Diver Develops Film From Camera Found At Bottom Of Sea, Freezes Up When He Sees Face

A camera lost in a 2012 shipwreck off Vancouver Island has been miraculously recovered—complete with its memory card and untouched photos.

Vancouver artist Paul Burgoyne lost the camera when his boat, the Bootlegger, sank during a journey to his summer home in Tahsis, B.C. Two years later, students from Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre discovered it 12 meters underwater during a research dive.

Despite being underwater for so long, the memory card still worked. Marine Ecology professor Isabelle Côté shared a photo online, which led to a coast guard member—who had rescued Burgoyne during the wreck—recognizing him.

The recovered photos included cherished moments, like a family gathering to scatter Burgoyne’s parents’ ashes. Grateful and amazed, Burgoyne called the reunion “wonderful” and praised the durability of modern technology.

The story is a powerful reminder of resilience—both human and technological—and how fate can bring lost memories back to the surface.