Divers Down!
The Scruggs Dive Team Operates Well Below The Surface Of SML
By Kate Hofstetter

                If their gear didn’t give them away, their license plates probably would: tags reading the likes of WTR-LOGD and DYVBUM. But when these volunteers start unpacking equipment from their vehicles, you know this is no ordinary day at the beach.
                Photographer James Roney and I caught up with the Scruggs Dive Team on a level, grassy point just above the S-Curve as members prepared to “get wet and blow bubbles” during a Sunday morning training exercise. They had already spent an hour in the classroom at HQ – a bright, spacious building they share with Scruggs Volunteer Fire Company and the Scruggs Emergency Response team. (Some of the divers also volunteer as firefighters and rescuers.) Then a convoy rumbled off to inspect a specially designed dive boat for sale nearby, of the type they hope will soon replace the antiquated pontoon boat that now serves as their floating dive platform.
                Now team members have converged on the shoreline. Diving gear – air tanks, dangling hoses, regulators and depth gauges, buoyancy compensating vests with knives, lights and marker floats clipped to sturdy D-rings, $1,000 dry suits that protect bodies from bone-chilling cold water – is being plucked from SUVs, truck beds, vans and trailers.
                The team’s dive truck sits nearby, shiny and loaded with 45,000 cubic feet of refill air for the tanks of divers and firefighters. It’s the only one of its kind west of the Blue Ridge, according to publicity officer Gary Williams. It was acquired four years ago and is ever-ready to respond to emergencies. Crammed with lines and a wide variety of safety gear, it also packs eight complete sets of SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). However, serious divers prefer to use their own – equipment they know and trust. It takes away some of the variables should a nasty situation develop 80 feet down. 
                And these are serious divers.
                “We all dive recreationally, but most of us are Public Safety Divers with advanced certification from Dive Rescue International or ERDI (Emergency Response Diving International),” says Danny Kane, the team’s training officer, noting that local training is also crucial.
                “Visibility at depth in SML is essentially zero – blackout conditions. And we typically work well below the thermocline (an insulating layer that usually lies 15-18 feet below the surface) where the water rarely gets above 55 degrees. Those aren’t recreational conditions.”
                Today’s training focuses on rehearsal of  blind sweeps designed to search every inch of a designated area using tether lines to control bottom coverage. In the winter, the team wears blackout masks in a swimming pool to simulate the dark conditions.
                Underwater communications are critical to safe and effective searches.“Every diver must know how to use a complex system of tap and tug signals,” explains Connie Quesenberry, assistant captain. “And last year we were able to acquire a dozen full-face dive masks with integrated voice transmitters. Now divers can speak to one another and to the search coordinator on the surface. The technology revolutionizes the way we communicate.” 
                The 20 dive team members pride themselves on their ability and willingness to respond rapidly 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
                “The truck is kept ready to roll within minutes of an emergency call, and team members are poised to drop everything and head for the lake,” explains Sonny Fleisher, a securities broker in Roanoke. “Of course, we’d prefer never to have a real victim down. But if we do, there’s only a 60-minute window when there’s any hope for resuscitation. After that, the rescue becomes a victim recovery situation.”
                Fortunately, Scruggs divers have been called to only four victim emergencies in the past few years. Instead, most runs involve item recoveries – outboard motors dropped overboard, glasses, watches and other jewelry in the drink.
                “Assisting with routine recovery of valuables lets us test our equipment and procedures,” says Quesenberry.  “We consider it good training. It helps us stay primed for the real emergencies.”
                Four years ago, Scruggs divers raised an airplane from 60 feet down using several air-inflated lifting bags. More recently, a sunken 40-foot houseboat was re-floated in Beaver Dam Creek. “We also set or reposition authorized no-wake buoys for private communities,” he adds.
                Then Quesenbury registers a special request: “Please tell your readers how important it is for boaters and PWC operators to stay at least 200 feet from any diver-down flag (red rectangle with diagonal white stripe) they see on the lake. Resist your curiosity and give us room to operate safely. Also, anyone who witnesses a possible drowning should carefully sight between two prominent fixed shore landmarks, call 911, and then stand by to provide us with a definite locater bearing. That dramatically decreases search time.”
                The Scruggs Dive Team – as well as its cousin fire and rescue companies around the Lake – is always in need of volunteers. Divers with PADI Open Water certificates are especially welcome, but there are dozens of behind-the-scene jobs in need of volunteers. For more information, contact Gary Williams at 890-5888 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Two Teams are Better Than One
                                Smith Mountain Lake is fortunate to be served by not just one, but two groups of highly trained underwater specialists. In addition to the Scruggs Dive Team, a team of 14 divers is affiliated with the Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Rescue Co. (SMLMVFR). Their mission is to go below on a moment’s notice as part of marine rescue operations and to expand the Fire Company’s first-response capability
                While several of the fireboats carry dive tanks and underwater lifting gear, SMLMVFR divers are self-contained and often rush their own tanks to a rescue site.
                                “If a boat sinks or capsizes … or someone gets trapped under a dock, SMLMVFR normally responds to the 911 call,” said dive team member Ernie Hoch. “We’re all trained members of the SMLMVFR, but our advanced dive training means we can help with underwater recovery and in minimizing gas and oil spills from boat mishaps.”
                                SMLMVFR Chief Jack Gautier and Assistant Chief John Honaker are both members of the company’s dive unit.
                                “We’re working toward closer coordination between both dive teams serving SML,” Gautier said. “That will help us serve Lake users and residents even better.”