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SANDUSKY — Even among the arguably best-equipped diving explorers on the Great Lakes, times still occasionally arise when they simply may not want to get wet, but as Dusty Klifman points out, thanks to major advancements in modern technology, even then the exploration can go on. 

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 a variety of social media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. 

Klifman recently spoke to well over a hundred of his fellow shipwreck hunters and Great Lakes enthusiasts representing all levels of expertise this past weekend during the 37th annual Shipwrecks and Scuba 2021 symposium held at Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky, where he discussed diving and exploring in the modern age. 

“Now, arguing that you are one of the best equipped explorers currently on the Great Lakes, in this room (at the symposium) — you better be able to make that claim stick,” said Mike Wachter, co-chair, organizer and emcee of Shipwrecks and Scuba 2021.

More: Expert: Discover shipwrecks from the comfort of your home

Wachter said that every year their committee aims to bring in at least one new presenter who has never spoken at the symposium before. 

“I took a look at (Klifman’s) YouTube stuff and put my thumb on the scale, and I don’t do that very often, and said, ‘Oh yeah, he’s coming,’” Wachter said.

“I absolutely love shipwrecks,” Klifman said. “I love the exploration and I love the Great Lakes. I live and work here.”

Through his work as Blueyes Below, Klifman shares that love with others all around the world, bringing “special places” to people who might not ever get to see them otherwise.

“Once I found out that we still have shipwrecks to find, it was on from there,” he said. 

He started with a modest boat sonar, diving equipment and learned from experts that came before him, such as Ross Richardson, another renowned shipwreck hunter and author. 

“(Richardson) was one of my main reasons to get out there, watching him film shipwrecks and dive on stuff,” Klifman said. “I was so excited to see what’s out there.”

Both above water or below water, he loves capturing and sharing images and videos of his finds and the work it took to reach them. 

“Not everybody’s a diver, not everyone can travel and not everyone has a boat to get out to these places. So I like being able to bring that to others,” he said. “Thanks to the internet, there’s people all over the world who get to see our Great Lakes and our shipwrecks.”

Klifman also appreciates that what is captured in his photo and video work is being documented and preserved for all time, noting that the wrecks will eventually break down overtime.

Though he admits efforts to find entirely new, undiscovered shipwrecks are more often unsuccessful than not, he does not let that stop him. But some of his favorite kinds of shipwrecks to document on film are those much deeper and hard for most divers to reach.

While it does take a lot of equipment, such as multiple boats for different goals, autopilot, radar, sonar, positioning systems, rebreathers, bailout tanks, dry suits and, of course, cameras, according to Klifman, that technology is all getting much cheaper and affordable compared to what it cost in the past. 

Even with things breaking constantly, he said, connections made across the globe thanks to the internet have made troubleshooting with the help of others faster than ever before. 

Many other steps of the shipwreck searching process have been sped up as well and do not necessarily require tens of thousands of dollars, opening up the hobby to smaller-scale explorers like himself, Klifman said. 

Both aerial drones and underwater remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs for short, are a huge 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 get good images of it.”

Klifman also wants to help promote change an old way of thinking among longtime shipwreck hunters that used to be very secretive, with new discoveries initially only shared with a diver’s inner circle.

Instead, he advocates for openness and transparency when locating, diving and documenting new shipwreck discoveries and sharing that information with the general public, allowing more people to work together to bring the best views, stories and information to light.

Those interested in supporting Klifman’s work can do so through purchasing photography from his Etsy online storefront or subscribing to his Patreon, which offers a variety of exclusive perks at two different membership levels.

jstinchcom@gannett.com 

419-680-4897 

Twitter: @JonDBN

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