From the bottom to clean water.
Underwater vehicle recovery isn't winching a car out of a pond. It's a documented, HazMat-certified, four-stage operation with a USCG-licensed captain, certified divers, zero-spill containment, and full chain of custody from the lake floor to the disposal facility.
Every recovery follows the same playbook.
Locate & Assess
Submerged vehicles are located through coordination with county sheriffs, lake authorities, public tip lines, and our own ROV reconnaissance. Each target is GPS-documented, photographed, and assessed for extraction complexity, depth, hull integrity, and HazMat risk profile before any boat is deployed.
- Side-scan sonar to identify and map submerged objects
- ROV (remotely operated vehicle) for visual inspection at depth
- Pre-extraction water quality baseline established at site
- Coordination with property owners, agencies, and law enforcement
Recover
USCG-certified working divers descend with full surface support. Rigging is attached underwater while a HazMat-trained surface team monitors for any fluid release. Hydraulic lift systems rated for 20,000+ lb vehicles bring the asset to the surface with a zero-spill containment skirt deployed.
- USCG 100-Ton licensed captain on every operation
- Dive Safety Officer present for every dive
- Hydraulic lift rated for full passenger and light-commercial vehicles
- Containment skirt deployed during ascent to capture any released fluids
Contain & Transport
Surfaced vehicles are immediately drained of remaining fluids into sealed HazMat containers, then loaded onto our F-550 flatbed or semi for transport by our CDL-A HazMat licensed driver. Chain-of-custody documentation begins at the lake floor and ends only when the vehicle is signed off at the certified disposal facility.
- On-site fluid drain and HazMat containment
- CDL-A HazMat licensed transport (no third-party intermediaries)
- Sealed containment prevents secondary contamination during transport
- Documented receipt at certified vehicle disposal / recycling facility
Restore & Report
Post-extraction water quality testing is performed in coordination with Utah DEQ. Pre- and post-recovery readings are compared. A full incident report is filed with partner agencies and published on our public water-quality database within 30 days of every operation.
- Pre- and post-recovery water quality sampling
- DEQ coordination and notification
- Public incident report (no donor or victim identifying information)
- Photo and video documentation for partner reporting
What it takes to do this safely.
Underwater vehicle recovery is capital-intensive. This is the kit list our startup budget funds — published in every grant application and IRS Form 1023 filing.
Nobody gets hurt. Nothing gets spilled.
Two non-negotiables on every operation: zero crew injuries and zero secondary contamination. Everything else follows from those.
Every operation begins with a documented briefing covering site conditions, dive plan, emergency procedures, communication protocols, and HazMat risk assessment. No briefing, no dive.
Continuous comms between dive team, surface support, and the licensed captain. Dive Safety Officer monitors every descent and ascent.
Active spill response kit on every vessel. Booms, absorbents, and HazMat containment ready before the vehicle ever leaves the bottom.
Every operation closes with a debrief documenting what went well, what could improve, and any incidents. Documentation feeds future training and protocol updates.
Know of a vehicle that needs to come out?
Public reports drive our recovery pipeline. If you've seen, heard about, or suspect a submerged vehicle in Utah, send us the details. All reports stay confidential.