Emergency Dive Response Team

Using Lake Lanier as our primary focus, the extremes that the dive team faces are unique in the United States. Lake Lanier is covered in a forest of underwater trees. When diving, divers are required to circumnavigate the full standing trees (they do not rot), old fences, lines, lures, debris and underwater structures including bridges. Each dive mission is very dangerous given the water temperature at the bottom of the lake is consistently at 42 to 45 degrees year round. Additionally, no light penetrates the second thermocline (45 ft) requiring expensive lighting and technical gear to complete the mission. Finally, the locations of many drowning victims are unknown due to witnesses not being able to determine the exact location because they have vague memories when under duress.