews on each bank to haul the jon boat and two line handlers back & forth.
Diver tethered to the tight line, with the jon boat line handlers assisting as they can.
This was a very physicaly demanding search, several divers thought they bumped the Body at times, before it was actually recovered.
Cadaver k-9's alerted just downstream so we knew the Body was there, it was just hard to find.

 

[Jeffe]

Fresh water, River, Body Recovery Dive.
Visibility four inches.
Current eleven miles per hour.
Water Temperature 38*.
Air Temperature 34*.
Maximum depth 12'.
All team members wearing wet suits.
Office of emergency services set dive limits at 20 minutes in water each dive, I made three that day.
Tethered Dive as follows:
Tight line across the River
Jon Boat clipped to the tight line fore & aft.
Hauling lines attached to the jon boat fore & aft.
Ground crews on each bank to haul the jon boat and two line handlers back & forth.
Diver tethered to the tight line, with the jon boat line handlers assisting as they can.
This was a very physicaly demanding search, several divers thought they bumped the Body at times, before it was actually recovered.
Cadaver k-9's alerted just downstream so we knew the Body was there, it was just hard to find.

 

[Waterlover]

I do body recovery dives on a volunteer basis. Over the years I have recovered 5 bodies and searched for numerous others.

 

[o2scuba]

I've done a lot of snomobile, 4 wheeler and car recovery. So far, of the ones i've done, the lucky b#stards have lived!! So no need for body recovery. Funny thing is, seems like every time someone loses a sled under the ice, they are sooooo sure its "right over here". Usually we find them very far from where they think. Partially due to the fact that they never go strait down. But also cuz they were half in the bag when they lost em. The last one was a couple of guys trying to skim accross the 30ft of open water to the other side of the ice, at night (like duhhhhhhhh). 2 sleds, 55ft, 0 vis (or 4" with a light). Good news $1,500.00 for me.

It's amazing how they are able to get those snomos running just 10 minutes after getting them out of the water. Just pull the plugs out, tip em over, pull the cord a bunch of times, a little starting fluid into the cylindar heads and vrooom.

Definately dangerous business though. Using lines, harnessess, large lift bags (some that have tanks built into the bag) requires specific training.

Andrew

 

[DiveDad]

Technically, under Michigan law, the Sheriff of the county has the responsibility to recover drowning victims. It doesn't require that the Sheriff's Department have a dive team. There are a wide variety of dive teams in the state, full time police/sheriff, full time/volunteer fire departments and a few civilian dive teams.

Despite the fact that most of us train for rescues, the reality is that the vast majority of our efforts are recoveries. It is fortunate that we have people willing to do a job that virtually never has a happy ending...to all the PSD divers out there, stay safe.

 

[randyjoy]

I am the Lieutenant over the Sheriff's Dept dive team. People routinely call us rescue divers, but as DiveDad mentioned, we do recovery dives.

The last two years have been great - no bodies, only cars and guns.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

I am chief of the local rescue divers which also include recoveries of bodies.

 

[trymixdiver]

I dont but theres a guy out here on the west coast i met who does.

Mark lonsdale is his name, not sure if he still does it, but i would think so.

Andy

 

[Jeffe]

randyjoy once bubbled...
I am the Lieutenant over the Sheriff's Dept dive team. People routinely call us rescue divers, but as DiveDad mentioned, we do recovery dives.

The last two years have been great - no bodies, only cars and guns.

Say, Randtjoy, great looking K-9, what jobs do you do as a team ?
This is what Dillon & I look like on the job.