Reviews & Testimonials
See what rescue and recovery professionals are saying about AquaEye
Sep 2, 2023
Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly the dominant topic of our time, and it has left hardly any area of life untouched. Until recently, my relationship with AI systems was mainly professional. But last week, I got the opportunity to meet my very own personal game-changer:
I work on a voluntary basis as head of operations in the North Rhine regional association of the DLRG. Our area of operation includes rivers and lakes and over 60 bathing waters in the administrative districts of Cologne and Düsseldorf. Searching for missing persons in the water is one of our most challenging tasks, especially during the summer rush when operations on the Rhine pile up.
This is where AquaEye comes into play, an innovative handheld sonar device that enables the localization of missing persons in the water in the shortest possible time. The special feature: AquaEye uses artificial intelligence to analyze sonar images. This saves precious time in critical situations.
The use of sonar to search for missing persons is nothing new in itself. But evaluating these sonar images usually requires a lot of practice and experience. With AquaEye, the AI takes over this task. It marks potential suspicious spots so that water rescuers can proceed in a more targeted manner.
Together with our emergency divers and current rescuers, we have tested this device extensively under real conditions in lakes and in the Rhine.
The result: water areas that previously had to be searched by personnel could be scanned with the handheld sonar in just a few minutes. The divers and current rescuers were able to concentrate on the marked suspicious points.
This experience showed me once again how AI can not only improve the efficiency of our daily work, but can also save lives.
(Translated from German: source)
Aug 28, 2023
With AquaEye, rescuers can identify victims for the first time within seconds of being submerged underwater. This change in tactics can also have a positive impact on the safety of our dive team. The fewer the dive team members entering the water, the safer our team will be.
August 18th, 2023
July 20, 2023
We have had our AquaEye for a year and a half and it is a very valuable tool. It is very quick to deploy and easy to use. Anyone on our team can use it with a bit of training; they don’t have to be a sonar expert.
We put AquaEye in the water first, scanning and identifying targets. The operator then directs the free diver to the targets that AquaEye has identified. This process is fast and efficient. We can get to a water rescue scene within minutes, and having the AquaEye that pinpoints the humans in the water extremely quickly gives us the best chance at a successful rescue.
May 11, 2023
AquaEye, is kind of like a fish finder for people. If somebody goes under it’s very difficult to find them quickly. Time is really of the essence. We can scan underwater, to find a body, or to differentiate between a tree trunk or something like that. We actually used it last summer to find somebody and were able to do it quickly and that’s a process that historically would take a long time to find somebody. So any edge we can get is a good thing.
April 20, 2023
We have seen the success other teams have been having with AquaEye, and have brought it in as a rapid response tool for our water rescue program.
Our lake and beachfront gets extremely heavy use in the warmer months with hundreds of swimmers each day. Our water often has low visibility, and having a tool like AquaEye enables us to quickly locate a drowning victim to increase the chance of a successful rescue by our team.
We have been able to acquire this made-in-BC technology thanks to a generous donation from the Chilliwack Dogwood Monarch Lions Club and we are grateful for their impactful support.
March 22, 2023
Wow. This is a game changer for sure. Time underwater is critical, and to be able to cut that time down drastically is amazing. Not to mention that less time the dive team has to search is less time they are in a high risk situation. Great job guys.
Feb 9, 2023
AquaEye should be on every rescue vehicle. To not have one is a missed opportunity on a very valuable resource. It is definitely worth the price, it is worth its weight in gold. If I were a millionaire I would put one on every rescue truck in Alabama.
We have had AquaEye for two years and in that time have used it in 15 missing person searches. We have located the victim using AquaEye in all 15 of those searches. It has been a game changer.
Feb 9, 2023
As far as I’m concerned, AquaEye is a must have for any municipality with open water exposure. From retention ponds to lakes and the like, this amazing device differentiates between a human being as opposed to other structures and items in the water. It dramatically speeds up the searching element of the operation, which subsequently reduces the exposure to the divers.
Jan 4, 2023
I spent 30 years in the military as a deep sea diver and I can tell you unequivocally AquaEye works. In fact we have incorporated it into some Navy procedures. It absolutely does what its built to do, to discern whether objects on the bottom could be a human or not.
Very effective sonar for search and rescue operations.
Jan 18, 2023
We were involved with a water rescue/recovery involving a smaller body of water along a river which runs through a suburban municipality. The missing party was witnessed to have submerged at an undetermined distance from shore. Initial first responders had entered the water in an attempt to locate the party before the full capabilities of our county dive team had arrived. The party was eventually located by a diver in roughly 12-15 feet of water, which had very limited visibility.
The call spun around in my head for weeks. I thought, there must be something on the market that could have helped us locate them quicker. I then began searching for something, in part, to give me peace of mind. And there it was, the AquaEye! I could not believe that it was checking off every single one of the boxes for what I knew would have helped on that call.
Our fire department purchased a unit in early 2022 and we have been practicing with it ever since. We’ve demonstrated the unit to others repeatedly, even though we’ve had it less than a year. Although we have been fortunate enough thus far to not have had the need to put it in play, we practice with it a lot. Our county team believes in it so much that we are making every effort to obtain additional units to place them throughout our county.
Dec 14, 2022
Detector tools are needed to speed up the search for drowning victims. Therefore, I tried using an advanced tool called AquaEye.
The tool is similar to a flashlight at night, you can immediately see if it’s a human body in the water. It’s the result of innovation.
We use this tool to be able detect water anomalies. With this tool, it can detect which one is human
Currently, there are 130 AquaEye devices in Indonesia. Last year we bought 50 units, now we added 80 units
This tool has been proven to find drowned people more quickly. So, we don’t need to wait three days for people to float and search for them. With this tool, when we look for a drowning person, they can be found right away. As in Jakarta, many times drowning victims have been found using this tool.
Nov 28, 2022
This summer we used AquaEye to quickly locate a missing swimmer in the Sandy River. AquaEye enabled us to quickly scan the river from the last seen point and locate the victim for rescue. Unfortunately for this rescue it was too late to save a life, but using this tool we have the potential to save lives. The sooner we can locate a victim in the water, the shorter our search is. A short search is a safer search as we keep our team out of the river, which is a dangerous place.
We purchased AquaEye after last summer where we had painful, challenging, extended searches for drowning victims that were hard on the families, resource intense, and physically exhausting. I would recommend AquaEye as a new tool to quickly search for missing people in the water, improving search times for a relatively small investment.
We were recently awarded an Innovative Safety Award in large part due to our adoption of AquaEye and our lifejacket program.
October 24, 2022
I was part of recent training and this AquaEye was part of that. This uses AI to rapidly search areas and provides the highest probability from the sonar return of where an object might be located. It is kind of like a thermal imager that a firefighter would use in a smoke-filled fire. This is not thermal imaging, it is sonar, but it is comparable in how it scans. It is a very new tool for dive teams, and it creates efficiencies. Just getting a diver into the water can take an hour, but with this you can do so much and so quickly. It is really a great piece of technology
AquaEye can really shorten search times, and could potentially save lives. It can pin point any object, you can almost walk a diver to an object via our underwater communications. We can really save that long sweeping search and very quickly and safely search. And it is easy to use, very user friendly. We have been quite impressed with how it operated during training.
October 5, 2022
I normally don’t give endorsements on Facebook but I have to say that having “trained” with it twice now, I am impressed. It is a tool with a purpose. Not a do all.
The majority of our drownings are beach-related, and this seems to fit the bill. Rapid to the scene and able to give the divers an accurate target when no last seen point is available, or being able to confirm a last seen point.
Keep an open mind and get it in your hands with the PROPER training. We have learned a lot our first couple of times out. Two in our county now and expect more within the year.
Feb 16, 2022
We were blown away by what AquaEye could detect, it has been an absolute gamechanger.
As a family going through tragedy, you always hold out hope that the missing person is going to come home. AquaEye has cut down our search in half, allowing us to bring closure to families much faster. Being able to put someone to rest and begin the healing process is worth more than all the money in the world.
August 11, 2022
The test and evaluation were completed at two locations. The first was in a quarry with depths ranging from 20 – 135 feet. The AquaEye performed very well at multiple depths and distances. Dropped 3 divers at multiple locations and depths. The AquaEye picked up all three divers, sometimes one as an anomaly. When switching to the sonar imaging, it was clear the anomaly was a diver comparing to other map imaging and coloration.
Second location was in the Detroit River with 2-3 knot current. Had divers lay in heavy underwater vegetation and it picked them up as a body. Very impressed.
As with any piece of equipment, the more you utilize and train with it, the better the results. By the end of the T&E, I was very comfortable with the operation and function of the AquaEye.
The team’s overall response was very pleased. An incredible tool for low visibility and murky waters. It also gives a better start point for searching when a last seen point was poor or unavailable.
July 7, 2022
We received another call to assist with a recovery. The AquaEye was able to narrow it down for the dive team, quickly and efficiently. The AquaEye has made a huge change to things down here and how our county does water rescue.
Thank you for all your help and we look forward to what the future of AquaEye holds.
November 12, 2021
PSDiver Magazine did a follow up to thier initial review of AquaEye. Below is an excerpt from that follow-up.
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On arrival, one of them immediately went into the water with the AquaEye, while the other was suiting up. He had a probably target on AquaEye in approximately three minutes…
…Instead of 180 degree arc, they were able to reduce the search to a 15 degree arc each pass taking just a few kicks from the diver. The actual search area was reduced by at least 80 percent!
…The victim was located on the fourth pass. From the time of arrival to location of the victim was only about 15 minutes. Total dive time, including initial investigation, was only 7 minutes.
Click here to access the PDF of the follow up review.
Click here to access the PDF of the initial product review.
November 3, 2021
I believe AquaEye is a tool that fills a gap in the existing technologies of underwater searches, that allows us to be more effective and also quicker at conducting underwater search efforts.
October 27, 2021
October 7th, 2021
August 31st, 2021
In our local dive facility, we are looking to use AquaEye as a way to expedite the location of missing divers that could have dive injuries. By doing that we will deploy rescue divers to go down, and hopefully this turns into a response where we can save the diver versus a recovery. With the cold water, we have a timeframe where we could possibly save them.
August 18th, 2021
July 21, 2021
I’ve personally tested AquaEye in all kinds of water. It has few limitations. Bottom line is it works great! The time, money, and liability this saves FAR outweighs the surprisingly small price tag! I’ve been diving since 1986 and a PSD since 2005.
September 6, 2022
My name is Marcus Kern. I am the CEO of the water rescue service in Germany at the Bavarian Red Cross.
In August of this year we bought 10 AquaEye units from European distributor Vogt-CTE. We would like to introduce this device to the Bavarian water rescue service.
It is probably the most innovative invention in this area in this millennium.
Initial tests have shown that the device can be handed out to any lifeguard without extensive training, and probably works faster and more effectively than any lengthy and time-consuming search with divers.
This device will definitely save lives; I am 100% convinced of that.
We would be very happy to participate in any further developments / ideas. I am sure that further developments of this device and its establishment on the world market, will certainly lead to increasing sales figures, which will save lives in the end.
Our (first) ten devices will now be handed out throughout Bavaria over the next 12 months so that the individual units (just over 500) can familiarize themselves with the device and recognize its usefulness.
I really just wanted to express my appreciation – keep at it, keep going; I’m so fascinated that I can’t express it in words.
Yours sincerely from Germany / Bavaria.
January 5, 2022
Seaside Heights Fire Department Ocean Rescue team has implemented AquaEye into our standard operations plan when responding to a submerged victim. A highly engineered amazing device which helps our rescue swimmers quickly locate a victim and increases the success of saving a life. The AquaEye can scan a large area in a quick manner with one first responder operating the unit. Every second counts in rescue and recovery. AquaEye gives us the opportunity to make that rescue and save a life.
November 3, 2021
AquaEye is a very important tool in our toolbox because we always look to maximize responder safety. Having a tool that we deploy from our flat water rescue boat or from kayaks while keeping our operators safe, and also allowing them to search large areas quickly and effectively; these are all benefits that AquaEye brings to our team.
October 22, 2021
The device was quick to indicate the direction and distance of the divers under water, marking an X on the screen which was easily interpreted for the recovery location. Additionally, the echo map function provides a true sonar image reading with colors indicating obstacles and target shapes. Both functions have a purpose, and they add to the versatility of the tool.
Two weeks following the demo, we had a missing boater response at the Redondo Horseshoe Pier. The search was precautionary for a low probability target, and the AquaEye was used to rule out a search area assigned to our team. Our operator deployed by jumping off of the pier and then we lowered the AquaEye to him for the search.
October 4, 2021
I would highly recommend AquaEye for Public Safety Diving. It’s a device that we can quickly deploy that greatly increases the safety of our personnel. Ultimately our goal is to provide closure to the family of any victim that’s in the water and this is a tool that will help do that. Through the use of the Echo Map we’ve been locating vehicles underwater where traditional side scan sonar cannot be used, this is the tool that will do that, and so far we’ve had great success with AquaEye and I highly recommend it.
August 31st, 2021
I’ve used it on two separate drownings, and both times it’s been able to pick up the person we are looking for. Clearly distinguishing the X for the body, which allows us to quickly locate the victim and bring them up.
August 31st, 2021
PSDiver Magazine did a product review on AquaEye, combining the experience of several Public Safety Divers into one product review. Click here to access the PDF of the product review.
August 18th, 2021
August 18th, 2021
I would recommend AquaEye because I think it’s going to be a game changer for water rescue. I believe that AquaEye is going to allow us to do a quick scan of the area, find the victim, retrieve them and perform lifesaving measures.
July 2, 2021
In addition to our current drowning prevention operating guidelines, we now have lifeguards perform AquaEye scans at the start and end of all swimming activities to confirm all are accounted for and safely out of the water.
April 19, 2021
AquaEye is absolutely amazing! I’ve taken it to a few spots where we have had rescues and recoveries. One particular location we spent almost two hours searching on a previous recovery and with AquaEye I was able to locate in the matter of minutes.
March 24, 2021
AquaEye is an entirely new tool in the drowning search toolbox. It allows large areas to be scanned quickly and effectively, even at night or in murky/tannin coloured water, where other means of searching will be ineffective. Due to it’s built-in AI software, it allows anyone with little to no experience in analyzing sonar imagery to still be highly effective at searching.
February 14, 2021
Before we would use a type of sonar, almost like a fish finder sonar, and it’s not as accurate and it takes a long time to search an area. AquaEye allows us to get to an area where we think a victim is and narrow down that search area really very rapidly.
December 12, 2020
We were conducting a search for a missing person underneath the ice in Saskatchewan, and AquaEye was an extremely valuable tool. After drilling a hole we were able to scan the lake underneath the ice and determine areas of interest. AquaEye indicates the direction and distance, so we were able to move to the spot it indicated, drill another hole and the object of interest was right there. AquaEye was extremely accurate. This enabled us to search large areas in a short amount of time.
October 15, 2020
We purchased AquaEye® and it did just as it said it would do. When we went out and tested it, we then knew where our people were, where our divers in the water were, and we even had a dummy in the water. Everything registered with an X, meaning that it should be a human, and of course it was. We didn’t just do that once; we have been out multiple times with our fire department and then last Saturday AquaEye was part of an inter-agency water rescue exercise. We had 9 agencies and 45 people involved with 9 watercraft. AquaEye worked as advertised and as it should. We are very impressed, but not looking forward to the day we must use it for real. When that does happen we are very comfortable that we should be able to locate someone fairly quickly.
July 13, 2020
I see applications for AquaEye® in recovery operations and have recommended the product to police dive teams across the country. With ease of use and ease of care, AquaEye is very user friendly and requires little training.
June 7, 2019
In 2008 we lost my oldest son to a drowning / boat accident. It took 29 days to recover his body. In 2009 we started The BMF Project to honor our son and to try to ensure no other family had to go through what we did, especially because of lack of equipment. The BMF Project is excited at the possibilities presented by the AquaEye®.
The ease of deployment and use makes it ideal for open water swimming areas. We have trained with the AquaEye with multiple police, fire, and SAR agencies in North Texas, the opportunities to use it in a rescue versus a recovery have become apparent. We have even used it in a recovery situation in which we were able to help bring closure to a family in a matter of minutes. In our opinion, the AquaEye will not only help many families but also keep those willing to sacrifice themselves to help bring our loved one’s home, safer.
July 3, 2020
AquaEye® was able to quickly locate the victim in what was a difficult search environment. It brought closure to a family much sooner than traditional methods of recovery, and by shortening the search timeline, the device also reduced the time that rescuers were in the danger zone of the pier pylons.
February 14, 2021
It’s much faster than trying to do a boat rescue that we’ve done in the past. It [was] just long boat searches without any knowledge of where the subject is. AquaEye actually gives us the coordinates of where that person might be.
July 27, 2021
We purchased AquaEye because we have a 25,000 acre lake, which is inhabited by a lot of visitors in the summertime. AquaEye aids us in helping to search a large body of water and narrows down our search area, which helps us reduce manpower used, helps overhead costs, plus it uses the latest technology.
December 8, 2020
The team scanned the swim course with AquaEye prior to the event to identify any pre-existing targets in the event we lost a swimmer during the race. Having AquaEye on site definitely gave me peace of mind in the off chance we had to search for a missing athlete. I knew we would find them quickly.
June 30th, 2021
This is the perfect tool where lifeguards need to act quickly to recover missing swimmers, or dive teams that need to locate a victim within that golden hour and there is a fairly decent Point Last Seen. This tool does not replace side scan sonar but can allow you to narrow your search time dramatically by ruling out areas. I can think of at least a dozen searches this would have brought us directly to the victim in minutes.
April 6, 2021
Oceanside Fire Department Lifeguard Division has implemented AquaEye into Code X operations for its speed of identifying submerged persons in open water response areas. While prevention remains the primary objective in lifesaving, the necessity of swiftly locating a submerged victim for an increased chance of survival is needed. The application of AquaEye into Code X operations can provide a scanned search area and high potential targets by a single rescuer prior to coordinating and initiating multiple rescuer line searches that must systematically clear the search area. The ability to focus a general search area to a concise position can significantly decrease discovery time of a victim thereby preventing the need to exhaust rescuers and resources.
May 25, 2021
AquaEye is a water rescue tool that I hope all lifeguards have in their tool kit. AquaEye can scan a swim area in minutes -finding a person under water much faster than traditional search patterns.
We are supporters of AquaEye and have seen the device in action. We are confident that lifeguards would find rescue targets much faster with AquaEye, helping to keep campers and lifeguards safe.
