Recovery diver in metro Detroit will retrieve valuables dropped underwater

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Wedding rings, false teeth, holstered firearms, and someone's ashes – it's not just wallets and mobile devices that Lisa Eick will fetch for those enjoying lake life before they lost their grip. 

While cell phones do make up almost half of what the Clinton Township diver retrieves, she will take any calls she can get. 

"I found a phone while I was looking for a wallet, a wallet while I was looking for a phone – so there's all kinds of stuff down there," Eick said. "But I never find extra diamond rings."

If there is one thing that living in a state surrounded by water can guarantee, it's people enjoying time along the beach. And where people go, their clumsy habits are sure to follow. But that's where Eick's business comes in. 

Through her business Maiden Voyage Adventures, she has spent years diving beneath the surface to retrieve lost treasures, providing many around metro Detroit with the joy of reclaiming their valuables.

And she has seen a lot of valuables.

"Phones are about 40% of what I get," the 36-year-old diver said. "Keys are a big one, sunglasses, or prescription glasses are big, (and) wallets. But I also cut off ropes around props." 

From passion to career

Eick has lived and worked across the U.S. in California and Wisconsin, as well as abroad in Mexico and New Zealand. A passion she discovered with a friend soon turned into a business venture.

"I went out diving with (a friend) a few times and just loved it," Eick said. "And then when he passed away, I was kind of looking for some more work."

It took her two weekends to become open-water certified. Since then, she's earned her advanced open water certificate and has plans to become a divemaster and instructor. 

In 2021, Maiden Voyage Adventures was born, though not as a career. It was meant to be a side gig where she could earn some cash to keep her afloat. What started as a service for backpacking trips and sea kayaking soon spiraled into something a bit more specialized – diving for people's lost belongings. 

Eick has searched for people's lost belongings as deep as 20 feet underwater, she said. While she's sometimes asked to fetch jewelry in area lakes, most of her calls are to shallow marinas. 

The length of her searches can vary, though usually she finds lost items with ease.

"If people know where they dropped something, I can find it pretty quickly," Eick said. Though, if the caller has been drinking, it isn't always as easy. 

"This has happened before, especially after a few drinks. Maybe if they have the location wrong, it can take a little while, but usually it's quick," she added.

How she finds lost valuables 

Eick is discreet about the exact methods she employs to locate lost items underwater, but before each dive, she gears up with a dive suit, mask, a snorkel and other equipment – one of which is a weighted belt to counteract buoyancy.

Sometimes, people will try retrieving possessions themselves by using a net. It usually fails and only further submerges their lost items. But she's prepared for that complication as well, using a metal detector when it comes to small metallic items like jewelry.

While losing something may be an annoyance for people – Eick loves diving for belongings.

"I mean just the reward of finding a lost item and then people are so happy to get their stuff back," she said. "It's just very satisfying. And then when I get to find stuff like family jewelry… that's extremely satisfying to get that kind of unique stuff back."

However, the drawbacks include frequent ear infections and hair issues due to showering after each dive.

Unusual finds

From Port Huron to Detroit, Eick will meet you where you dropped your item. Anything outside of that may result in extra fees for the client.

But no matter where she dives, great stories have come out of some bizarre discoveries.

"I definitely find some interesting stuff. I found a golf cart once; that was a lot of fun. Obviously, it was easy to find," Eick said. "I did find an urn one time. It could have been an animal. I don't know what it was, but it was definitely an urn with some ashes, so I took it out to deeper water and left it there. I don't want to bring that home,"

Other finds include shoes, glasses, a porcelain dental bridge – which is harder to find since she could not use a metal detector to locate it. 

She's even recovered some guns. 

"I had a couple of weeks last year where I was getting quite a few firearms – everybody was just dropping their guns. All of them were loaded. Two of them were in holsters, but the third one wasn't and didn't have the safety, so I was very nervous about that one," Eick said. "But fortunately, I was able to see it just barely sticking out of the mud, so I didn't have to feel around in the dark for a gun."

Other finds are less dangerous and more sentimental. Some people lose their phones that have photos of their loved ones who have died but weren't backed up.

"That’s happened I think three different times," she said. "I'm really happy to get those back, and usually the phone will work."

While her busiest season is approaching, Eick is always available to recover lost items – unless she's underwater, on another call. 

During the winter months, calls are rare. However, this winter she will stay busy teaching diving at Bruno's Dive Shop in Clinton Township.

Tips from Eick herself

If you drop something in water, here are some things you should know before giving Eick a call.

• Do not use a net to retrieve items dropped in the water. It will bury the item.
• Keep track of the exact area where the item was dropped, it will allow her to find it faster.
• Avoid diving into marinas to search for your item yourself, as electricity from boats that are plugged in could lead to electric shock drowning. Eick uses a device to detect electrical currents in water before diving in.

Upon discovering Eick and her services, it's not uncommon for people to call her up again. 

"I get a lot of repeat customers. I think I had one guy call me five times one season, but that's unusual," she said. "I've gotten the same phone multiple times. I've gotten the same pair of glasses multiple times."

To contact Eick, call 586-873-8110 or message her on the Maiden Voyage Adventures Facebook page. Other details can be found on her website.

"I am very lucky to get to do this," she said. "It's a lot of fun."