Within the deep blue depths of Lake Travis, one person's lost item may become Robert Weiss's treasure.

The Lake Travis Scuba owner and diving veteran has rescued everything from diamond wedding rings and sunglasses, to prosthetic limbs and sunken vehicles.

When he's not treasure hunting, Weiss provides scuba charters, gear rentals and certification training to local divers.

The backstory

Before Weiss first established Lake Travis Scuba in 2007, he was a recreational diver for many years and taught classes with a local dive shop.


"I realized there weren't many opportunities for scuba divers to explore the lake and see sites away from the shores, so I found a boat, modified it and started running scuba charters," Weiss said, who's 30-foot, customized pontoon boat docks in Volente.

As the business grew, Weiss said many of his divers were finding lost items in the lake.

"We realized there were divers who were coming out to treasure hunt, and it gave them purpose because they accomplished two goals; they get a lot of diving experience and while they're down there, they're cleaning up trash," Weiss said.

Soon "Search and Recovery" became added to Lake Travis Scuba's operations full-time, with the aim of reuniting people with their lost items.


"When we retrieve something and return it to the owner, especially when they never expected to see it again, and they shed tears of joy. ... That's the most rewarding part," Weiss said.

So far in 2024, the team has recovered over $117,000 worth of lost items, and that list is growing every week.

Diving in deeper

Over the years, the Lake Travis Scuba team has helped search for more than just personal items. They have also partnered with local law enforcement in body recovery efforts and salvaged large vehicles following crashes.


Additionally, they offer one-on-one lessons for divers at various skill levels seeking certification or search and recovery training.

Get involved

On Sept. 15, Lake Travis Scuba will assist with the 30th Annual Lake Travis Cleanup, in which local volunteers gather to clean up the shorelines, surrounding parks and the lake bottom.

Online registration is currently open for those that would like to participate or offer their watercraft for use.