Maryland divers guided by sonar due to extreme poor visibility in Key Bridge repair: Like a ‘snowstorm’ [Video]

Amid ongoing salvage operations in the aftermath of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse last week, divers are relying on sonar technology to guide them underwater.

Colonel Estee S. Pinchasin, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Baltimore, said Wednesday that the “Coda Octopus” is the primary survey tool used by the divers.

“So, as visibility, if we’re lucky, it’s one to two feet right in front of them. It’s cloudy because of the four to five feet of mud and just the loose bottom of the Patapsco River,” Pinchasin said. “Divers are basically working in darkness because if they used lights, if we lit it up, it would be like they were driving through a snowstorm with their high beams on.”

The divers are guided by detailed verbal instructions and directions from operators and vessels up at the surface, Pinchasin said.

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