THE GARDEN STATE UNDERWATER RECOVERY UNIT

With the cold weather upon us please be careful on or around the water. If you are going out onto open water, make sure to wear a proper life jacket. Life jackets are even more important when the water is colder. If you are going out on the ice, please make sure the ice is thick enough for the activity you are undertaking. Remember no ice is completely safe. No matter if you are going out on open water or on the ice make sure to tell someone where you are heading and your expended return time.  Be safe while enjoying the great outdoors. 

Welcome to the GSURU

Located in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, the Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit (GSURU) is available to respond to any water-related emergency, in coordination with other public safety agencies. Since 1960, our all volunteer water rescue and dive recovery team has responded to hundreds of water-related emergencies. We have rescued trapped flood victims from homes and cars, recovered drowning victims, assisted law enforcement agencies with underwater evidence searches, and provided water safety assistance at numerous community events. We teach water/ice rescue and boating classes to the general public and other public safety agencies. In addition, we offer instruction on water safety to local schools upon request.

Most of what we do is related to recovering drowning victims. This tends to be challenging work since drownings often occur in environments with rapid current, poor visibility and unknown sub-surface obstacles. The expertise gained from our long history of working under these conditions has often contributed to successful outcomes (in so much as that is possible given the tragic circumstances which generally surround our efforts).