For those of us who spend any time near, on or below the water, sooner or later you’re bound to lose something to the great deep blue. Usually, we aren’t fortunate enough to have the 100’ viz that Teri talked about on our Search & Recovery Instructor training dive… so then what’s a person to do?
If you have taken Advanced Open Water or Rescue Class, you’ve been taught some basic search patterns and knots. This class kicks it up a notch by adding more complicated search patterns and learning how to really take advantage of the tools and divers/snorkelers that you have available. For example, I felt pretty confident tying knots before, but as we each took turns tying the different knots to rig a lift bag, I learned from another instructor that I wasn’t using the “biting” end of the knot, which means that the strength of the knot was not being used. I had tied the knot correctly, but the attached end should have been the lose end! Details like this can make or break a recovery! Another example is the use of a line (which many of us carry on our person in one form or another) to utilize multiple divers/snorkelers in order to cover a larger area more quickly.
The recovery is the whole point of searching, so we want to make sure that we bring our found item home! With the use of surface markers and lift bags, some local divers were able to locate and then recover lost patio furniture that had been washed out to sea in our last tsunami. We can all benefit from becoming more educated and more confident in our Search & Recovery techniques!
Maui Dreams has a selection of surface markers, lines and reels, and other signaling devices that can greatly benefit any search, stop in and check them out today! The Navigation Specialty goes hand-in-hand with the Search & Recovery Specialty, and both count towards earning your Master Scuba Diver certification. We all know that a good diver is always learning, and these are two classes that not only greatly boost your confidence as a diver, but they can prove to be very helpful down the road! Mahalo to Barry Hodson for his exquisite modeling!
Aloha, Sara
