(1977)  Although Underwater Services specializes in underwater construction, inspection and salvage, diver Jerry Hiersche enjoys diving for snags in the Columbia River. "The fishermen are a great bunch of guys to work for and I enjoy going back to the same section of the river every year to see what's changing on the bottom. It's good for everyone on the river and I'm glad to be part of it."

From Astoria to the Bonneville Dam fishermen who own the drift rights to sections of the Columbia drag the river bottom for snags several times annually. To do the job right they need a good diver, who works with a team of boats and a barge with a winch to raise the snags.

It's a dangerous job, Hiersche admitted. The fishermen always snag dive in the fastest current, he said. When their nets catch onto a sunken tree, he has to follow the line down and attach a cable to the snag so it can be hauled up and carried to the banks. "The visibility is so poor that even with my light I can see only a few feet ahead. If the snag comes loose the whole net comes sweeping at me like a Mack truck. These nets are designed to catch things and I don't want it to get me."

Captain Ben Jolma surveys the river surface during the operation and watches his locator boats to see who will find the next snag. A log floating by the barge is passed over even though it it is already half sunk. "We have enough work to do on this drift. That's someone else's problem downstream," he says.

Jerry Hiersche Snag Diver