TOLLAND
COUNTY DIVE TEAM
Proudly Serving Tolland County Connecticut and Surrounding Areas
These images are reproduced with the permission
of the San Marco Area Recovery Team.
Our thanks as well as an invitation to visit their site is extended to all visitors.
Click on the images to view a larger version.
This type of search
pattern we normally use to search a shoreline of a body of water where we
suspect the victim may be. We normally use two divers on a
line. A maximum of three divers depending on conditions.
Another type of
shoreline search we often use is this sweep pattern. Usually a
shoreline foot search has already been completed of the shallower water
and we can keep our divers away from the immediate shore line. With
the new underwater communications equipment, this has become our most
efficient type of search.
This is our normal
search from an anchor point. This is usually done where the victim
was last seen far enough from shore that a shore search would be impractical.
We use three divers for this type of operation. One diver is at the
anchor point and directs the search. The other two divers are out on
the line actually performing the search.
Here is another type of
search we would perform from a boat that has been anchored.
This river search we use
only in areas of slight current. A river with a strong current would
make this type of operation very difficult.
This is similar to a
type of search we would implement in a river with current. Again we
limit the number of divers in a river with a strong current. In a
river with only a slight current we may deploy more divers.
This type of search is
for a dive team that does recovery operations on a regular basis.
Since our dive team does not do recover of vehicles we do not regularly
practice this type of operation.
River search and rescue
can be difficult for many reasons. Current, underwater hazards such
as snags, rocks and other debris can all create havoc with the under water
searcher. Being able to target the river for likely spots where the
victim ma be helps to minimize the risk to the divers. This graphic
represents some likely spots where a victim might be found.
This is an excellent
representation of the dangers of low head dams. These can occur on
any size river and can trap the unsuspecting canoeist of kayaker.
