In a daring water rescue turned survival mission, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources officers bravely navigated treacherous conditions to save stranded boaters.

On May 6^th, 2023, two South Carolina Department of Natural Resources officers were patrolling in a waterway south of Columbia when they received a ‘boat in distress call.’ Acting bravely and quickly, both officers raced towards the scene in high tide and strong wind conditions.

Once getting to the scene, the officers quickly realized that the boat in distress was stuck due to the windy conditions and was on the verge of capsizing. As the officers began to work diligently to help the stranded boaters, the conditions started to worsen, turning their rescue mission into one of survival.

Both officers had to leap from their sinking boat, ditching all their gear in the process. Given the weather conditions and the water being at a depth of roughly 20 feet and 70 degrees, getting to shore was more important than saving any gear they had.

Both officers and the individuals they were helping miraculously were able to make it to safety.

But now they needed to retrieve the gear they lost, which was sitting at the bottom of the river. Among the various items attached to their duty belts, they carried Glock 45’s equipped with Aimpoint ACRO P-2’s.

One duty belt was able to be retrieved shortly after the incident. The other was not so lucky.

Over the course of 90 days, and several unsuccessful attempts, officer Rhet Bissell was finally able to locate and retrieve the sunken duty belt. In total, it took over 56 diving hours to retrieve.

Once retrieved, the officer looked to investigate the damage done to his firearm when he was shocked to find that the red dot on his ACRO P-2 was still on and functional. For 90 days, the Glock and the ACRO sat at the bottom of the water facing an endless current while accumulating dirt, sand, and barnacles. Yet the ACRO remained on and functional.

When people ask why Aimpoint? We think SCDNR First Sergeant, Jeremy Cooper said it best. “It still worked after being in various conditions at that depth and length of time. It just goes to show the good quality of the product. It speaks for itself.”