Just after sunrise at the Panama City Marina, a team of Florida State University Panama City students geared up for a dive. They unloaded equipment from a truck, walked the length of the pier, and scanned the scene that included a boat docked in still water. Today’s mission: Solve a simulated underwater crime.
The scenario felt real. According to the exercise, a diver working on the boat propeller overnight failed to check in. The team suspected the worst — that the diver was still underwater.
These students are part of FSU Panama City’s Underwater Crime Scene Investigation (UCSI) program, where training dives like this one happen regularly.
Mike Davis, director of operations for FSU’s Advanced Science Diving Program, said the simulations are designed to teach students how to methodically handle underwater investigations.
“They will mark out a search area, search through the area to find evidence and the body,” Davis said. “Once they identify where it is, they’ll mark the body, mark all the evidence and mark the positions based on some reference point, so if the evidence is required at trial, it is accurately depicted — where it was, the depth of the water, all of those references.”
Two team members suited up in Guardian full-face masks equipped with closed circuit audio, which allowed them to communicate with a student supervisor on the dock. As they descended into the murky water, they followed an arc search pattern. Starting close to the dock, they slowly widened the arc, sweeping the area until they reached the boat.
Nearly an hour later, a diver surfaced with the missing “victim” — a mannequin. They carefully placed it in an orange body recovery bag and transported it to the truck. The diver’s tools and scuba tank were bagged separately for further examination.
This kind of hands-on learning happens every week.
Madison Klick, a dual major in biology and criminology, is earning her UCSI certificate while pursuing her bachelor’s degree. Each week, she works alongside her classmates to plan and execute dives like this one. They are building skills that go beyond the classroom.
“We get a detailed report from the investigator, then we go out and execute the dive,” Klick said. “It really allows you to be immersed in being in a crime scene. The underwater environment is completely different from what you see on land. It really made me see how important scuba divers are in crime scene investigations.”
The UCSI program combines theory with practice. Students complete five courses designed to prepare them for careers in underwater forensics. Graduates leave with skills that are valuable in fields like engineering, medicine, criminology, archaeology, and maritime security. They may go on to investigate accidents, insurance fraud, environmental pollution and more.
For Klick, the program has been transformative. Originally from Pennsylvania, she attends FSU in Tallahassee but makes the trip to Panama City for the UCSI training. After four years of Mondays spent underwater, she’s preparing to graduate in May.
“I knew I wanted to be in the water,” she said. “This is my first time ever scuba diving with this team. I’ve seen them every Monday for the past four years.”
As the team packed up their gear and the marina returned to quiet, the students had another successful dive behind them and skills they’ll carry with them long after graduation.
For more information about the Public Safety & Security program at FSU Panama City, visit pc.fsu.edu/academics. To learn more about the Underwater Crime Scene Investigation program, visit appliedstudies.fsu.edu.