Side Scan Sonar

I was wondering if any dive teams are using side scan sonar for body searches?

How well does it work? How often do you use it? What type of water is in your jurisdiction? Lastly what brand do you use?

Thanks in advance

Have a happy and safe holiday

ADSN/WFLD

I used to use a Lowrance unit a couple of years back which had side scan functionality built in. The amount of clutter and bounce back that it received was a nightmare. (Transom Mounted on 5.5mtr RIB)

Depth and speed was okay but to get side scan info worth using the calibration was too fine.

I think there are other units on the market now that may give good resolution but I have not yet come across one that would detect a body.

I heard a year ago that certain UK police dive teams were using a specialist sonar unit which was hand held and could detect bodies and weapons?? but I haven't seen anything since.

Hope you have good luck.

Regards

Stay Safe

B33 - Emt-D

"and the beat goes on" <img src="cool.gif" border="0">

It wasn't a side scan sonar but a dive rescue team I was once a member of used a fishfinder to help locate a body in a fresh water lake. After making several passes (based on compass headings), an object too big to be a fish was seen on the screen. Divers found the victim suspended in the water at a depth of 70 feet or so.

We recently have revamped our dive team with 6 new divers and a whole bunch of new gear, we are slowly getting some new toys for our boat which include a LCR(fish finder) primarily for depth, to help keep from destroying our prop, a digital compass, and a underwater inferred camera. I haven't had the chance to use it personally but the guys who have used it said that it works pretty good,dont know which brand though,sorry.Hope this helps a little

Our department's dive team uses a Lawrence fish finder. You can't really tell much except it will show a really big fish. Now that we are diving in the Ohio River with vis of <1' who knows if it is a mutant fish or a body. Fishermen have pulled 60lb+ cat fish from the river. We did have some expreience with a pulled behind side scan sonar that a local Dr. had. It did'nt produce any better results than the old fish finder. Hope that helps some.

Thanks for the reply, We have tried fishfinders in the past with very limited results. The info that I have so far indicates that the side scan sonars that are worth anything are around $20,000 or more. The pictures are amazing but I doubt we would invest in the equipment without playing with it some.

Any more info would be appreciated

I use the same as my Cappy Rich.<br />And I have used the camera it works very well, you can see and make out everything right down to the occasional fish.

We own an IMAGENEX Side Scan SONAR and found the images to be to grainy and the resolution too poor for finding victims. On January 2, I had the opportunity to use a MARINE SONIC unit and we located a drowning victim quickly. I have also used Sector Scanning SONARS manufactured by KONGSBORG/SIMRAD and found them to have excellent imagery. KLEIN makes a good unit also but their prices are typically too high for municipal dive teams. Most teams that I am familiar with use the MARINE SONIC (New York State Police, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Waukegan Fire Department, The National Park Service and FBI)

If you want additional information, please contact Jeff DeMille at Marine Sonic as he is the government sales representative. (Tell him I referred you too, if you would do me the favor)

Good luck. If you need additional information, I can refer you to a bunch of web sites that discuss Side Scan SONAR technology. Also, through the International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists, you team can aquire a unit on an "as needed" basis and this option would be much cheaper than buying one and trying to keep your team proficient in it's use and operation.

Blades Robinson, Executive Director
International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists
http://www.iadrs.orghttp://www.iadrs.org