November 1, 1997- SMART members participated in the 1997 Caverns of Sonora Restoration Project, in a large living cave a few miles west of Sonora, Texas. A total of 68 volunteers including SMART members removed 27 tons of gravel, rocks, and debris from the cave during this day long excavation. When the cave was originally developed in the 1950's, much of the gravel was dumped inside the cave on lower levels to make walkways for tourism. The gravel is slowly being removed to restore the 8 mile cave back it's once pristine condition.  97-1101-09

October 18, 1997- At the 9th annual Fall "San Marcos River Clean Up" organized by Parks & Recreation, SMART Divers participated and came away with four awards: Most bottles collected - 372, most aggregate weight - over 250 lb., most shoes found - 23, and most participants for a community service organization. 97-1018-08

September 22, 1997- Three military personnel were boating on Canyon Lake at approximately 9pm when they stopped the boat to swim somewhere between Jacob's Creek Park and Comal Park . The boat drifted away from the swimmers and only one of the swimmers was able to get back to shore. Two females, ages 23 and 27 were reported missing. The lone male survivor, who swam for over an hour, was unable to give even an approximate location of the missing females. Due to the large search area (over 3 square miles), heavy rains, deep depths, and a threat of lightning, SMART declined the operation due to the unacceptable risk to SMART personnel. The first victim floated within 48 hours and the second within one week. This was the first time in the 9 year history of the dive team that a recovery operation was declined. 97-0922-07

July 5, 1997- After a fireworks display on Lake McQueeney, two boats collided in the darkness. A 50 year old women is missing after being thrown from a boat. Divers were called by the Texas Game Wardens and the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Department to assist. Witnesses could not give an accurate location where the collision occurred. Divers spent 8 hours interviewing witnesses and performing circular search patterns but could not locate the missing women. The victim's body floated two days later a short distance away from the area searched by SMART. 97-0705-06

June 30, 1997- Divers are called to Cypress Creek in Wimberley to assist with the removal of 1997 Suzuki Swift 2-door vehicle which was washed downstream during recent flooding. The odometer showed the vehicle had 10 recorded miles. Divers excavated the passenger compartment gravel, recorded the VIN, and entered the glove compartment to determine ownership. The registered owner, a rental car company, was notified and the vehicle was removed within 5 days, limiting the environmental damage to Cypress Creek. On the same day, divers also entered Jacob's Well to assess flood damage and take water samples. 97-0630-05

June 26, 1997- SMART is called by a law enforcement agency to assist with a underwater crime scene investigation at the scene of a homicide. Details of this operation are now available in open records at the Hays County District Attorney's office.  97-0626-04

June 2, 1997- Two boaters are traveling down the swift rain swollen San Marcos River near Luling when the boat capsizes against a fallen tree. The body of a 15 year old boy is recovered by SMART after an exhaustive four hour black water operation. Divers battled swift water to recover the body pinned under the capsized boat. 97-0602-03

January 15, 1997- The dive team is called by the Hays County Sheriff's Department to search a river at the scene of a homicide. Details of this operation are available in open records at the Hays County District Attorney's Office.  See photographs in our Photo Gallery's Recovery Operations section 97-0115-02

January 11, 1997- When witnesses see the red tail lights of a vehicle as they submerge into a Buda stock tank off CR 967, SMART is called by the Texas Department of Public Safety to investigate. Divers locate a 1990 silver colored Ford Thunderbird unoccupied in 18 feet of water. Investigation determines the vehicle was stolen from Austin earlier in the day, and abandoned in the stock tank. Divers braved 45 degree water for nearly an hour to recover the vehicle which was 60 feet from shore. 97-0111-01

© 2004 San Marcos Area Recovery Team