Retriever for submerged objects

A retriever for a submerged object, comprising:

• a cylindrical canister provided with a closed end, an open, cap receiving end and a sealed aperture through one side wall of the canister;
• a floatable, polyurethane cap for placement in selectively sealing relationship to said open end, said cap being comprised of a generally flat, circular top and an annular, downwardly depending skirt configured to fit snugly within the open end of said canister;
• a retrieval cord anchored to said polyurethane cap and to the closed end of said cylindrical canister, the length of said retrieval cord being sufficient to reach the surface of the water in which the object is submerged;
• an anchor cord for fixing said canister to said submerged object;
• a first seal for said aperture comprising a latex coating over said aperture on the exterior of said canister;
• a second seal for said aperture comprising a compressed cellulose sponge disposed in abutting relationship to said aperture in the interior of said canister, and a grated bracket for retaining said sponge in abutting relationship against said aperture such that said sponge upon exposure to water conveys water to the interior of the canister and expands to cause said sponge to seal the aperture;
• water activatable pellets for placement within said canister that evolve a gas when exposed to water, said pellets being comprised of a water activatable material selected from the group consisting of carbides and bicarbonates capable of forming a gas upon reacting with water;
• a silica gel desiccant for placement within said canister to adsorb atmospheric moisture;
• and
• a window disposed in one wall of said canister through which the water activatable contents and desiccant in said canister can be viewed.