SANDUSKY – Even among the arguably best equipped scuba explorers on the Great Lakes, there are still times when they just don’t want to get wet, but as Dusty Klifman points out, thanks to great advances in modern technology, even then the exploration can go further.
Klifman, an explorer, diver, shipwreck hunter, remote vehicle pilot and photographer based in Michigan, owns and operates Blueyes Below, which creates and publishes content on various social media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
Klifman recently spoke with more than a hundred of his fellow shipwreck hunters and Great Lakes enthusiasts representing all levels of expertise last weekend at the 37th Annual Shipwrecks and Scuba Symposium 2021 at Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, where he spoke about diving and exploration in the modern age. .
“Now, arguing that you’re one of the best-equipped explorers currently on the Great Lakes, in this room (at the symposium) — you’d better let that claim stay,” said Mike Wachter, co-chairman, organizer and emcee of Shipwrecks and Scuba 2021.
Lake:Expert: Discover shipwrecks from the comfort of your home
Wachter said their committee wants to bring in at least one new presenter each year who has never spoken at the symposium before.
“I looked at (Klifman’s) YouTube stuff and put my thumb on the scale, and I don’t do that very often, and said, ‘Oh yeah, it’s coming,'” said Wachter.
“I absolutely love shipwrecks,” Klifman said. “I love exploration and I love the Great Lakes. I live and work here.”
Through his work as Blueyes Below, Klifman shares that love with others around the world, bringing “special places” to people they might never otherwise see.
“When I found out we still have shipwrecks to be found, it moved on,” he said.
He started with a humble boat sonar, scuba gear and learned from experts who preceded him, such as Ross Richardson, another well-known shipwreck hunter and author.
“(Richardson) was one of my main reasons for going out, seeing him film shipwrecks and diving into stuff,” Klifman said. “I was so excited to see what’s out there.”
Both above and below water, he loves to capture and share photos and videos of his finds and the work it took to reach them.
“Not everyone is a diver, not everyone can travel and not everyone has a boat to go to these places. So I like being able to bring that to others,” he said. “Thanks to the Internet, people all over the world can see our Great Lakes and our shipwrecks.”
Klifman also appreciates that what is captured in his photo and video work is documented and preserved forever, noting that the wrecks will eventually break down over time.
While he admits that attempts to find entirely new, undiscovered shipwrecks are usually unsuccessful, he doesn’t let that stop him. But some of his favorite types of shipwrecks to capture on film are those much deeper and difficult for most divers to get to.
Although it requires a lot of equipment, such as multiple boats for different purposes, autopilot, radar, sonar, positioning systems, rebreathers, rescue tanks, dry suits and of course cameras, according to Klifman, that technology is all becoming much cheaper and affordable compared to what it is in the market. past cost.
Even with things constantly breaking down, he said, connections around the world have made solving problems with the help of others faster than ever before thanks to the Internet.
Many other steps of the shipwreck search have also been sped up and don’t necessarily require tens of thousands of dollars, opening the hobby up to smaller explorers like him, Klifman said.
Both aerial drones and remotely operated underwater vehicles, or ROVs for short, are a big part of what Klifman does as a photographer.
“It gives you such a good view that you wouldn’t have otherwise,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t even have to get wet to explore the shipwreck and take good pictures of it.”
Klifman also wants to help change an old mindset among ancient shipwreck hunters that used to be very secretive, with new discoveries initially shared only with a diver’s inner circle.
Instead, he advocates openness and transparency in locating, diving and documenting new shipwreck finds and sharing that information with the general public so that more people can work together to uncover the best opinions, stories and information.
Those interested in supporting Klifman’s work can do so by purchasing photography from his Etsy online store or by subscribing to his Patreon, which offers a variety of exclusive benefits at two different membership levels.
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