After 8 months of being on the dive team and only one callout, we got two in this weekend.
First was called in by a fisherman, an eagle talon had gone into a canal. Car was sitting smack dab in the middle, parallel to to the shore. Looks like it had been there for a week or so. Wildbill was on shore for tender/gator spotter with his AR15, while the dive team leader and I went in the water. No bodies, but there was a pair of coveralls floating in the top of the car (apparently the car was owned by a housepainter) that gave me a maalox moment
. Hardest thing about the recovery was the 300 yard walk in full gear through soft sand (temp was 95 degrees, water temp 92); that and the tow truck got stuck in it.
Other call was on a SUV in yet another canal. This one had drifted out and settled about 150' from shore. They let me swim the chains out to it. Afterwards: "yeah, we've got a float for that, but we figured you'd like to do it the old fashoned way". Gee thanks. Fortunately, I know that the asst leader does not do well on boats, and has a certain reaction to innocent retching noises. I'm off probation in 4 months.
First was called in by a fisherman, an eagle talon had gone into a canal. Car was sitting smack dab in the middle, parallel to to the shore. Looks like it had been there for a week or so. Wildbill was on shore for tender/gator spotter with his AR15, while the dive team leader and I went in the water. No bodies, but there was a pair of coveralls floating in the top of the car (apparently the car was owned by a housepainter) that gave me a maalox moment
. Hardest thing about the recovery was the 300 yard walk in full gear through soft sand (temp was 95 degrees, water temp 92); that and the tow truck got stuck in it.Other call was on a SUV in yet another canal. This one had drifted out and settled about 150' from shore. They let me swim the chains out to it. Afterwards: "yeah, we've got a float for that, but we figured you'd like to do it the old fashoned way". Gee thanks. Fortunately, I know that the asst leader does not do well on boats, and has a certain reaction to innocent retching noises. I'm off probation in 4 months
.
