AquaEye Assists Colleton County in Locating Child in One of Their Most Dangerous Dive Operations
AquaEye minimized diver exposure and accelerated recovery in treacherous, low-visibility river conditions
In late April, Colleton County Fire-Rescue was dispatched to the Mars Oldfield Boat Landing for the reported drowning of a 5-year-old girl. What followed was one of the most complex and hazardous dive operations the department had faced.
Over the course of three days, emergency responders—including a 25-member dive team, sheriff’s marine units, and DNR assets—searched the river with no results, relying on an initial last-seen location near the boat ramp. Conditions were difficult: fast-moving currents, low visibility, and uncertain information.
Everything changed on the third day when a new witness came forward with a revised last-seen location approximately 100 yards downriver. Captain Alex C., of Colleton County Fire-Rescue, led the renewed search. After a brief initial check under a nearby tree branch yielded nothing, Captain C. transitioned to AquaEye.
Organization Name
Colleton County Fire-Rescue
Location
Colleton County, South Carolina
“Fortunately, due to good detective work and the use of improved ultrasound technology such as AquaEye, we were able to locate the victim and return her to her family as quickly and safely as possible.”
Brent Dalton
Battalion Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
Everything changed on the third day when a new witness came forward with a revised last-seen location approximately 100 yards downriver. Captain Alex C., of Colleton County Fire-Rescue, led the renewed search. After a brief initial check under a nearby tree branch yielded nothing, Captain C. transitioned to AquaEye.
Using AquaEye in both long- and short-range scan modes, he identified a consistent target approximately six meters from shore. After multiple confirmation scans, the team repositioned and executed a focused pendulum dive search. Visibility remained poor and the currents hazardous—conditions described by experienced divers as among the worst they had faced.
Despite this, the recovery was successful. The child was located at the identified target zone, confirming the AquaEye’s precision in detection. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton noted that without AquaEye, the search could have dragged on for several more days and put divers at even greater risk.
This operation demonstrates AquaEye’s critical value in high-risk, low-visibility environments—enabling precise target identification, reducing time underwater, and improving responder safety. In Chief Dalton’s words: “Fortunately, due to good detective work and the use of improved ultrasound technology such as AquaEye, we were able to locate the victim and return her to her family as quickly and safely as possible.”
AquaEye continues to prove itself as a life-saving tool that enhances outcomes and protects those risking their lives to save others.
