PADI Search and Recovery Diver
Introduction
This was a fantastic class that I took with an instructor I met at a cleanup event last summer. We arranged a time that fit both of our schedules. For me, it meant taking two days off work midweek to make it happen.
The Search & Recovery Specialty class is all about finding stuff underwater (large and small) and then getting it safely to the surface. There are limits. The largest item I practiced on could be lifted with a 50-pound lift bag. This means I won’t be raising a boat anytime soon.
Online Learning
Most of the online portion of this class was learning knots and search patterns. Three knots are helpful to know: the bowline, the double half-hitch, and the sheet bend. They’re not hard to tie, but you do need to practice them till it’s easy to do, because doing it underwater is a bit more complex, so it should be automatic on the surface.
Classroom Learning
I had a small classroom session. We reviewed knots, lifting procedures, and search patterns. Several factors dictate the search pattern to use. The underwater terrain, the size of the object to be located, and the visibility in the water all have an impact on how you look. After reviewing the material, we headed to the lake for day one of diving.
Lake Conditions
Heavy rains flooded the boat launch at the park. The lake was over 30 feet above normal due to heavy rainfall. We used a large, flat surface area during the initial dives that was actually… the parking lot. Yes, the entire parking lot was about 28 feet deep. It did, however, make a great spot to practice search patterns without obstructions that could make it more challenging.
Day One Dives
We searched for a small, weighted bucket. I failed. There were two reasons. One, the visibility was horrible at this point. The lakes around here make it really easy to kick up silt that kills visibility. Two, the search pattern required fairly precise spacing and turns using a compass to navigate in an increasing range from the center point. If you miss a turn a bit on the compass or make your passes too far apart from each other, you can miss an item. We found out later that we missed it by about a foot.
However, the search for the really tiny item (a small anchor pendant) was a bit more successful. It took a long time. We conducted a jackstay search, using a rope stretched between two weighted points, and moved in steps to cover the area. It took 30 minutes to cover about 100 square feet of silt-covered lake bottom, but I found the 2-inch pendant.
I did some unexpected extra practice lifting a heavy recovered item to the surface. We actually found an anchor, and I was dispatched to use the lift bag to bring it to the surface. It went pretty smoothly, no issues, and made later dives even easier.
Day Two Dives
On the second day, we moved to a different location on the lake. There was a small island that was normally visible but was now about 30-35 feet deep due to the lake levels. The instructor dropped a larger item for recovery. We discussed search patterns appropriate to the terrain and then went looking.
Unlike normal for our lakes, visual clarify that day was so good that I actually found the item before I got to the bottom of the anchor line. I did a lift on it as required for the course. Then we had some fun, just exploring the lake. We saw a couple of really nice Walleye and all in all, had a great day of diving.
Final Thoughts
From a pure enjoyment standpoint, this was absolutely the most fun I had on any of my classes. I was comfortable diving. My buoyancy control was decent. Visibility was good.
But all of that aside, the searching was just fun. This class was basically an underwater hide and seek game. I could have done searches like this all day. Highly recommend the course for all divers, even if it’s just for the fun of it.
