Dive-A-Thon Continues in Daphne

It's probably not a good night to go for a swim, so members of Daphne Search and Rescue have their work cut out for them. The department started its first ever 24-hour Dive-A-Thon today, 10/17/09. Working in two-man shifts, someone will be under water, in the pool at the Daphne YMCA until noon tomorrow. Organizers say they're trying to raise $50,000 for new sonar equipment. They also wanted to get some attention and awareness for what they do.

“No other public safety dive team that we know of in this area have ever done anything like this, there have been similar events and we also think that this is something that makes people stop and say, huh, how do you do this,” says Event Chairman Gabe Spence. With temperatures dropping into the 40's tonight, it'll be a real challenge for these divers to keep warm in Daphne's outdoor pool. There's no way I could get my camera underwater and not risk breaking a very expensive piece of hardware. However, members of Daphne Search and Rescue have a nice waterproof camera. You can watch these youtube videos of them during the Dive-A-Thon today. There are videos showing a recovery, underwater assist and riding a bicycle underwater.