Hand Held Depth Finder

Hand Held Depth Finder. This is just what it sounds like. It’s about the size of a flash light. It will instantly tell you how deep the water is, and the water temperature. we launch the dinghy and go scouting with this device. I use it primarily for two things. To check the depth for either anchoring, or passing through a tight spot with the big boat. Or to check the depth for diving when going spear fishing. From the dinghy, it may look only 10 feet deep, but using the hand held depth finder will tell you it’s really 25 feet. When the water is a bit chilly, this has saved me the trouble of jumping in on many occasions to go after lobster.

This one has mixed reviews from 3 years ago, maybe they got the kinks out. I’ve not had a problem with mine. West Marine also sells one of these.

A low tech alternative if all you need is a way to check a channel depth is a 6-7 foot piece of PVC pipe with one foot markings on it. Or anything like this. It could also serve as a push pole in really shallow water.