How a local recovery diver is reuniting lost valuables with their owners, one dive at a time

By Faraz Javed , Jon Austin

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    MICHIGAN (WXYZ) — Picture this: You are having a great out on a lake or a river, and then suddenly, you drop something valuable in the water and are left wondering how you will get it back?

That’s where recovery diver Lisa Eick saves the day.

“Are you originally from Michigan?” I asked.

“Yeah I’m from the Clinton Township area. I do guided backpacking trips, I teach sea kayaking, but mostly, I do recovery scuba diving,” said Eick.

“What does that entail?” I asked.

“Mostly, people lose things, and then they call me, I come out, and I find it. Sometimes it will be things like jewelry. A lot of times, it’s cell phones. That’s actually 40% of my business dropped cellphones. Then keys, glasses, wallets,” said Eick.

Rings are also another common item that Lisa recovers. In fact, James Pause is one of Lisa’s success stories. It happened at the Beacon Cove Marina on Lake St. Clair.

“A lot of boats going in and out, it’s like how can you see down there? So I thought I would probably never find it. But let’s try anyway. Then she arrives, gets her gear on, and literally she goes down, and in 30 seconds.. she comes back up,” said Pause.

James marked his sixth wedding anniversary this year. The ring is a reminder of how the 41-year-old fought for his love.

“My wife, I chased her for a while. She would never give me the time of day,” said Pause.

As for how the ring fell in the marina…

“It was time to clean the boat, I took my ring off, I set it on the seat, and I bring the hose in, spraying it down, and I go to yank the hose, the hose hits the ring, and the ring started rolling,” said Pause.

“It must be really fulfilling,” I said.

“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun just to start with, but it’s also so gratifying and rewarding; people are so happy to get their stuff back,” said Eick.

This summer was Lisa’s 4th season as a recovery diver, and she had some interesting calls for help.

“Pulled out a golf cart, somebody’s dental bridge, a 3-foot propeller,” said Eick,

So there you go when you are in need; Lisa Eick is a friend indeed, helping all the butterfingers out there.

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