Two years after his fishing trawler, the Bootlegger, sank off Vancouver Island, artist Paul Burgoyne has been reunited with a precious piece of his past thanks to an extraordinary underwater discovery. In May, a team of researchers from the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre—including students Tella Osler and Beau Doherty, along with Dive Safety Officer Siobhan Gray—located Burgoyne’s underwater camera resting twelve meters beneath the surface near Aguilar Point.
Despite being submerged for such a long time, the camera was covered in barnacles and small marine life but remarkably, the 8 GB Lexar Platinum II memory card inside remained undamaged. Marine ecology expert Professor Isabelle M. Côté carefully examined the recovered files and found the data perfectly preserved. She shared a family portrait online, hoping to connect with the owner.
Shortly thereafter, a member of the Bamfield Coast Guard, who had previously helped rescue Burgoyne during the sinking of the Bootlegger, recognized the photo and reached out to him with the exciting news.
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