Offaly
Search and Recovery

Offaly Search and Recovery (Underwater)

Mission

Offaly Search and Recovery (Underwater) was set-up in order to provide the community with a highly trained, voluntary search and recovery dive team.

It engages in on-going training so that it can respond immediately to a request to assist in the recovery of a body which is missing due to a water-based tragedy.

About the Team

All of the members of the team are qualified divers who are affiliated to the Irish Underwater Council (IUC). The Council is the national governing body for underwater recreational sports.

Before being eligible to participate in a search and recovery operation the divers must qualify as Club Diver and engage in S&R training. They must then attend refresher training courses every two years.

Where Does the Team Operate?

The organization responds to search and recovery requests, from the Coast Guard, pertaining to county Offaly and bordering counties. It also responds to requests for additional assistance with searches in counties further away. At the time of writing the most recent search (in February 2021) was in Athlone.

Subsidary objectives of OSR include: providing water safety cover for various water sports and public events and environmental protection: searching for environmentally undesirable material and properly disposal thereof when/if asked to do so by public health bodies.

Vision

The club would like to increases its membership with the addition of younger divers of both genders so as to ensure the provision of its current services into the future.

Funding

Funding for OSR goes towards: rib (boat) and vehicle insurance, boat maintenance and fuel costs. The divers supply and use their own personal diving gear.

OSR is a Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 658116) and a registered charity (Charity Number 20206023).

The OSR Facebook page is at: https://www.facebook.com/OffalySearch