Sonar used to be the reserve of military subs and weekend anglers.
For years, that same beep-beep-beep that helped anglers locate bass had little purpose outside the boating arena. During recent years, however, dive rescue technology has been undergoing a quiet revolution. The same technology that gives your uncle the ability to find fish is now being used to rescue drowning victims in lakes, rivers and ponds.
Drowning rates are rising. Visibility where people drown is terrible. Dive teams put their lives on the line for searches that can take hours. Consumer sonar just might change that.
What you’ll discover:
- Why Drowning Searches Are So Difficult
- From Fish Finders To Life Savers
- The Big Leap: AI Meets Handheld Sonar
- How Rescue Teams Are Using This Tech
- What This Means For Open Water Safety
Why Drowning Searches Are So Difficult
Drowning is one of the most time-sensitive emergencies a first responder faces.
Time is everything. Survival chances fall precipitously after mere minutes underwater. Most searches drag on for hours. Even days. It’s just difficult to find someone underwater.
The CDC reports that over 4,500 Americans died from drowning each year between 2020 and 2022 — roughly 500 more annually than in 2019. This marks the first increase in drowning rates seen nationwide in decades.
The challenge for rescue divers comes down to three things:
- Zero visibility: The water in most lakes, ponds and rivers is so murky that divers can’t see their own hand.
- Large search areas: If the location of where they were last seen is missing, the search zone could span hundreds of acres.
- Diver risk: Cold water, currents, and debris make every dive dangerous.
That’s where today’s sonar device underwater search equipment comes into play. Rather than blindly sending divers into pitch blackness, rescue crews emit sound waves down below to both locate bottom terrain and lead divers directly to their target. It’s quicker, safer and more precise than any legacy dive rescue technology previously available.
From Fish Finders To Life Savers
So how did we get here?
Sonar (Sound Navigation And Ranging) was invented during World War 1. However for many years the technology remained large, bulky and only available to the military. Fishermen were issued the first consumer fish finders in the 1950s and 60s. All of a sudden people with small boats could see what was happening below the surface.
Consumer sonar has come a very long way since that time. Today’s fish finders feature side-scan imaging as well as down-imaging and 3D mapping. They display live pictures of the bottom that resemble aerial views.
Search and rescue teams took notice. Side scan sonar has quickly become must-have equipment for search and recovery efforts and is considered the best option for search teams looking for drowning victims.
But there is a problem with traditional side scan sonar…
You need a boat. You have to tow a “fish” through the water. And you need a trained operator to interpret grainy pictures. That’s a lot of prep time for a call when every minute counts.
So the next leap had to make sonar smaller, simpler, and smarter.
The Big Leap: AI Meets Handheld Sonar
Here is where things get interesting.
In recent years handheld sonar units designed specifically for rescue have become available. They don’t resemble a traditional boat mounted unit. They are more like a handheld radar gun. The operator simply points it into the water and squeezes a trigger. Seconds later it scans an enormous area.
The real game changer? Artificial intelligence.
Old sonar systems required an operator to look at fuzzy images and guess if something was a rock, a log, or a person. New rescue sonar uses AI that’s been trained on thousands of underwater human profiles. It shows the operator…
- Where a potential victim is
- How far away they are
- What direction to search
Operators don’t need to be experts. They just follow the dot on the screen.
Disclaimer: Most importantly, response time. Some teams have reported response times going from greater than 4 hours to 20 minutes – 1 hour. The difference between recovery and rescue.
How Rescue Teams Are Using This Tech
So what does this look like in real life?
Dispatch receives a 911 call. Someone has dipped under at a nearby pond. Before this technology, they would gear up divers and conduct a slow grid search. Now the first responder picks up a handheld sonar unit and walks to the shoreline to start scanning.
In minutes it scans acres of water. If AI detects a human signature it flags. The team receives location coordinates. Divers dive right to target area.
Here’s why this matters:
- Diver safety improves: Fewer divers in the water means less risk.
- Search areas get smaller: A massive lake can be reduced down to a couple square meters.
- Recovery times drop: Families get answers in hours instead of days.
This is what the goal of dive rescue technology promises. It’s not a substitute for divers. It simply allows them to do their jobs more safely and quickly.
However, it’s not only on handheld units. Many operations utilize sonar coupled with ROVs (remotely operated underwater vehicles) that can go underwater and utilize sonar to “see” in the murky depths.
What This Means For Open Water Safety
The bigger picture here is huge.
Nearly 40 million adults in the United States can’t swim and over 50% have never had a swimming lesson. Add that to increasing drowning statistics and you have a growing public safety issue.
Technology will never completely end drowning. Individuals will still need to learn how to swim. Pool owners will still need to fence their pools. Parents will still need to watch their children. However, when all else fails this technology can be the difference between heartbreaking tragedy and unimaginable miracle.
A few things every community should know:
- Local rescue teams should have access to handheld sonar tools
- Boat-mounted side scan sonar is still powerful for big water searches
- Pairing AI sonar with ROVs gives the best of both worlds
Prices on these units are becoming more affordable each year. Kits that were once only seen in Military have become inexpensive enough for even small towns and volunteer departments.
Final Thoughts
Decades passed between the beep of that first fish finder and AI-based rescue technology. What hasn’t passed is the time. Today lives are being impacted. Real families. Real rescues. Real lives saved. Consumer sonar is now one of the most critical tools in modern day rescue.
To quickly recap:
- Drowning rates are rising and search conditions are tough
- Consumer fish finder tech laid the foundation for rescue sonar
- AI handheld units have slashed search times
- Teams are pairing sonar with divers and ROVs
If you donate to your local rescue agency inquire as to what type of sonar they use. The proper tool in capable hands truly does save lives.
