Dive Team

The Tonto Rim Search & Rescue (TRSAR) Dive Team is dedicated to providing specialized underwater search and rescue services to communities in need. With a focus on safety, expertise, and precision, our team conducts missions in diverse aquatic environments to locate and rescue individuals in distress. 

The team utilizes advanced diving techniques and equipment to locate, assist, and rescue individuals in distress in aquatic environments. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety, professionalism, and skill while responding to calls for assistance and providing critical aid to those in need underwater.

Overview of what we do and the skills required to be part of our team.

What We Do:

• Underwater Search Operations: Our dive team specializes in conducting underwater search operations to locate missing persons, submerged vehicles, or objects of interest in lakes, rivers, ponds, and other bodies of water. We employ advanced diving equipment and techniques to conduct systematic searches and recover items as needed.
• Swiftwater Dive Rescue: In addition to underwater searches, our team is trained to conduct swiftwater dive rescue operations in fast-moving rivers and floodwaters. We use specialized equipment and protocols to safely navigate swift currents and recover individuals trapped or submerged in hazardous conditions.
• Evidence Recovery: Our dive team assists law enforcement agencies in recovering evidence related to criminal investigations, accidents, or other incidents occurring in aquatic environments. We meticulously document and preserve evidence found underwater to support ongoing investigations.
• Dive Tender: Tenders participate within the public safety dive team in a non-diving role. Their duties include line tending, effective communication with the diver(s) via line signals and electronic communication, mapping and documentation, search patterns, decontamination procedures and assisting with diver needs. 

Skills Needed:

• Diving Certification: Divers must hold current certifications in scuba diving from recognized training agencies. They must demonstrate proficiency in open water diving, underwater navigation, buoyancy control, and other essential diving skills.
• Search and Recovery Training: Our dive team undergoes specialized training in underwater search techniques, including search patterns, and underwater mapping. They must be skilled in using dive equipment such as underwater metal detectors, sonar devices, and underwater cameras to aid in search and recovery operations.
• Medical Training: Our dive team includes trained medical personnel, such as dive medics or dive paramedics, who hold certifications in basic and advanced life support and underwater medicine.
• Communication Skills: Clear and effective communication is vital for coordinating dive operations underwater and communicating with surface support personnel, fellow divers, and other team members. Dive team members must be proficient in using underwater communication devices and hand signals to convey information effectively.
• Tender Skills: It is essential to possess a basic understanding of dive principles and demonstrate proficiency in swimming.
• Physical Fitness: Diving in aquatic environments requires physical stamina, strength, and agility to navigate underwater currents, carry out search and recovery operations. Team members must maintain a high level of physical fitness to perform effectively in challenging underwater conditions.

 To Learn More:

If you are passionate about diving or tending, search and rescue, and making a difference in people’s lives underwater, we welcome you to learn more about our TRSAR Dive Team.  Please consider attending a TRSAR General Meeting held the second Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at the Payson Library.