Irondequoit Bay on a damp, cloudy day: "That's the kind of day it was that day; it was a heavy overcast,” recalls retired Rochester Police Officer Scott Hill, who spent part of his career on the dive team. “It was dark on the surface and even darker down below.

"We had a real team of dedicated individuals."

But it was a dive 35 years ago that he'll never forget.

"There's not a time that goes by that I don't cross the Bay Bridge that I don't remember, remember back to August 19, 1984," Hill said.

That's the day the RPD scuba squad was called to assist the Monroe County Sheriff's Department in its search for a man who had been missing since a boating collision.

Officer Ronald Siver had only been in the water for 15 minutes when he started having breathing problems. Siver's partner began to assist him in the ascent by attempting to “buddy breathe,” sharing his equipment with Siver.

"I think they became winded,” Hill said. “They had 60 feet of water above them.”

Siver was brought to the surface and after failed attempts at CPR, he was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.   

"We had lost a good friend and a fellow officer and a fellow diver on just a terrible accident, under really terrible circumstances," Hill said.

Siver's death led to an overhaul of training and an investment in state-of-the-art equipment. Today, police divers wear full face masks, both wet and dry suits, and are equipped with both wireless and hard-wired communications.

"It was nice that the city reviewed every situation and came up with a process to make the team much safer,” said Sgt. Ed McDonald with the Rochester Police Department’s scuba squad. “The way we dive right now, we have three days of training every month, and in October, we have a five-day training.”

Siver, who was 29 at the time of his death, was considered the sparkplug of Goodman Section's Third Platoon.

"There was nothing not to like about Ron Siver. He was just a great guy, great personality, always the life of the party," Hill said.

Officer Siver was awarded the department's highest honor, the Medal of Valor, presented posthumously to his wife.

"Dedicated to the job and wanted to do more for the job. Relatively inexperienced in this kind of work, but that didn't matter.  He wanted to come out and be a diver,” Hill said. “Just trying to give a little bit more back to the city and doing their area of expertise and Ronnie exemplified that kind of individual.”

Rochester Police Officer Ronald Siver, end of watch: August 19, 1984.