Diving for Hope: Graham Barrineau speaks about helping families through water recovery work

Graham Barrineau graduated from Corbin High School just three years ago, but in that relatively short amount of time he has found several ways to help those in his local community, and beyond.

“After high school, I started my career in emergency management and emergency services,” Barrineau said. “I started out with the Department of Public Safety, and I eventually moved into working on missing persons cases.”

Barrineau said that he was able to assist with multiple land recoveries of missing individuals, but an experience with a water rescue really stuck with him.

“I got to help with a search where a gentleman was found in a submerged vehicle,” Barrineau explained. “This was before I even knew how to dive, but it stood out to me because not everyone can do that. It is a specialty, and kind of different. I’ve always been about doing things that not everyone can do.”

Barrineau became interested in learning to scuba dive at this point, moving to Florida and focusing on training in the water for the next six months. After earning several certifications, he got the idea to combine his new passion with his ongoing recovery work once he returned home.

“I created Diving for Hope, LLC to try and find missing people in situations that involve water,” Barrineau said. “I have a partner, Brian Hutton, who I asked to help me out, and he has been by my side since day one.”

Hutton is also local to the Corbin area, graduating from Lynn Camp High School and volunteering with the West Knox Fire Department.

Barrineau and Hutton will regularly check with Kentucky State Police posts to pick up any information that may be available pertaining to ongoing missing persons cases. They will also monitor the national missing persons database, and they make themselves available to anyone in need who may want to contact them directly, either by phone, e-mail, or through their official Facebook page.

In just a little over a year, Barrineau says that Diving for Hope has been able to assist in recovery efforts here in Kentucky, and in many bordering states. He and Hutton will regularly work alongside other volunteer divers to search for missing persons, or to help with various other types of recovery jobs.

One recent job that Barrineau described involved a submerged vehicle in Clay County. There was concern that the vehicle could be responsible for leaking oil into a water supply, so Diving for Hope, along with other divers, removed the car to ensure that drinking water would not become contaminated.

“When we contact a local agency to let them know about our resources and what we can do, those agencies are typically happy to have the help,” Barrineau said. “When we do find ourselves involved in a search for a missing person, those efforts are totally non-profit. We don’t charge people to help find their missing loved ones.”

Diving for Hope may not charge for their most important jobs, but the operation does require money to continue operations. In order to help pay for things like equipment and fuel, the organization does perform recovery of personal items, such as car keys and cell phones, for a fee. They also accept donations, which can be made by visiting them online at www.diving-for-hope.square.site.

Those interested can also visit the Diving for Hope website to fill out a volunteer application.

“It’s a completely different world down there,” Barrineau said when asked about some of the sights that he has seen while scuba diving. “At Laurel [Lake], there are still 100-foot trees at the bottom. It looks like you’re in the woods, only you’re under water. It is definitely different.”

Barrineau said that he has also seen several house foundations at the bottom of Laurel Lake, and he has even spotted some old equipment that wasn’t able to be removed from the area in time before it was flooded to create the body of water that exists today.

Another interesting sight that Barrineau mentioned is the old bridge located near the 312 boat dock. He said that the structure is still intact, but the nearby dam makes sure that it stays completely submerged under the water.

As for Diving for Hope’s continued mission of locating missing persons, Barrineau said, “It is a good feeling when you can help bring somebody home. It can be sad too, but there is a feeling of pride whenever you are able to help out a family in need, and help give them some closure.”

Barrineau said that he would like to see Diving for Hope continue to grow in the years ahead, and with the community’s help, he hopes to be able to keep up with the ever-evolving advancements in technology. Mostly, he said that he just wants to continue to get the word out about the services that he and his fellow divers can offer so that they can keep doing their part to assist law enforcement agencies with this important work.

Barrineau can be reached by phone at (606) 515-1328, or through e-mail at divingforhope@gmail.com.