Search & Recovery

Underwater Search and Recovery is a sobering and sometimes dangerous task.

Due to the nature of our chosen sport Monaghan Sub Aqua Club divers are
however, frequently called upon by the emergency services for body search
operations in the lakes and rivers of counties Monaghan and Cavan. We are always prepared to assist if required in sea searches of neighbouring coastal areas.

For the past twenty years the club's Search & Recovery unit members have always been available on a voluntary standby basis and almost every year the club's Search & Recovery Unit has been called upon by gardai to undertake underwater searches.  In 2009 alone, Monaghan Sub Aqua have been called out 5 times to search for missing persons in water.

This is not an easy task. Searching in our rivers and lakes is very difficult and can be very dangerous, as visibility is usually a few inches at most. In actual fact most searches are undertaken on a touch basis only.

Monaghan SAC Search & Recovery Unit usually utilise a number of rope techniques for grid search patterns. Shadowed by a dive boat above this involves two or more divers guided by search ropes sweeping an area of water from left to right.

The search pattern starts close to the shore and after every sweep from left
to right has been competed a 'ropeman' on shore releases more line, the submerged divers move further out from the shore and the search sweep starts again. The search depends on the length of rope but usually each stick of search divers remains submerged for up to 45 minutes which is within diving safety limits. Thankfully most searches have concluded successfully inside this time frame but it does frequently take much longer.

Approved equipment for this purpose is essential. While the service is voluntary, an underwater search in sometimes far from clean water can be
very dangerous. Divers run the risk of getting snagged on submerged hazards while they also run the risk of contracting several dangerous medical conditions usually caused by water borne parasites.

One of the most dangerous of these medical conditions is Leptospirosis otherwise known as Weil's disease. The infection can enter a divers system from contaminated water through cut or abraded skin. A study in South East England in 1977 showed that 50% of wild rats were infested with Leptospirosis.  The symptoms of the disease can vary. Within 4-21 days after infection, a typical severe case would develop severe headaches, severe pain in the muscles, fever, redness of the eyes, loss of appetite and vomiting. Sometimes there may be small red blotches on the skin and blood in the urine. The liver is often involved and the patient may be jaundiced. Kidneys may be affected giving rise to kidney failure and the heart muscle may also become affected giving rise to heart failure. Thus severe cases of the disease will require treatment in special centres such as hospital kidney units. Providing the diagnosis is made early enough treatment with penicillin is effective.

Specialist diving equipment such as full protective facemasks would, however, give the search and recovery diver adequate protection. Two way underwater communications can also be incorporated in these specialised diving masks.

Search and recovery divers must also take time off from their jobs to attend inquests at which they may be asked to give details of their search.

Monaghan Sub Aqua Club has, at last,  been allocated a site in Castleblayney by the Town Council which is a permanent Search & Recovery Base for the border region. The Clubhouse was partially funded by the National Lottery grant.

Monaghan Sub Aqua Club members have undertaken extensive training in the Search & Recovery methods. Now all Search & Recovery Units once qualified are registered with the Gardai as a qualified Search & Recovery Unit and thereore may be called upon before the Garda Diver unit should it be engaged else where in the country.

If you see our team collecting funds towards this Unit we would ask you do give anything you can to them.  Its a tough job searching for someones loved one, but our team as any other Search & Recovery Team know that finding a family loved one seems help them to accept what has happened.