Diver may have found boat from Sandy Island accident (using Humminbird 997)

rgecy

rgecy

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Jun 14, 2004
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Beaufort, SC
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Garrett Sea Hunter Mk II

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A trio of treasurer hunters may have found the boat that sunk off Sandy Island about a month ago and killed three.

David Toller, who refers to his crew as a search exploration recovery team, ran across an article on The Sun News website last week about the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources unsuccessful effort to locate the boat.

At about 8:30 this morning Toller and his crew went out to where DNR suspected the boat sank, about 30 yards from the Sandy Island dock, and searched the site using side scan sonar.

Within an hour, Toller said he and his crew were able to identify a 15-foot boat, on their monitor. It was about 100 yards from the dock.

The men mapped the coordinates of the boat and contacted DNR with their find. The agency is expected to send divers to look at the boat to verify if it is in fact the missing vessel Thursday morning, said Lt. Robert McCullough, with DNR.

DNR's divers went out Thursday to look for the boat. They were not successful. Their boats are not equipped with side scan sonar, because they are more expensive and there is no funding available, McCullough said.

Diver Robert ''Bob" Gecy, owns a boat with side scan sonar and was one of the three searching for the boat this morning.

He dove again this afternoon to get a look at the identification number of the vessel to determine if it was the missing boat. He memorized the numbers during his dive: 00147HM.

Gecy also noted the brand of the engine: an Evinrude.

McCullough confirmed the numbers match the registration on the missing boat and the brand of the engine also matches.

''That would make you think it's the boat,'' McCullough said.

Although, the crew may have to wait until tomorrow to get absolute confirmation that the boat is the one involved in February's accident, they are excited about their find.

''I thought it would be good closure for the family,'' said Toller, of Myrtle Beach who works in law enforcement.

Six people were aboard the 15-foot fiberglass boat, a 1973 Marquis, about 30 yards from the shore of Sandy Island at about 9:45 p.m Feb. 18 when it started to take in too much water.

Shaquatia Robinson, 19; her mother Lou Ann Robinson, 47; and cousin Rishard Pyatt, 18, drowned. The pilot of the boat and her 5-year-old daughter were able to make it to shore. A baby boy, Zyair Smalls, was rescued and remains hospitalized at the Medical University of South Carolina.

"At least it will allow DNR to find out what happened in order to prevent it in the future,'' Gecy said.
 

''That would make you think it's the boat,'' McCullough said.
:violent1:

Awesome job, David and Robert!
 

Im surprised the DNR didnt find the boat and bodies the old fashioned way(hook dragging)or were the bodies recovered after the boat sank?I have seen the hook dragging before in savannah georgia.A car full of people drove off a bridge,they dragged for a week and hooked all the sunken bodies.Not a pretty site those bodies when they pulled them up at the boat ramp.They got the car too.It pays to have your windows down when you hit the water and being able to swim in the currents.Providing you dont get knocked out from the impact.
 

Darren,
I think the DNR was a little ticked at us. The only thing I can think is that they feel we made them look bad? I called the investigator on my way to work (very late getting to work) and she was obviously mad. We definately had no intention of trying to make them look like they didn't know what they were doing, we just wanted to help.
David
www.treasureexpo.com
 

xXx said:
Darren,
I think the DNR was a little ticked at us. The only thing I can think is that they feel we made them look bad? I called the investigator on my way to work (very late getting to work) and she was obviously mad. We definately had no intention of trying to make them look like they didn't know what they were doing, we just wanted to help.
David
www.treasureexpo.com
Click to expand...

Thier feelings may be a little bent but you guys did a good thing. Great job. And I'm sure even the DNR knows that.
 

Too bad gov't agencies have too much pride to be thankful for concerned citizens. I guess the media doesn't help when they write lines like "A diver from Beaufort has apparently found what the Department of Natural Resources could not..." I agree with want2skydive - you guys did a good thing.
 

Very nice thing you guys did to help ... And for the DNR they should get over it,and ask you guys to help more often, maybe on a sub contract basis......Great job :thumbsup:
 

Send the DNR a bill for 100k.If they refuse to pay,send them to collections.
 

Well, I was exhausted after that trip yesterday! I didn't have time to tell the whole story on my way home but I think the article summed it up pretty good. David (xXx) put this whole thing together and was excited about going out finding the boat. It really took us all of 30 minutes to locate the boat and along the way we actually found several other sunken vessels. We took a break went and had some lunch to look over the side scan images on the computer and then went back and dove it!

What topped it off is on the first dive the anchor slipped a little and we were off our coordinates, but I did get to find another SC Dispensary bottle while I was down. It was pure luck! I happened to put my hand down on it and knew what it was! Other than that, you couldn't see more than a few inches.

Maybe David can post a few picts when he gets a chance!

Oh! By the way, DNR did confirm the wreck this morning!

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=275775

Here is video with a phone interview they did last night!

http://www.wmbftv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10031838&nav=menu675_2

Robert
 

I hate to say this but i feel it needs to be said...this is just another example of a multi million dollar bureaucracy that has fallen so far short from what they are suppose to do that it takes a no budget pair of real men who have what it takes( a heart and soul) to get the job done, screw them DNR people and their attitudes

Do they even know what the word closure means....thank God you men do
I look forward to meeting you at the 2009 Expo
Sincerely Limo Bob :icon_pirat:
 

Great job guys. Thannk god it wasn't in Florida - then you would be arrested for searching without a lease :wink:
 

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