Volunteer divers handed expert search device in memory of Scots dad killed in fishing tragedy

A team of volunteers who helped find the body of a Scots dad killed in a fishing accident have received a ‘game-changing’ search device. The family of Greig Stoddart, who died on Christmas Eve, gathered at Gartmorn Dam, Alloa, on Saturday to watch as the AquaEye kit was formally presented to Beneath the Surface.

The Lancashire-based dive team were drafted in at New Year after police spent several weeks searching for the 44-year-old’s body. Greig was eventually found by the volunteers on January 14 after they spent just two hours searching the water using a borrowed AquaEye.

Greig’s cousin, Thomas Stoddart, reached out to the device makers who generously offered to donate the kit, which costs around £6000. Representatives of Vodasafe have now travelled from Canada to meet the family and to provide training to Beneath the Surface over the weekend.

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Thomas, 39, told the Record: “This is the most incredible legacy for Greig. The family and I just don’t have the words to thank Vodasafe for giving Beneath the Surface this bit of kit. They’re all so humble and just want to make a change.

“Hopefully this AquaEye will help stop any family going through the anguish we felt waiting for Greig to be found. As of tomorrow, I will be fully trained in using the AquaEye which feels a bit strange. I was in the water today having a bit of practice with it.

Greig Stoddart lost his life during a Christmas Eve fishing tragedy
(Image: Handout)

“We’ll never forget the moment the diver from Beneath the Surface came out of the water and told us they’d found Greig that day. We spent so long just waiting, staring out at the water and wondering where he was. It brought us some closure.

“We now want to be able to do that for other families. And this incredible donation will go a long way to helping us do that. This is just the start though. We want to get as many of these devices across the UK as we can.”

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The AquaEye uses sonar and artificial intelligence to detects bodies in water
(Image: Handout)

He added: “Gartmorn Dam is always going to have a special place in our hearts. It was a special place before Greig’s accident and it’ll always be a bit raw going there because of that.

“But for this to have happened as a result of Greig’s death, that overwhelms any sadness we feel going there. Greig was definitely looking down on us today. The weather was perfect and everything went brilliantly.”

Flowers were laid at the scene of Greig's accident during the device handover — Flowers were laid at the scene of Greig’s accident during the device handover
(Image: Handout)

Beneath the Surface, founded by Phil Jones, have now officially become the UK’s first AquaEye Ambassadors.

The device is the world’s first hand-held intelligent sonar device.

Combining traditional sonar with artificial intelligence, it is specifically designed to identify humans and can search an acre of water within just one minute.

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