Coolest/Most Unique "Finds" While Diving?

[Cthippo]

4 years ago at the end of a dive, I drifted across what seems to be the remains of a prohibition era "rum runner". It appears to have between 500 and 1,000 beer bottles on it. I was able to grab 5 off it as I drifted over it. The steel caps have all rotted off the bottles on top, and I wonder if ones "in the mud" may be intact. It was a sizeable inboard (saw the engine), and the deck has washed off it. I wonder if a propeller is there....

Talking with others in the community, nobody else knows of it, and judging by what is in it, I think nobody besides me has been on it.

We lost two years of being able to get back to it with the border being closed during the pandemic, and subsequently, have not been able to "thread the needle" with finding it various times since.

Some day....

This is cool af!

I doubt I could make it up that way, but if you dive it again I would love to make a video about it!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I'd forgotten about a Chumash bowl similar to this one. They lived on the Palos Verdes Peninsula hundreds of years ago. I found it about 100 feet from shore.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Another interesting find was a brass gas tank from a British Seagull outboard motor. It was green and had been underwater for a lot of years. When I opened it, it was still full of gas. I cleaned it and gave it to a collector.

 

[rhwestfall]

This is cool af!

I doubt I could make it up that way, but if you dive it again I would love to make a video about it!

I have plans to video as much of it as I can if we can find it. The hope is to discuss it with the University Professors here, and in Canada once I have some data on it....

The issue is, the water it sits in is a steady 3+ kt current. No stopping, or changing alignment of your drift. I have wanted a scooter for a few years, but cost is prohibitive....

 

[Catito]

≈ 2300 year old amphora, TWICE!

(Two different ones in two different locations at different times)

Where?

 

[Belzelbub]

I've been surprised by both 1) how inexpensive, the cheap anchors are brand new, and 2) how expensive the really good ones are.

True. The Danforth style anchors aren’t really worth much. But a good plow can bring in a few bucks. The current plow on the bow of my boat was a good find. I had actually had my chain splice unravel a couple days before, and lost my galvanized plow. Good thing I had two extra anchors on the boat.

We dove the spot I thought it was, but we were unable to find it. Just when we had about given up the search, we spotted what could be my anchor. Found the chain, and followed it to a plow. This one was bigger, and had some growth, so was certainly down for more than a couple days. We were low on gas, so tied a line and sent up a marker. Repositioned the boat, swapped to another tank and went down to retrieve it. When I got it up, and sprayed it a bit, I realized it was stainless. Decent upgrade. Oh, and that galvanized plow I lost was one I found a few years back.

If it’s a good one, I’ll mark it, or retrieve it depending on how long I’ve been down. Fishing boats around here lose lots of anchors, so they’ll most likely sell.

Oh, forgot I pulled up a boat drive shaft a while back. Wasn’t diving, though. I managed to hook it with my anchor and pulled it up. Definitely glad I had a windlass that day, as pulling that up by hand would have sucked.

 

[Boarderguy]

2023 top finds.

A trio of electric scooters off the end of a pier.
Anchors
x4 5lb soft weights on a belt in pouches
And then this little fella helping to sustain the locals

 

[BoltSnap]

Where?

Libya, southern Mediterranean coast.

 

[Cthippo]

2023 top finds.

A trio of electric scooters off the end of a pier.
Anchors
x4 5lb soft weights on a belt in pouches
And then this little fella helping to sustain the locals
View attachment 818726

Warrarnty void if seal is broken.

 

[clownfishsydney]

You didn't get to keep it?

Totally illegal for many reasons.