Scuba diver captures video of 2 classic cars in the Detroit River
Harbour master says vehicles are common in the river
In the murky depths of the Detroit River, scuba diver Matt Zuidema has seen it all: A toilet, old safes, spare tires. Even a grand piano.
Near Caron Avenue, he recently spotted a few vehicles he hadn't seen before — two classic cars, about six to 7.6 metres down, covered in zebra mussels and fishing gear.
One, he believes, is a sedan that dates back to the 1940s. The other is flipped upside down. He suspects it's a late 1950s Thunderbird.
"The car people can tell me different. I'm not a car guy. But certainly those tail lights are a giveaway for something like that."
Zuidema, a scuba instructor with 25 years of experience, is one of few people who dives in the highly restricted area.
He was given an image of the vehicles that was captured by side-scan sonar, and he went down to check them out.
"We just wanted to get confirmation of exactly what they were," he said.
He recently posted his findings on YouTube.
WATCH | Zuidema talk about what he's found in the Detroit River:
"Every single time I dive, I find things that are new," he said.
"So because the sediment on the bottom will cover things up and then uncover it as seasons go, a lot of times I'll dive a spot a year and then a year later and I'll see things that I didn't see before, just simply because the sediment moves on the bottom of the river as well."
Harbour master Peter Berry of the Windsor Port Authority said cars are common along the Detroit River.
Standing at the foot of Mill Street with the river behind him, he said 10 vehicles that have been identified by Navy divers in that area.
The Detroit River has historically been a dumping ground, he said. On our side of the river, however, there haven't been as many unusual finds as on the American side.
Cannons dating back to the first French settlers have been discovered there, he said. There are also many bottles dating back to prohibition. And now, firearms turn up.
"We're improving the environment, but we're still seeing things get dumped there," he said.
Any type of object found in the water has to be reported to the port authority, Berry explained. And not just anyone can scuba dive in the Detroit River, even if you're certified — you have to get a permit from the Windsor Port Authority.
That's because it's dangerous. The river has a calm bottom with a fast-moving top level, and a middle layer that is even faster. This creates a rolling undertow that can sweep away even experienced divers.
The bottom is also littered with hazardous debris such as rebar, he said.
With files from Mike Evans