Jeremy Sides, additionally identified by his YouTube deal with “Exploring with Nug,” is within the enterprise of discovering what’s been misplaced. A hobbyist-turned-careerist, Sides is a Navy veteran who began scuba diving merely to search for fascinating spoils — outdated bottles, bikes, weapons and as soon as even a pair of Civil Struggle-era dentures. He has since moved on to missions the place the stakes are increased: taking up chilly instances to search out lacking individuals.
“After I first began, I’d get on-line and begin wanting by means of lacking individual databases,” Sides advised Garmin after we came across his story and realized he was utilizing our sonar know-how to help in his looking. “The tales the place folks vanish of their automobiles are those I’m searching for. As soon as I learn into that, an individual normally will simply disappear, and their automobile additionally disappeared with them. So I’ll look within the metropolis they had been final seen in, and in some instances there’s an enormous physique of water of their metropolis. I’ll go of their city and begin operating sonar on the water.”
However Sides’ search and rescue providers have gotten more and more in style — as of late it’s much less scanning databases and extra investigating chilly instances on the request of family members nonetheless clinging to the hope of discovering closure. In December 2021, a search and rescue mission Sides filmed went viral, documenting the method during which his Garmin ECHOMAP™ Extremely 126sv led him to search out two Tennessee youngsters who hadn’t been seen or heard from in 21 years. The youngsters’ stays had been discovered of their automobile within the backside of a river in Sparta, Tennessee, offering solutions for family and friends who had lengthy gone with out.
“I’m misplaced for phrases,” Sides says to the digicam within the video. “I’m so glad I may discover them. I’m so unhappy that that’s the place they ended up, and I can’t consider it’s been over 20 years they’ve been sitting there ready for somebody to search out them. I’m glad I did. It’s a bizarre mixture of feelings. I can’t even clarify it. However this isn’t about me — that is about getting them residence, and we’re going to try this as we speak.”
Sides makes use of the Extremely Excessive-Definition SideVϋ know-how on his ECHOMAP to go looking beneath the water’s floor. “It really works very well,” he stated. “It’s very detailed, and it helps me establish constructions underwater.” When he finds one thing value investigating — sometimes a automobile — he’ll both dive down proper then or save the placement as a waypoint to return to later.
“I’ve dove on quite a few automobiles that we’ve discovered,” he says, a number of of which contained lacking individuals. Others had been merely stolen and faraway from the water utilizing a tow firm.
When Garmin discovered that Sides was utilizing our sonar know-how to establish constructions alongside river and lake bottoms, we realized he may benefit from our diving know-how as effectively — so we despatched him a Garmin Descent™ Mk2i dive pc and T1 transmitter to help within the search as soon as he’s discovered one thing value testing.
“It’s a vital piece of apparatus,” he says of the paired know-how. “It eliminates the entire stress gauge hooked up to a hose dangling in your face once you’re diving. It makes it extra handy, and also you at all times know the place your dive watch is. It’s very vibrant underneath water.”
To comply with alongside as Sides continues to make use of Garmin sonar know-how to unravel instances, go to his YouTube channel, Exploring with Nug.
