NG: Your partner, Clive Cussler, has been quoted as saying: "there aren't many thrills that parallel swimming through a shipwreck. I've always compared it to walking through a cemetery." How would you personally describe your underwater adventures?
JD: I see my underwater adventures—and those of fellow sea hunters Mike and Warren Fletcher—as privileged times to touch the past, thrilling opportunities to risk it all for science and history, scary moments when you almost do not make it back, and a unique chance to see the history preserved in the darkness of the depths. Diving shipwrecks is an emotional roller coaster, and many of the wrecks I have explored have left me some lasting and profound memories, especially Titanic, USS Arizona, and USS Merrimac—as well as sunken or flooded places like Mittelbau-Dora.
NG: It has been estimated that there are over 50,000 sunken vessels at the bottom of the Great Lakes alone. This seems a vast amount of knowledge waiting to be discovered. Is there any particular historical mystery that you'd like to uncover?
JD: I would love to find a wreck that proves that ancient Asian seafarers reached the Americas before Columbus. That being said, I always look forward to the next adventure of The Sea Hunters because there is always an amazing story to learn from, and wonderful people to meet around the world who share our passion for the past.
NG: Who presents you with your next underwater challenge? Do you have any input into where the series will take you next?
JD: The divers come up with some of the ideas of where we will go, and what we will search for. Clive Cussler always has a suggestion, and, well, I have a list… Mike Fletcher knows many people around the world, and he has brought some of our more amazing adventures to the table, like Vrouw Maria and Wilhelm Gustloff. John Davis, our producer, is also well-acquainted and well known, and he's introduced some fantastic dives. We also get input and advice from viewers all over the world, and that's great! We like hearing from the people who enjoy The Sea Hunters. There's a new site, www.shipwreckcentral.com where people can follow our adventures and interact with us, sometimes "live from the dive."
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