Sonar and tracking dogs are part of the search for Tyler Doyle. How are they helping?

Adam Benson
JASON LEE/jlee@thesunnews.com

The multi-state search for Tyler Doyle now spans over air, land and water as hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement agencies continue to look for the missing duck hunter.

Over the week-long operation, a variety of resources and technology have been deployed — from bloodhounds and helicopters to GPS tracking and sonar probes.

Doyle was last seen Jan. 26 near a Little River jetty. His jon boat sank after taking on water, authorities have said.

Greg Lucas, a South Carolina Department of Natural Resources spokesman, said in an email Friday that the agency won’t stop looking for Doyle, and that sonar is a critical tool in the hunt for him.

“Scanning sonar is an ideal tool for underwater search because it produces a ‘picture’ of the underwater environment regardless of the water visibility,” Lucas said. “It does this by sending out a sound wave that reflects off objects on the bottom or in the water. The search will continue until a rescue is made or a body is recovered.”

Paul Gettys, owner of Anderson-based Tactical Sonar, said Friday that underwater searching across vast areas without technological guidance can be nearly impossible.

Sonar “basically takes a picture of the bottom of the lake,” capable of going as deep as 80 feet on a standard unit, Gettys said. He’s assisted the state Department of Natural Resources in Upstate search and recovery efforts but is not involved in the hunt for Doyle.

Since Doyle’s disappearance, local, state and U.S. Coast Guard have all joined the search, using air and sonar assets.

Side sonars can also grab images in a 200-foot radius, returning high-definition images.

“You can tell a fish from a tree, the whole nine yards,” Gettys said.

Josh Johnson, a friend of Doyle’s who has used his Facebook page to provide real-time updates, described in a Thursday post how much ground has already been covered using walking teams, boats and dogs:

  • Bird Island Coastal Reserve

  • Little River jetties

  • Hog Island

  • Goat Island off North Carolina coast

  • Tubbs Inlet and Jinks Creek in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.

  • Monks Island inlet through Brunswick, N.C.

  • Holden Beach Island.

Johnson said other coastal North Carolina areas including Lockwood Folly and the eastern end of Holden Beach would be focal points over the next day.

Bloodhounds and other tracking dogs are trained to follow scents either on a piece of clothing or through air currents. The dogs have been requested by several of Doyle’s friends and relatives assisting in the search.

The National Weather Service has issued a small craft advisory through Saturday morning, with overcast skies and rain in the forecast.

A Thursday Facebook post by North Myrtle Beach Water Rescue showed choppy water and gray skies in area being searched, and how those conditions are making the work difficult.

Gettys said atmospheric conditions won’t interfere with sonar capabilities, but aquatic changes — especially in areas with heavy silt — could.

“It’s a very high definition technology,” he said. “But water clarity affects it some.”

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