A Myrtle Beach Recovery Story

The early morning sun reflected off the rippling water of the Coaster Waterway, casting a warm glow over Enterprise Landing. Jeremy Sides adjusted his scuba mask and checked the straps on his gear one more time. He had brought his equipment down that morning for a routine test dive, nothing more. But in the ten minutes since he started scanning the water with his sonar device, the ordinary had suddenly turned extraordinary.

“Guys… you’re not going to believe this,” Jeremy said into his radio, excitement and disbelief thick in his voice. “I’ve got a car underwater, right here near the boat ramp.”

Adam Brown, his longtime friend and diving partner, responded with a low whistle. “You’re kidding. That’s… insane. How even…?”

Jeremy shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s just sitting there like it belongs. A Ford Escape. Right in the shallow part of the water. Crazy spot for a car to end up.”

They weren’t just hobbyists. Jeremy and Adam had carved a reputation across the country, searching for submerged vehicles tied to cold cases, abandoned or forgotten by the authorities, and bringing closure to grieving families. What had started as an unusual pastime had evolved into a service that was both thrilling and deeply meaningful.

The morning air carried a damp, earthy scent after a night of rain, but the clouds were breaking, letting streaks of sunlight pierce through. Precision Towing had been enlisted to help recover the submerged vehicle, and Jeremy was glad for their support. Labor Day meant the ramps were technically open, but there was little traffic this early. The small window they had to pull the vehicle out was precious.

“Let’s try to get this thing out without messing up the ramp too much,” Jeremy said, adjusting his gear. “It’s right at the bottom, shouldn’t be too complicated. Hopefully we can find something else in the car too. You never know what’s left behind in these cases.”

The First Attempt

Joe and Kevin from Precision Towing arrived shortly after, towing flatbeds and heavy-duty cables. They were the professionals, but Jeremy and Adam’s eyes were the experts in scanning the riverbed.

“I’ll take the sonar remote,” Jeremy said, handing Adam the device. “Give me a mark. I want to make sure I know exactly where it’s resting.”

Adam focused on the screen. “Looks like it’s just off the edge, about ten feet out. Let’s hope the line is long enough.”

Jeremy descended into the murky water, feeling the cool river water close around him. The sediment swirled as he kicked, limiting visibility. “It’s farther out than I thought. More line, please.”

Kevin handed him a longer rope, which Jeremy looped around the car as carefully as he could. “Back wheel. That should do it,” he called up, though he wasn’t entirely confident. The car, lying at an awkward angle with the rear corner against the ramp, resisted their efforts.

“Maybe switch to the front tow hook,” Adam suggested from above. “Pull it over the edge while it’s underwater. Might rotate it enough to get it free.”

The team worked together, under the hot Labor Day sun, which was slowly burning away the morning mist. They maneuvered chains, adjusted angles, and made several attempts to reposition the vehicle without causing damage.

Finally, with a groan of tensioned cables and the occasional splash, the vehicle started to move. “It’s coming! It’s coming!” Jeremy yelled. “Careful… careful… there!”

Water cascaded off the sides as the SUV surfaced, revealing its battered frame and partially submerged interior. Through the broken windows, they could see signs of human life once connected to this vehicle: a baby seat in the back, a forgotten backpack, and a suitcase, half-filled, abandoned.

Uncovering the Story

Once the car was safely on the flatbed, Jeremy and Adam, along with Joe and Kevin, started carefully sifting through the contents. It was a treasure trove of mystery.

“Baby seat. Check. Bag. Check. Looks like someone left in a hurry… or maybe not?” Adam muttered.

Jeremy opened the glove compartment and found a wallet, some papers, and a few miscellaneous items—a vape pen, a couple of CDs, a pack of wipes. Nothing immediately incriminating. But it was these ordinary things that sometimes revealed extraordinary stories.

“Wait… did they take anything?” Joe asked. “Any signs of theft?”

Jeremy shook his head. “Doesn’t seem like it. This stuff looks like it belongs to the owner. Maybe someone just… ditched it.”

The suitcase was empty, though its position suggested it had been hastily abandoned. Whoever had been here hadn’t wanted anything left behind, yet somehow they left everything. The baby seat told another story—one of sudden, unplanned departure, urgency, or even desperation.

A Closer Look

Once the debris and water were cleared, the team examined the car more closely. The tow hooks had been flimsy, nearly breaking under pressure, and the front tires had been positioned awkwardly to allow for underwater maneuvering. This was not an easy recovery; the precision and coordination required had been enormous.

As Jeremy wiped mud from the dashboard, he laughed. “You know, I used to drive one of these. Never thought I’d see it underwater like this.”

Adam grinned. “Well, if you want to relive the trauma, you can always bring it home and pressure wash it.”

They all laughed, but the levity masked the seriousness of the recovery. Cars like this often told tragic stories—lost vehicles, sometimes tied to accidents, sometimes tied to crimes. And in this case, the car had been reported stolen months earlier, yet it was now mysteriously abandoned, seemingly without damage that would suggest a violent accident.

The Mystery Deepens

The discovery of the car sparked questions the team couldn’t immediately answer. Who left it here? Was it simply dumped after being stolen? Or was there a more complicated story, a tale that could only be uncovered through police investigation and patient detective work?

Jeremy carefully documented the condition of the car, photographing the baby seat, the bag, and the interior. “We need to leave a record for the authorities. Someone might be looking for this,” he said.

Adam nodded. “And who knows, maybe there’s something they’ll find in the contents that gives closure to a family. That’s why we do this.”

For a moment, the water was calm again, the sun glinting off the ripples. It was almost serene, a stark contrast to the mystery they were holding on the flatbed.

Closure and Reflection

By late afternoon, the recovery was complete. The vehicle had been lifted from the river, cleaned, and photographed, and all its contents cataloged. The team sat back, exhausted but satisfied. Labor Day had brought them an unexpected discovery, a story embedded in mud, water, and metal.

“Feels good to get something like this out,” Jeremy said, looking at the car now resting safely at the tow yard. “Even if we don’t know the whole story, at least it’s out of the water. At least someone’s going to be able to trace it back.”

Adam leaned against the truck, wiping sweat from his brow. “Yeah. And you know, sometimes that’s all that matters. Closure. Even if it’s not for us.”

Joe and Kevin smiled, tired but content. “We’ve pulled out plenty of vehicles,” Kevin said. “But this one… this one felt different. There’s a story here. Maybe someone’s waiting for answers.”

Jeremy nodded. “Exactly. That’s the whole point. Every car, every case… someone’s life has been affected.”

They took a final group photo beside the recovered SUV, a small testament to their effort and the mysteries that water can hold. Later, the vehicle would be turned over to law enforcement, its story slowly unraveled, and perhaps its rightful owners would find some measure of closure.

Epilogue

Weeks later, Jeremy received a call from the local police department. They had tracked down the owner of the Ford Escape. It had been stolen months earlier, as Jeremy suspected, and the investigation revealed a chain of events that had led the thief to abandon the vehicle in the Coaster Waterway. Fortunately, no one had been harmed, and all personal belongings inside the vehicle had been recovered and returned to the owner.

Jeremy and Adam read the email detailing the family’s gratitude. The baby seat, the bag, the suitcase—all had been claimed by the rightful owner. It wasn’t just the car they had recovered; it was a piece of peace for a family that had been left wondering what had happened.

“That’s why we do it,” Jeremy said, showing Adam the message. “It’s not about the thrill, or the dive, or even the clicks. It’s about this. Giving someone their answers back.”

Adam smiled, a hint of pride in his eyes. “Yeah… priceless, isn’t it?”

Jeremy nodded. The sun was setting over Myrtle Beach, casting long golden reflections across the water. Another mystery had been solved, another story given closure. But for the team, this was only another chapter in an ongoing journey—one dive, one car, and one life at a time.

As they packed up and headed home, Jeremy glanced back at the water. Quiet now, seemingly calm, but he knew the river held countless other secrets. And he and Adam would be ready to uncover them, whatever it took.

The Coaster Waterway had given up its secret, and in doing so, had reminded everyone involved that even the smallest actions—like recovering a sunken car—could ripple out to touch lives in ways no one could foresee.