Natural Resource Dive Team

Maryland has more than 7,000 miles of shore line. The Natural Resource dive team is responsible for rescue and recovery for the whole state. And this year, they have been very busy. Maryland has had 13 boat related deaths and 6 more drownings; already reaching the total for all of last year.

We had a chance to go along with this team for one of there training missions. The team consists of 12 divers that train once a month to stay ready. They do more than just body recovery.

Cpl. Walter May with Md. Natural Resource Dive Team says "We do evidence recovery and raze boats or other structure for crime scenes.'

This team is more than willing to do their work, but it's not work they look forward to.

Cpl. May says "With body recovery we never want to do it, but it does bring closure to the family of the victims.

It looks sunny and nice above the water, but when you go below the surface it's a whole different story.

"They go down in frigid temperatures, the current can be strong it's a hazardous environment" says Art Windemuth with the Natural Resource Police.

One of the most vital pieces of equipment is the side scan sonar. This is not your average fish finder. It's a sophisticated $50,000 piece of equipment that can cut the rescue or search time from days down to hours.

It's a small team that covers a large area of water and nobody sees the valuable work they do that’s hidden below the surface.