The 70-year-old founder of a nonprofit underwater exploration group that documents Lake Erie and other sunken shipwrecks on the Great Lakes died over the weekend during a below-water expedition.
The Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office identified the man as David Michael VanZant, 70, of Lakewood, Ohio.
His body was pulled from the water at the East 9th Street Pier, the coroner’s office told Fox News Digital.
On Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard said it was searching for a missing diver in Lake Erie, six miles off Cleveland. His body was found a short time later.
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David VanZant, 70, founder of a nonprofit underwater exploration group that documents shipwrecks on Lake Erie, was found dead in the water on Saturday. (Angelo Merendino/Corbis via Getty Images)
Van Zandt is co-founder and director of Cleveland Underwater Explorers (CLUE), which researches, explores and documents shipwrecks and “submerged cultural sites” on the Great Lakes, according to the company’s website.
He was diving a “newly discovered shipwreck” on his first trip of the year, according to a Facebook post from the group.
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“We offer our condolences to his wife and family,” the group said. Fox News Digital has reached out to CLUE for comment.
Van Zandt began his diving career in 1995, searching for and discovering shipwrecks off the coast of his boat, Sea Dragon.“ He co-founded CLUE in 2001, according to his website biography.
Lake Erie with the Cleveland skyline in the background. (Angelo Merendino/Corbis via Getty Images)
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The R/V Sea Dragon is one of two vessels the group uses to search for underwater shipwrecks.
