On one of North Miami Beach Detective Jim Randazzo's first recovery missions as a police diver, he made a rookie mistake.

He found a plastic bag, its contents a mystery, and lifted it above his head to carry over to the canal bank.

Before he made it, the bottom of the bag fell open and the decomposed body of a dog -- and the water it had been sitting in -- spilled all over him.

``I've never done that again,'' said Randazzo, who lives in Sunrise and is part of the North Miami Beach's nine-member dive team.

That's just one of the situations police divers encounter every time they splash into one of South Florida's murky, animal-infested canals.

``When we are done with some of the dives, you can't get to a bar of soap fast enough,'' said Randazzo, 48, who is married with two daughters. He also works on the city's SWAT team.

A North Miami Beach police detective's salary ranges from $78,000 to $83,000, not including benefits.

Randazzo makes an additional $10 a week as a diver.

In order to become a police diver, a person must be a sworn officer and have advanced scuba certification. They must also take an 80-hour course to hone their skills: how to tow cars out of canals; rescue passengers after a plane crashes into water; and examine ship hulls for bombs, drugs and contraband.

It is not uncommon for them to come face-to-face -- or face-to-tail -- with snakes, crabs and the occasional alligator.

Divers often swim right into fluids that leak from vehicles dumped or accidentally driven into Miami-Dade waterways.

``Diesel is the worst,'' said Randazzo, noting the stomach pains that follow. ``It's like drinking an entire pitcher of water in Mexico.''

Randazzo acknowledges the job often yields tragic discoveries: Divers sometimes stumble upon victims when performing routine searches.

Even wearing a mouthpiece, Randazzo said such discoveries have an unmistakable effect on his senses. ``It's like a pungent, sweet chocolaty taste that you will never forget. Never,'' he said. ``Once it gets in your mouth, it never leaves.''

On a recent Monday, Randazzo donned his flippers, 80-pound tank and wet suit and carefully jumped into North Miami Beach's Snake Creek Canal as part of a training exercise.

When Randazzo surfaced, he was covered in green weeds and algae, carrying a rusted ``No Parking'' sign.

``It's actually pretty clean today,'' he said. ``When you can see your hands, that's a good day.''

-- CARLI TEPROFF