The words “sunken treasure” took on a whole new meaning in April 2026 when Jason Smith, an underwater explorer, came across a car in the middle of a Maine lake 55 feet below the surface. An hour-long video that was released on May 9 by the Maine Freshwater Exploration Going Deep YouTube channel brings point-of-view footage from an underwater drone and GoPro cameras.
Smith’s narration tells the story in greater detail, but the chain of events started earlier this year when he discovered a snowmobile at the bottom of Sebago Lake during one of his routine exploratory dives. At the time, the surface was still iced over, so he decided to go back and evaluate recovery options in the spring. He returned on April 18 and made several more random discoveries, including a cordless drill and leaf blower.
But then the camera caught a glimpse of something else: a 1974 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. The windows were down, and Smith was relieved to see that there didn’t appear to be any human remains inside. But with the trunk closed and the car missing its license plates, it brought up several chilling questions about how it landed there.
Smith engaged with his colleague Greg Canders of Canders Diving Services, who works with specialized equipment like inflatable air bags and helium to lift heavy objects to the surface. They pulled in the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, who decided to proceed with investigation and recovery on April 23.
The team was met with many challenges. Wind conditions made it difficult to operate the underwater drone and, at one point, a rope that was anchored to the car broke free. When the team did get the air bags attached and inflated, only two of the four came to the surface.
As it turns out, the car’s complete rear axle had detached from the car due to its decayed condition. Also, the car had flipped over onto its rooftop.
It was already getting late in the day by this time, so they decided to return several days later.
On April 25, the second attempt proved to be successful as the Camaro (or what was left of it) was brought to the surface, towed to shore, and winched up the shoreline by a wrecker. “I bet we caught the biggest fish out here today,” one of the team members said in the video. The car’s roof was dented, and the front clip was mostly missing, but there was enough to at least be able to proceed with the investigation. A VIN search did not readily reveal anything, and the only thing found in the trunk was a camping tent.
“The steering’s a little loose,” Greg said from the driver seat with a smile on his face.
As of the time of this writing, there has still been no conclusive determination as to how or why the Camaro ended up at the bottom of Sebago Lake, but a few theories have been shared. The most likely scenario was that the car was driven out on the ice one winter and fell through. Others have surmised that the car was being ferried and somehow fell off the vessel.
For now, it remains an unsolved mystery. If we hear more on it, we’ll keep you posted!
