Michael Harlow (San Elijo Hills Resident), expedition documentary film leader, announced today his team is seeking funding to document mysterious crystals he previously discovered while exploring a sunken ship in the South Pacific.
“This is a very exciting time,” said Michael Harlow, Team Leader of Explore – Crystal Wreck Dive. “With James Cameron going to the abyss of the Challenger Deep and re-releasing the epic Titanic movie, as well as the renewed public interest in underwater exploration, the crystal wreck discovery has invigorated the marine research community.”
Explore – Crystal Wreck Dive has collaborated with numerous researchers from Scripps Institute of Oceanography, NOAA and Texas A&M to identify these mysterious crystals. Since the crystals in the submerged wreck have never been identified, the researchers are excited to obtain samples that would be collected during the filming of the documentary.
The documentary team will dive to 135 feet below the ocean’s surface and penetrate the wreck. A massive air chamber with approximately 135,000 cubic feet of oil saturated air holds the unidentified crystals.
“It is extremely rare, if not unheard of, to just find an air chamber that is that massive in a sunken ship. Imagine a 3 story building about 50 feet long and 30 feet wide,” continues Michael. “To have translucent and multicolored unidentified crystals covering every square inch of the chamber, is miraculous”.
Michael has been a PADI Divemaster for over 25 years and has scuba dived all around the world. Starting in the Hawaiian Islands, then the Florida Keys, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Truk Lagoon, Palau, Micronesia, the Caribbean and many other beautiful places.
The ship was sunk during WWII and still has the bones and skulls of the past crew members, as well as rounds of ammunition, bombs, trucks and other other items that will be covered in the documentary.
For as little as 1 dollar, you can help support The Explore – Crystal Wreck Dive team. They are currently seeking crowd funding via Kickstarter.com. The website to help this cause is: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tropixman/explore-the-crystal-wreck-dive
Since the wreck is in a very remote area, the team is also looking for corporate sponsorships to assist with; surface and underwater camera equipment, travel costs, dive gear and other safety related gear.
This incredible discovery may be lost if this campaign cannot be completed. Please help.
The Kickstarter website is: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tropixman/explore-the-crystal-wreck-dive
Learn more about Explore – Crystal Wreck Dive at: https://www.facebook.com/ExploreCrystalWreckDive
Prior in-depth background article: http://www.examiner.com/scuba-diving-in-san-diego/san-diego-diver-raising-funds-for-far-away-crystal-wreck-dive
