It happens: People accidentally drop something off the boat, while diving or off the dock. Your first response may be to go back down and find it, but how? There are effective ways to search for it that increases your chances of finding it.

Your search begins with knowing the size of the object and the general area to search. You’ll use different methods according to the bottom contours, depth and resources available to you. Then you will determine the most appropriate search pattern. If the object is large and/or heavy, you will need to use a lift bag. This course is challenging but can be a lot of fun!

Gathering information and resources, then carefully planning a search are the first important steps you learn. During the Search and Recovery dives you’ll practice:

Swimming search patterns using your compass and natural navigation.
Locating large and small objects using various search patterns.
Using a lift bag for large or heavy objects, plus other recovery methods.
Planning a search operation based on facts gathered about a lost object prior to the dive.

PADI Courses