With low visibility and strong currents, conditions on the Niagara River can be tough and downright dangerous in certain parts, including the area between the Peace Bridge and International Railway Bridge.

"It was probably the hardest dive I've done. Physically, the hardest. It had the most environmental hazards for sure," said Adam Hamm, an Army Corps of Engineers civil engineer and diver.

Hamm has been with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dive team since 2008. He regularly inspects bridges, locks, dams and piers. He scuba dived the Niagara River off Broderick Park in 2012 and 2014.

"What we're diving in, you can't see your hand in front of your face, so it's a lot by feel and by touch," said Hamm.

He was inspecting the structural integrity of the wall separating the canal from the river.

“It was actually pretty hard to do the work of inspecting because I'm concentrating more on holding onto the wall and keeping my position, and I'm kind of horizontal, trying to inspect the wall. It was not easy work. There were times when I got myself off the wall and I popped right back up to the surface. Luckily we were on a boat, and I had someone holding my tether, so I didn't go anywhere," said Hamm.

Then, there's the debris.

"There's a lot of obstacles under there. There's stone. There's logs. There's timbers that fall off. There's gates and railings, from the old wharf wall there that we found underneath the surface, so you really have to be cognizant of where your tether is at all times to make sure you stay out of that danger zone," Hamm said.

Hamm says he's thankful not to have to dive that stretch of the Niagara River on a regular basis and hopes he doesn't have to do it again anytime soon.