SDI Search and Recovery Diver Course

Things end up on the bottom that were not meant to be there. Keys, cameras, anchors, diving equipment, objects with real value to the people who lost them. Finding something underwater that someone cannot see from the surface requires a methodical approach, the right navigation skills, and the ability to bring it back up once you have found it.

The SDI Search and Recovery Diver course covers all three. You will learn how to plan and execute a systematic search using four different search patterns, how to navigate to and from a search area with precision, how to work in limited visibility when conditions reduce your sightlines, and how to use lift bags and rigging to bring an object to the surface safely. The course includes an open water component where you recover an actual object weighing between 25 and 75 pounds from depth.

What the Course Covers

Navigation and Search Patterns

Effective underwater search starts before you enter the water. The course covers compass use and distance estimation as the foundation, then moves into the four search patterns used for different conditions and object types.

• Shotgun search: a fast, linear pattern used when you have a good fix on the target location
• Circular search: expands outward from a known last position in progressively wider arcs
• Grid search: a systematic back-and-forth pattern that covers a defined area with no gaps
• Current (overlap) search: accounts for drift and current by building overlap into the pattern

You will also learn the hand and light signals used to communicate with your buddy and surface team during a search dive, and how to use natural navigation as a supplementary reference when compass bearings alone are not sufficient.

Limited Visibility Techniques

Many search dives happen in conditions where silt, particulate, or low light reduce visibility significantly. The course covers the factors that affect underwater visibility, the specific hazards of searching in limited visibility, and the techniques that make a low-visibility search effective and safe. These skills connect directly to the Night/Limited Visibility specialty and reinforce the navigation fundamentals covered in that course.

Salvage Techniques and Lift Bags

Finding the object is half the job. Getting it to the surface is the other half. The course covers depth considerations for recovery, the different types of lift bags and lifting drums available, what qualities make a lifting device appropriate for a given load, knots and rigging for attaching a lift bag securely to an object, fill techniques for inflating a lift bag at depth, and how to manage a controlled ascent with a loaded lift bag so the object surfaces at a safe, predictable rate. Mud and silt suction considerations are also covered, since objects that have settled into soft bottom material require additional technique to free before a lift is possible.

In-Water Skills

The open water component puts the search and salvage skills into practice. Required skills include:

• Reviewing and demonstrating compass navigation techniques
• Practicing and performing at least two different search patterns
• Recovering an object from depth
• Salvaging and recovering an object with a water weight between 25 and 75 pounds
• Simulating a scuba emergency using a minimum of two searching techniques
• Logging all dives

Who Can Enroll

The SDI Search and Recovery Diver course is open to certified SDI Open Water Scuba Divers or equivalent. Minimum age is 15 with parental consent, 18 without.

Counts Toward the SDI Advanced Diver Rating

The SDI Search and Recovery Diver certification counts as one specialty credit toward the SDI Advanced Diver Development Program.

Gear and Equipment

Students are required to own their own mask, fins, boots, and snorkel for this course. Dive gear rental such as BCD, regulator, computer, tanks, weights, and wetsuit is included in the course. If you'd like to purchase any of your own equipment, we carry a full selection in the shop and all students enrolled in a course receive a discount on purchases during enrollment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the SDI Search and Recovery course cover?

The course covers four systematic search patterns (shotgun, circular, grid, and current/overlap), compass navigation and distance estimation, limited visibility diving techniques, and salvage skills including lift bags, knots and rigging, fill techniques, and controlled ascent with a loaded lift bag. The in-water component includes recovering an actual object from depth.

What search patterns are used in underwater search and recovery diving?

The SDI Search and Recovery course covers four patterns. The shotgun search is a fast linear pattern used when you have a good fix on the target. The circular search expands outward from a known last position. The grid search covers a defined area systematically with no gaps. The current or overlap search accounts for drift by building overlap into the pattern. Which pattern to use depends on the size of the search area, current conditions, and how precise your last-known location of the object is.

What is a lift bag used for in scuba diving?

A lift bag is an inflatable device used to bring heavy objects from depth to the surface. You attach it to the object using rigging, fill it with air at depth using your regulator, and the bag provides buoyancy that lifts the object. Managing the ascent rate is a specific skill -- an overinflated lift bag can rocket to the surface, so proper fill technique and controlled ascent procedures are a significant part of the course.

How much weight can you recover in the Search and Recovery course?

The in-water skills requirement calls for recovering an object with a water weight between 25 and 75 pounds (11 to 33 kilograms) from depth. This is done using a lift bag and the rigging and fill techniques covered in the course.

Does the Search and Recovery certification count toward SDI Advanced Diver?

Yes. The SDI Search and Recovery Diver certification counts as one of the four specialty credits required for the SDI Advanced Diver Development Program.

Is this course useful for non-public-safety divers?

Yes. While the skills in this course are foundational for public safety diving, they are practical for any diver who spends time on boats, dives in freshwater lakes, or wants a systematic approach to locating and recovering objects. Losing gear overboard is common enough that having the skills to retrieve it is genuinely useful regardless of whether you dive professionally.

Ready to Learn How to Find What Was Lost?

Contact us to schedule the SDI Search and Recovery Diver course. Call us at (480) 881-4013 or stop by the shop. We are open Monday through Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm, at 18618 S 186th Way, Queen Creek, inside The Shooting Range.

For more information and to see course standards, click here!