Tampa, located on Florida's gulf coast, boasts the 12th largest cargo port in the nation, and with several home ported passenger vessels, it has become a major cruise port. A portion of the city is a peninsula and there is a major river running through the heart of the city. With the large amount of water in and around the city, street officers face situations needing special equipment and training to deal with.

The Dive Team officers have that equipment and training to deal with circumstances involving water whether above or below the surface. The divers are from nearly every division of the department operating on a call out basis. Their primary responsibility is to conduct search, rescue & recovery operations in Tampa's waterways.  They also inspect ships in port below the waterline for contraband which is an all too common way of smuggling items. In 2008, they had 45 responses and recovered items valued at $415,000