Dusty Klifman
Dusty Klifman was born in Michigan, where his love of the Great Lakes began. His parents enrolled him in lessons at the age of 13 after he expressed an interest in diving. His first shipwreck dive was near Traverse City, Michigan, and it just happened to be on a shallow wreck. He didn’t know it at the time, but this was the seed for his passion.
High school, seven years in the Army, and working the oilfields of Pennsylvania and West Virginia couldn’t keep him away from the water. Currently living outside of Muskegon, Michigan, Dusty is a Journeyman lineman with an electric company for his “must-do” job but spends as much time on the lakes as possible.
As Dusty began diving on more wrecks, he thought there must be interest beyond the diving community. This has proven true.
The deeper he goes, the more stories he is able to share. He has invested in a deep-diving ROV to film in 4K and customized it with a brighter lighting rig due to the pitch-black conditions he often encounters at extreme depths. For shallower depths, he uses high-quality cameras to capture what he sees on the bottom of the Great Lakes.
To put his location in context, he often uses an aerial drone to capture stunning images along the lake, and the areas he is exploring. This is all-important because he wants to share nautical adventures and the incredible history of the Great Lakes with as wide an audience as possible.
Dusty Klifman’s Certifications
- Open Water Diver
- Advanced Open Water Diver
- Underwater Photography Diver
- Level 1 Freediver (FII Certification)
- Nitrox
- Advanced Nitrox
- Decompression Procedures
- ISC Tiburion Air Diluent Diver (Rebreather)
- ISC Tiburion Helitrox Decompression Diver (Rebreather)
- CCR Trimix Diver (330 ft)
- CCR Normoxic Trimix Plus Diver (230 ft)
- CCR Normoxic Trimix Diver (200 ft)
- 100 Ton Master License (Boat Captain)
- CPR / First Aid
Today, he is certified and equipped for deep dives, too. The rebreather has allowed him to reach shipwrecks that are well beyond the limits of traditional SCUBA gear. More time on the bottom, and at greater depths has allowed him to document many wrecks in great detail.
Over time, he has made connections that provided him with even more opportunities. Many shipwreck hunters in the area have noted his technological and physical abilities and have asked him to join on their projects. Learning from others, and helping them achieve their exploration goals is just another part of fulfilling his passion.
Along the way, he was asked to take Gordon Ramsey diving and spearfishing for an episode of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted and has worked with Kevin Dykstra from the show The Curse of Civil War Gold as well. He’s been recruited to repair underwater structures, and provide a second set of cameras on shipwrecks others have located. He even swam as a safety diver while a one-man submarine took its first trial dives.
