Of the many valuable skills you can learn through various certifications of SCUBA diving, search and recovery is one that should not be overlooked. You never know when something precious may slip under the waters of your favorite lake or pond, seemingly lost forever. One Alabama resident learned this the hard way — but there was a happy ending.
Matt Hall, of Opelika, AL, was playing with his sons on Lake Martin last Tuesday afternoon when the improbable happened: his wedding ring came off his finger following a plunge into the lake from a rope swing. The massive 44,000 acre lake is a popular recreation area for families swimming and playing in the water, motorboats pulling waterskis, and anglers casting lines in hopes of catching one of the lake’s several species of fish. With lake depths of up to 150 feet, the chances of recovering the ring seemed very slim indeed.
The shaken Hall took to the internet to find a solution to his problem, which led him to David Reiterman, a certified SCUBA instructor from a nearby area. Reiterman had experience with cave and wreck diving, making him a sound choice for such a mission. But even Reiterman had his doubts as to the ring’s retrieval. He offered Hall no guarantees before embarking on the search, but assured him he would have a good look and, armed with only a flashlight, began his quest to find the prize.
After some unsuccessful tries, the two decided to recreate the events of the day it was lost, and Hall swung off the rope swing as he had done before. This gave Reiterman a better idea of where he should continue the search, and as luck would have it, he produced Hall’s wedding ring after 45 minutes. The ring was laying atop the silty bottom of the lake about 20 feet below the surface, amid other scattered shiny bits that turned out to just be bottle caps.
Incredibly, Reiterman found the ring when he was on his last 5 minutes of air! An overjoyed Hall jumped in the water and hugged the diver, grateful to be reunited with his cherished ring.
This heartwarming story is great motivation to expand your training to include search and recovery. LeisurePro carries the PADI training manual, as well as the DVD. These tools will be very helpful to you even if you aren’t planning on pursuing certification. You can also peruse their selection of metal detectors, lift bags, and compasses to prepare for your searches.
You might be surprised at what you find with your search and recovery skills!
Photo via SkyWideDesign
