Underwater Recovery Team

The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (URT) in Newfoundland and Labrador has a team of seven divers. The seven members of the team are regular members of the RCMP, and are stationed at various detachments throughout the province. The team is voluntary, with each member having to serve their normal, every day policing duties at their detachments. Upon receiving a callout, the members will mobilize and travel to the dive site. Each member is a highly trained diver with specific training for police related dive types.

In order to become a member of the URT, the diver must first possess an open water dive course from a certified agency and have attained a minimum of 25 hours of logged bottom time. The candidate can then become an understudy on the team, where they have to pass a preselection course that is physically demanding, testing the divers swimming and diving abilities. Once the candidate passes this course, they go on to the Underwater Recovery Team Induction Course, which is a three-week course designed to teach the member specific, police related diving techniques. The candidate can expect long hours, and lots of different types of dives. Typically, 18-20 divers from across the country are trained each year.

The URT in B Division has been utilized for a number of different types of dives each year. These dives range from evidence search and recovery, to drowning victim recovery. The members are trained, and practice in various search methods, including line tended searches, pier searches, hull searches, sledding operations and free swims. Once an object of the search is located, the diver has the option of obtaining still photographs or underwater video of it. These can be invaluable tools to the investigator to determine condition and position of the item.

The B Division team uses a number of specialized pieces of equipment in its operations. The Team has three different types of underwater sleds that can be towed behind a boat, hauling the divers behind, which increases the amount of area a diver can search. The divers use in-water communications, enabling the diver to be able to talk to other divers and the supervisor at the surface. The team can also use a surface supply unit which enables the diver to be fed air from the surface via an umbilical hose, enabling the diver to remain underwater for extended periods of time.

Diving in Newfoundland and Labrador brings with it inherent challenges to the team, including remoteness of some sites, limited visibility in fresh water, and the vastness of the ocean. These challenges are met by the team with vigour and enthusiasm. Each member of the team is a dedicated professional, who enjoys their duties as a member of the URT, and looks forward to the next callout when they can assist a detachment on a file, or help a bereaved family member bring closure to a death. The camaraderie and closeness of being part of a specialized team are very rewarding to the individual members.