Water Rescue

The primary role of the Water Rescue/Dive Team is to assist Patrol, Detectives, and other agencies in the recovery of submerged victims, evidence, and vehicles.
The team also patrols the Kings River during the summer months, enforcing boating laws and promoting boating and water safety.
The river is patrolled with a Sheriff's Department marked boat, two wave-runners, and two quad-runners. The wave-runners and quad-runners are seasonally loaned to the department by Yamaha and Valley Cycle and Marine in Lemoore.

Presently the team consists of ten members including one commander, two sergeants, two senior deputies, and five deputies.
The diving experience of the team members range from certified open water divers to dive masters.

There must be a minimum of three divers present on all dive call outs.
The first diver to arrive becomes the team leader and supervises the working diver and safety diver during the operation.

In most operations one diver works the scene and the second diver is fully suited up and in the water standing by for safety.

The team leader directs the working diver by signaling with a rope linked between the two.

If you have any questions regarding the Kings County Sheriff's Water Rescue, contact:

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Several most frequently asked questions regarding the Dive Team are:

Where do you dive in Kings County? We have no lakes.
The Kings River flows through Kings County from the northeast to the southwest. The entire stretch of river is used by the public for fishing, boating, personal watercraft, and swimming. Also, because Kings County is primarily farm country, there are numerous irrigation canals running throughout the county.