2022 daytime speakers

Learn from a decade of Backscatter Operations Manager, Becca Boring's underwater photography mistakes so you don't have to learn the hard way.   

              Raised on wreck diving and photography Becca Boring has been the Operations Manager of Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo for the last decade. She is passionate about documenting and helping others capture the beauty of the underwater world and has a particular fondness for the wrecks of the Pacific.

Will humans undo that which nature has taken 400 million years to perfect? Based on his highly rated TEDx Talk, this film by Paul Cater Deaton outlines many of the dire threats facing shark populations, including overfishing, pollution, and finning. We learn about some of the many people and entities taking the lead in shark conservation, the benefits of preserving the majestic beasts, and why "The Only Good Shark" is a live one.

Paul Cater Deaton is an award-winning Writer, Producer, Director and Cinematographer who has shot on six continents for film, TV, music video, magazine and documentary projects. Credits include The Travel Channel, NatGeo Wild, The Discovery Channel, HBO Documentaries and The Amazing Race. He is a member of the Television Academy, The Explorers Club, Boston Sea Rovers, Historical Diving Society, and Rotary Club. Paul has been a SCUBA diver for over 30 years. He is certified in Global Shark Biology, Biodiversity and Conservation by Cornell University and the University of Queensland, Australia.

Dr Charash will give a brief historical perspective on the history of the diving sciences and how it has led to our current knowledge and discovery for best practices in Diving Safety and the Recognition of Diving Injuries.   Dr Charash has been  involved as a volunteer field researcher with Divers Alert Network. He will share his recent experience as a field researcher at the Deepest Pool in the World at Deep Dive Dubai where he evaluated a technology to assess Diver Functionality at Depth.

Dr David Charash is Dive Medicine Physician Board Certified in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine and Emergency Medicine. He has been caring for the Undersea Community for over 30 years. He has lectured Locally, Nationally, and Internationally on all topics related to Dive Safety, Dive Technology and Dive Medicine. Dr Charash was honored in 2022 by receiving the Prestigious DAN Rolex Diver of the year, and has been recognized by the United States Navy for his dedicated teaching and Support of the Navy's Undersea Community. Dr Charash is a volunteer researcher with Divers Alert Network. He is also the Host of the Fitness in Diving Podcast features on Spotify and Apple

There are many thousands of shipwrecks around the UK, many have already been discovered but taking a  fresh look at sonar scans and venturing deeper has allowed forgotten wrecks to be rediscovered. This includes British warships HMS Jason, HMS Hoste & HMS Negro as well as the USS Jacob Jones.

UK based technical diver and Underwater Photographer Rick Ayrton has been involved in wreck discovery around the British Isles for many years. The past two years have been some of the most rewarding and productive. Rick is an award winning underwater photographer and he enjoys bringing images of long forgotten shipwrecks back into the public eye. In 2021 he published "Expedition Britannic" a book about the 2019 expedition that was well received by both divers and non-divers.

Joe Romeiro has spent nearly two decades filming some of the oceans top predators around the globe and has one of the largest libraries of various species both day and night. Joe will be presenting about some of his latest work with sharks and showing off some never before seen footage.

Joe Romeiro is a multi-award-winning veteran wildlife filmmaker and Executive Director of 333 Productions. He is a member of the Explorers Club and in 2019 the Boston Sea Rovers awarded him the esteemed “Diver of the Year” award. Joe has spent over a decade filming and interacting with sharks all over the world. He has worked with many top celebrities and holds producer and filmmaking credits for Discovery Channel, National Geographic, BBC, Animal Planet and many more. His mission is to showcase sharks as beautiful creatures that are critical elements to our oceans ecosystem through personal interaction, education, research and filmmaking.He has worked with many respected scientists in the field to bring to light some of the world's first knowns about shark behavior and activities that astound audiences worldwide. Joe and his wife, Lauren, own a 45' research vessel located in Rhode Island, the R/V WARFISH, and has co-authored many scientific papers on shark behavior, movement, ecology and biology. His work focuses on his local New England waters, fighting for the survival of native species with an emphasis on the mako, blue, porbeagle and great white shark. His work has fueled awareness and legislation to protect these species not just regionally, but worldwide.

               Marine animal entanglement is a leading cause of mortality in large whales. This presentation will be covering an overall explanation of the entanglement problem, history of conformation of the Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network (ALWDN). We will be sharing some of our latest disentanglement efforts and showing the public how to identify and report an entangled animal.

            Paulette Durazo is originally from Mexico. She has a Master’s degree in Oceanography with 10 years of experience working with marine mammals. Paulette spent much of this time in Baja California Peninsula, Mexico working on research projects ranging from the feeding ecology of harbor seals to population studies of gray whales. She also engaged the public while working as a naturalist in Cabo San Lucas and the San Ignacio Lagoon. Paulette joined the Center for Coastal Studies in 2019 working as research assistant with the Humpback Whale Studies Program and as a rescue assistant for the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team.

Diving the Nantucket Shoals is not for the faint of heart. Deep water far from shore and ferocious currents make Nantucket Shoals diving a challenge even for the most experienced divers. Captain Eric Takakjian discovered numerous shipwrecks off the coast of Nantucket and dived these waters for years. During the past two summers, dive teams from D/V Tenacious have continued Takakjian’s work exploring and re-exploring wrecks he discovered many years ago. Join Joe Mazraani and Rick Simon as they discuss diving M/V Oregon, SS Newcastle City, and SS North American and other Nantucket shipwrecks. They will discuss the advantages of technical diving in these waters, what it is to hunt and explore shipwrecks there, and what’s left to do in an area they consider to be the next frontier of North Atlantic wreck diving.

Joe Mazraani is an associate member of the Boston Sea Rovers and president of Atlantic Wreck Salvage that operates the dive vessel Tenacious, specifically acquired and outfitted to accomplish several projects, including locating and exploring U-550 and other deep, uncharted wrecks in the North Atlantic. He has participated in the discovery of numerous shipwrecks on the Eastern seaboard. Joe leads expeditions to the famed Italian liner SS Andrea Doria and has dived the wrecks of HMHS Britannic, sister ship of Titanic, and RMS Lusitania. He is credited with locating Britannic’s bell on the May 2019 Expedition to the wreck. A criminal defense attorney by trade, Joe is also a U.S.C.G. licensed captain. 

Richard M. Simon grew up diving and crewing on New England dive boats. Rick is a Boston Sea Rover & 2005 Frank Scalli Intern and a TDI dive instructor with recreational and technical ratings. He is the president of Manta Industries, a dive equipment manufacturing company and is also the vice president of Shoreline Diving Services, INC., a commercial diving company specializing in inspection, salvage and construction. Rick is an avid diver, especially enjoying cave and wreck diving mostly on the East Coast but anywhere around the world. When he is not diving, he enjoys spending time with his wife Erin and their many farm animals.

              Isla Mujeres, Mexico, just northeast of Cancun is the home of one of the biggest shark fishing communities in the Yucatan peninsula.
Every year an average of 18,000 sharks of 24 species are caught for the fishing industry. This practice has existed more than 60 years and some of the families involved have been devoted to this activity for over three generations. Saving our Sharks Foundation is supporting a local strategy to provide these fishermen with the opportunity to find alternative ways to support themselves and their families while giving thousands of sharks the opportunity to live and thrive.                             

            Executive Director Todd Essick brings a lifetime experience to the Saving Our Sharks Foundation. He has a long record of volunteerism and conservation; he has been a scuba diver for more than four decades working as a photojournalist and a fine arts photographer. Beginning as a photo journalist, eventually transitioning to the underwater realm to create an underwater fine art project showing the "connection we all have with the sea", resulting in his book Goddesses Sirens and Mermaids. This project lead to several awards and honors, including being named one of the top 10 underwater photographers in the world. His travels inspired him to photograph and write about nature, including the worlds first shark sanctuary in Palau. After hearing of a proposed project in Isla Mujeres to stop the shark fisherman from catching and killing sharks, he helped establish a 501(c) 3 public charity that could fund shark conservation projects including the Isla Mujeres shark initiative.

              Think of all the time, expense, and emotions you have invested in your photography. Yet, disaster is always waiting at the edges: a camera flood, corrupted images, or stolen gear. The simplicity of "My images are "backed up" or are "in the cloud" provides a false sense of security.  This presentation will review disaster prevention and recovery strategies, tools and techniques to minimize the risk of losing your hard-won images and what to do should the inevitable disaster happen. Perhaps not the most thrilling topic, but a critical one that is analogous to eating our vegetables as a child. We knew it was good for us, but it wasn’t our favorite thing to do. This session will make the steps and actions necessary to protect our valuable images a bit more palatable. AWC : 168 132

            Tom is a juried, award-winning fine art landscape and underwater photographer. For over 30 years, he has been both a fine art photographer and scuba instructor. Tom conducts photography workshops and classes and his work has been exhibited throughout New England in galleries, and other venues, and printed in globally journals and magazines.  He is a juried Exhibiting Artist Member of the prestigious Rockport Art Association & Museum and the Needham Art Association. When he is not out playing with his two dogs, you will find him road-tripping and diving to find that one perfect image…which still eludes him.
 

Join Schoolyard Films as we explore innovative solutions to plastic pollution, from scientific research on plastic-eating organisms to activists preventing waste from entering oceans. Bulk stores promote reusable containers, while young changemakers engage policymakers and CEOs with impactful – and surprising – results! The ultimate goal: “turn off the tap” of plastic production. Inspired by award-winning filmmaker Tom Fitz, discover how lifestyle changes, activism, and community efforts can protect our blue planet, its delicate oceans, and its magnificent wildlife.

              Amy Giannotti is a marine ecologist and proudly represents Schoolyard Films as their Director of Development. Amy’s love of the sea spans generations, as her great-great grandfather was a prominent captain of sailing ships from Cape Cod during the 1800s. Amy has a B.S. in biology from Marietta College and a M.S. in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia. She has extensive experience in freshwater and marine environments, including underwater caves and problems with invasive species.

    Diving combined with lab experiments has recently produced some exceptional discoveries of octopus behaviors. Join our adventures worldwide to witness octopuses sleeping and dreaming with colorful skin patterns, octopuses on the Great Barrier Reef conducting elaborate courtship displays, blue-ringed octopuses demonstrating social recognition via chemical sensing through their suckers, and some exciting brain and nervous system discoveries that are reshaping our understanding and appreciation of the elegance and adaptability of these strange animals.

              Roger Hanlon is a diving biologist who studies rapid adaptive coloration in cephalopods. He has conducted detailed field studies worldwide with the aid of diving citizen scientists and film crews, and has published 250 scientific papers, several dozen of which involve two dozen octopus species worldwide. He is a Senior Scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole and was trained at Florida State University, the University of Miami, and Cambridge University. Active public outreach includes TED 2019, BBC, NOVA, Discovery, National Geographic, TEDx 2015, New York Times, and others.

              This program provides an overview of the natural history of the white shark in the northwest Atlantic, and how that history coincides with the origin and work of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC). This program will touch on the public perception of white sharks and their role in our marine ecosystem. The ongoing white shark research taking place off Cape Cod is explained, as well as how that research is connected to public safety and white shark conservation.                                          

 Kristen Kibblehouse works as the Community Engagement Manager for the AWSC. She has been involved in education, outreach, and research related to the white shark work being conducted off Cape Cod since 2016.

                  During 2019 and 2020 researchers collected hours of video and still images from the steamship Portland in an effort to create the most detailed 3-D representation of the shipwreck. This talk is a behind the scenes look at how the data was collected the many challenges it presented both in the field and ultimately in processing the data and will be the first time the model is revealed to the general public.

              Evan and Maryann Kovacs own and operate Marine Imaging Technologies, a Pocasset based underwater company that specializes in imaging the underwater world. Together and separately they have surveyed and filmed sites around the planet with all manner of underwater diving and filming platforms. More importantly, they often process the data and create beautiful models and images that are both artistic and instructive in nature.

A key factor for the safety of diving operations is a correct risk assessment. This presentation focuses on identifying, mitigating, and managing risks derived from divers’ actions and interactions with the environment. Most of the diving mishaps originated not from a single step but rather from a chain of interconnected events. Interrupting even one of such events prevents escalating the problems. Good knowledge of the potential environmental hazards is also needed to develop a safe and proficient diving plan. Finally, the components of the diving team should be carefully chosen to create a synergic interaction that enhances the team's efficiency.

Dr. Giorgio Caramanna has more than 25 years of professional diving activity, primarily in high-risk environments (including caves, under the ice, and volcanic areas). He is a certified European Advanced Scientific Diver and American Academy of Underwater Sciences Scientific Diver. He is also a NAUI and DAN Instructor. He is a consultant for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (MA, USA), collaborating with the Diving Program in risk management for diving and scientific diving training. In 2018, he was awarded the “Golden Trident” from the International Academy of Underwater Sciences and Techniques for his contribution to the development of underwater science.

Caribbean Reef sharks readily recognized their own image reflected in the lens port of an underwater camera housing, single sharks making up to 18 passes to look at themselves. Among 3 divers identically suited in maille, they surrounded the one whom they had not previously encountered. These events point toward higher-order cognition including a Theory of Mind and sense of Self, much like us. Sharks come from an ancient lineage, almost as distant from humans in evolutionary terms as insects. Sameness in that context has profound implications for our relationship with life on Earth, which we ignore at our peril.

Mark Seth Lender is a producer for wildlife content and Explorer in Residence at Living on Earth, nationally  broadcast to 250 Public Radio stations. He does his own fieldwork and writes and voices his material on air (2009 – present). He has a monthly byline at Connecticut Examiner (http://ctexaminer.com/) and is an occasional contributor to Estuary Magazine (http://estuarymagazine.com/). He is the author together with his wife Valerie Elaine Pettis of the award winning and much-beloved children’s book, Smeagull the Seagull, A True Story (http://smeagull.com/) The Decisive Sequence, the work-in-progress of his first book of photography is at https://marksethlender.com/the-decisive-sequence/ . Mark was inducted into the Explorers Club in 2015.

              Covid-19 has impacted each and every one of us, and remains difficult to manage in low and middle income communities (LMICs). Early in the pandemic Lombardi teamed up with Subsalve USA to rapidly gain FDA Emergency Use Authorization and bring to market a life saving oxygen treatment hood that had previously not been used extensively outside of Europe. Numerous successful use cases from within the US to as far as Bangladesh, Nigeria, Bolivia, and other areas will be presented, along with future directions for this exciting technology and technique which has its roots in diving - a true gift from the sea!

       Michael is a career diving contractor based in Rhode Island who has amassed more than 5000 working dives in very challenging conditions - ranging from inshore marine construction to deep mesophotic coral reefs. He Co-Chairs the Marine Technology Society's Diving Committee and is widely published in the field. His company design/builds closed circuit rebreathers, CCTV systems, portable habitats, specimen collectors, and recently medical device appurtenances. His work has been funded by the National Geographic Society, and recently featured on Discovery Channel's Shark Week. His favorite undersea creature is the mesophotic clingfish bearing his namesake, Derilissus lombardii, which was collected on a deep reef in the Bahamas and is reposited at the American Museum of Natural History. 

Dr. Kernagis will provide an update on the latest research in diver health and performance.

Dr. Dawn Kernagis is the Director of Scientific Research for DEEP. Her research over the past decade and a half has centered around extreme environmental physiology, health, and performance optimization, funded by agencies including the US Navy, NASA, US Department of Defense, DAN, and the American Heart Association. Dawn has also been a diver since 1993; she was a diver and operations manager of multiple underwater cave and wreck exploration projects. In 2016, she was selected as a crew member of the NASA NEEMO XXI undersea mission. Based on her research and diving background, Dawn has been inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame, selected as a Fellow of the Explorers Club, and is the recipient of the 2018 Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society's Young Scientist Award.

This is the story of the Ocean liner MN Viminale, sunk during World War II by an American torpedo boat off the coast of Palmi, South Italy. The Ship now lies at 107 m/350 ft of depth.

Andrea Murdock Alpini is a TDI and CMAS technical trimix and advanced wreck-overhead instructor based in Italy. He is fascinated by deep wrecks, historical research, decompression studies, caves, filming and writings. He holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and an MBA in Economics for The Arts. Andrea is also the founder of Phy Diving Equipment. His life revolves around teaching open circuit scuba diving, conducting expeditions, developing gear, and writing essays about his philosophy of wreck and cave diving. He wote the books: "Deep Blue: storie di relitti e luoghi insoliti" (2020), and in "Immersioni Selvagge" (2022). Actually he is working on a new book: "Andrea Doria: Un lembo di patria".

Beneath the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada, Jill Heinerth has discovered a remarkable community of endangered organisms that have never been documented. Protecting these animals requires understanding and protecting a unique biota including lake sturgeon and other threatened species. Jill will take the audience on a wild ride through over 10 km of submerged passageways.

More people have walked on the moon than visited many of the places Jill Heinerth has explored on Earth. From the most dangerous technical dives deep inside underwater caves to swimming through giant Antarctic icebergs, Heinerth has been the hands and eyes of climatologists, archaeologists, biologists, and engineers worldwide. She was named the first Explorer-in-Residence of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and inaugural recipient of the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration. Jill is a Fellow of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, Underwater Academy of Arts and Sciences, Women Diver’s Hall of Fame, National Speleological Society, WINGS WorldQuest and the Explorers Club, which recognized her work with the prestigious William Beebe Award for ocean exploration. The Wall Street Journal, Oprah Magazine, and the New York Times have lauded Jill’s best-selling memoir Into the Planet. Dolly Parton selected Jill’s book, The Aquanaut, for her Imagination Library program. Running Cloud Productions of Australia is currently filming a feature documentary that will be released in 2024 and previewed at the Sea Rovers Film Festival.

We think of often think of reptiles as land animals, but what about sea turtles? While we love seeing these animals under water, they are ever under threat from the impact of humans. Many people fear reptiles, especially those they do not understand, like sea snakes and crocodiles, but these animals have much more to fear from humans than we do from them. Learn about the work being done by the Oceanic Society to educate about sea turtles, and other wildlife, as well as the research and public education by the Crocodile Research Coalition to help conserve crocodiles in Belize.

Joy has been doing animal-related education programs for over 20 years, now with The Joys of Nature (thejoysofnature.com). One of her favorite things is to break misconceptions about animals that people fear, such as reptiles. She has worked with a wide range of reptiles in field research, rescue/rehab and live animal education programs. In addition to decades working with crocodilians, snakes and other reptiles in captivity, she has been volunteering with the Crocodile Research Coalition in Belize since 2018. She is also a Naturalist Trip leader for the Oceanic Society educating groups about a wide variety of ocean creatures.

Filming underwater presents a fascinating dichotomy between capturing macro subjects and wide-angle scenes. Macro filming focuses on tiny, intricate marine life, like nudibranchs or shrimp, requiring precision, patience, and specialized equipment to bring out minute details often missed by the naked eye. On the other hand, wide-angle filming highlights grand underwater landscapes, showcasing vast coral reefs, large marine animals, or the interplay of light in open water. It demands a different approach, emphasizing scale and depth. Both styles offer unique storytelling challenges and rewards, requiring distinct techniques to reveal the hidden beauty of the underwater world in its fullest form.

Nancy McGee is a celebrated underwater explorer, filmmaker, and adventurer with over three decades of experience. A member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame and an Explorers Club Fellow, Nancy has piloted the Exosuit, scuba dived on all seven continents, and captured rare footage of extraordinary marine encounters, including snorkeling with whales, crocodiles, and diving with an elephant. Known for blending scientific exploration with storytelling, her work promotes ocean conservation and has been featured in numerous documentaries, publications and exhibitions. Nancy continues to inspire others to explore and protect our planet’s most remote and fragile aquatic environments..

After a ship sinks, it takes on a new life as an ecological habitat. Shipwrecks host colorful and diverse communities of anemones, sponges, crabs, and fish. In 2019-2020, I led an interdisciplinary team investigating three shipwreck sites in SBNMS. Our research showed diverse and abundant communities and highlighted the role that shipwrecks play as "unplanned artificial reefs." Shipwrecks provide large, complex structures that are not mirrored by natural hard-bottom reefs, but they are also vulnerable to entangled fishing nets.                               

Dr. Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser is a marine biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Her research focuses on the colonization and connectivity of isolated, island-like habitats, including shipwrecks. She is an avid technical SCUBA diver and has ongoing projects in the Arctic, Gulf of Mexico, and Palau.

The dive profile is most important, but there are a multitude of factors that can alter decompression stress, many of which are not captured in current decompression algorithms. This presentation will consider key and contributing factors and the inter-relationships between them that can alter risk. Tools and practical strategies to optimize decompression safety will then be discussed.

Neal W. Pollock, PhD holds a Research Chair in Hyperbaric and Diving Medicine and is an Associate Professor in Kinesiology at Université Laval in Québec, Canada. He was previously Research Director at Divers Alert Network (DAN) and conducted research at Duke University, both in Durham, North Carolina. His academic training is in zoology, exercise physiology, and environmental physiology. His research interests focus on human health and safety in extreme environments, including decompression safety for both divers and astronauts.

              At the end of WWII military goods no longer needed were dumped into the ocean around the Pacific. In the lagoon of Kwajalein Atoll more than 150 perfectly good American Warbirds were dumped and now rest in the sand. Douglass Dauntless, Avengers, Wildcats, PBJs, plus a Corsair and C-46 can be seen across a two square mile area. What was the significance of these places in the Pacific Theater and why were they left behind? Images and stories about the planes.

              Brandi Mueller is a photographer and writer obsessed with diving, traveling and WWII wrecks. In an attempt to dive as much as possible, she’s been a scuba instructor for 18 years and a boat captain for 15. In non-Covid times she captains the M/V Truk Odyssey liveaboard in Chuuk (Truk Lagoon) part of the year travels to other dive locations to freelance on her time off.
Brandi has won several awards and is widely published and has a book called The Airplane Graveyard. She is an Ikelite Ambassador, part of the Ocean Artists Society and a Platinum Pro 5000 recipient.

Tasmania has done an amazing job preserving its reefs and marine life. However, climate change is something the tiny island cannot control...and it is having a profound impact on the marine environment. See how their efforts at mitigating its impact are working and what we can learn from their efforts.

Faith Ortins has spent her life educating people about diving through her love and enthusiasm for the ocean. She inspires people and instills in them a passion for diving in all its forms. In early 1990’s, she worked with DUI to develop the first women’s drysuits before becoming DUI’s VP of Sales and Marketing for 20 years. She created the DUI DOG Rally and Demo Tour Program which promoted local diving facilities across the US, teaming dive retailers together while divers test dive DUI products. She now is the co-owner of Blue Green Expeditions which guides expeditions to all the oceans on the planet including multiple polar expeditions. She is a 2010 Inductee to the Women Divers Hall of Fame and associate member of the Boston Sea Rovers.

Explore the fascinating wreck and history of the Destroyer/Minesweeper USS Emmons. Sunk during the battle of Okinawa in April 1945 with the loss of 60 officers and crewmen, the Emmons remained undiscovered for more than five decades.  Resting in 145 feet of clear, warm, blue water the Emmons is one of the most intact, diveable warships from WWII.

Mike's fascination with maritime history and shipwrecks began after his first wreck dive off the New Jersey coast in 1971. Since then he has explored many shipwrecks in various parts of the world and has participated in numerous projects and expeditions. In 1985 he was part of the seven-man team that recovered the bell from the Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria. From 1989 to 1995 he operated a charter boat off the Virginia coast and discovered a number of wrecks, including the 4-masted steam-schooner Eureka that sank in 1888 carrying a cargo of general merchandise. While living in Europe from 1999 to 2004 he explored wrecks in the English Channel, Scapa Flow, Baltic Sea, Northern Ireland, Norway, and the North Sea - including three expeditions to document the wrecks from the Battle of Jutland. In 2002 Mike organized a team of English and American divers who traveled to Poland to dive the German liner, Wilhelm Gustloff, where more than 9,000 people perished after being torpedoed by a Russian submarine in January 1945, making it the deadliest shipwreck in history. From 2017 to 2022 Mike lived in Okinawa Japan, traveling throughout the Pacific, diving wrecks in Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Truk Lagoon, and Bikini Atoll.   Mike now lives in Florida, retired from work but not diving.

For nearly 40 years, I heard my father's sea stories from his WWII experiences serving in the Polish Navy.  Although he passed away in 2003, in 2014 I began a journey which started by chance, and culminated in the discovery of the wreck of his ship, 83 after its loss at the height of WWII. This is the story of that journey, the planning and preparation undertaken, the friendships made, and the results of the efforts of a multi-national team of shipwreck hunters, historians, and archaeologists. 

Chris Kraska is the son of an Irish mother and Polish Father who met and married in Scotland at the height of WWII while father was a seaman in the Polish Navy. As a marine archaeologist, divemaster, and underwater photographer Chris has made hundreds of dives in warm waters as well as on Lake Erie.   As part of his avocational work, Chris has been a member of MAST, the Maritime Archaeological Survey Team, since 2006 and served as the chairman of the board from 2012 until 2018. He has participated in numerous archaeological surveys as as a survey diver, dive safety officer, and project manager.Chris became involved with DWP CARES after meeting its Director while filming a documentary on Lake Michigan in 2019.  Since that time, he has helped shape the organizations educational platform and course structure as part of their education advisory board.Chris has degrees in political science, archaeology, and education.

Between the Baja Peninsula and the mainland of Mexico lies the fabled Sea of Cortez. For decades, fisherman have known about the marine riches that abound in these waters. Today, SCUBA divers can explore beneath the waves of this dazzling marine paradise and witness the underwater marvels for themselves. Jacques-Yves Cousteau once characterized the Sea of Cortez as “The World’s Aquarium”, and for good reason. The Sea of Cortez is known for big animals, mesmerizing reefs and heart-pounding adventure. Join Eco-Photo Explorers as they dive with playful Sea Lions and Guadalupe Fur Seals, explore fascinating shipwrecks and journey to colorful reefs teeming with marine life

                 Michael Salvarezza and Christopher Weaver have been diving the waters the world since 1978.  They have presented their work numerous times at the Boston Sea Rovers Underwater Clinic, and all of the major dive conferences, and have published more than 200 articles in numerous magazines, including National Geographic Adventure. Their work has been used to support a variety of research and educational programs. Their expeditions have taken them from the Arctic to the Antarctic and many places in between.

This presentation will discuss the thought processes and methods used to design and build a carbon fiber rebreather chassis optimized for minimal size and weight, maximum strength and streamlined balanced performance.

Captain Eric Takakjian a professional mariner has been sailing ships and oceangoing tugboats to various corners of the world since 1978. Eric has conducted extensive historical research on New England shipwrecks. Since 1985 Eric and his friends have conducted expeditions resulting in the location and exploration over 70 previously undiscovered shipwrecks in the waters around New England and outer continental shelf waters An avid shipwreck diver since 1975. Captain Eric has been a fellow of the Explorers Club since 1997, a member of the Board of Directors of The Steamship Historical Society of America, and an associate member of the Boston Sea Rovers.

This talk will explore the art of storytelling in exotic locations through photography. Shayne travels to some of the most remote corners of the world and will take you on a journey of these locations through his own photos and the tools he uses to bring them to life. He will teach you the lessons he has learned through his assignments to bring your photography to the next level. These concepts can be used by smartphone users or with a professional camera and will teach you the way to utilize these devices to capture remarkable photos. Bring your sense of adventure and let's take a journey through the lens.

Shayne began his love for wildlife when his father took him on his first 24-hour bird-a-thon at just three years old. He grew up exploring a variety of ecosystems and began his career in professional photography, photographing in National Parks and doing product photography but wanted to set his sights higher. He is a Certified Photography Instructor with Lindblad/ National Geographic and travels to the most remote places on the planet. When he is not traveling, he still leads Audubon Birding trips to sharing his love of birds with others. Exploring new places allows him to further his knowledge of culture, wildlife, and different ecosystems around the world. He also loves the underwater as well and is an avid diver with his fiancé Amy.

The American sailing vessel Adriatic collided with the French steamship Le Lyonnais on November 2, 1856, off the coast of Nantucket in what can best be described as a maritime hit-and-run. Adriatic’s captain, Jonathan Durham, rendered no aid and left the passenger steamship to fend for herself. 114 people died in the collision and in the days that followed.

Durham did not count on a hero, French sailor Jean-Marie-Louis Choupault, who helped 18 Le Lyonnais passengers and crew adrift on a small lifeboat in the brutal North Atlantic. Durham continued with business as usual, including delivering a load of timber to France. French authorities seized his ship as damages and put him on trial, but his adventures did not end there. News of his daring escapades made Durham a celebrity in America. The outbreak of the Civil War ended further inquiry into what became known in diplomatic circles as “the Adriatic affair,” and the victims of the disaster never received justice.

In August of 2024, a team of explorers from D/V Tenacious discovered, dived, and identified the wreckage of Le Lyonnais on the eastern edges of Georges Bank. This presentation contains photos and video exclusive to Sea Rovers audiences and focuses and what it took to hunt Le Lyonnais far from shore and in dangerous waters. Attendees will also learn about a second shipwreck the crew located on the expedition, one that has yet to be unidentified."

Jennifer N. Sellitti is a lawyer and a shipwreck hunter. A criminal defense attorney by profession, she and her partner, Joe Mazraani, spend their spare time operating D/V Tenacious, a vessel that locates, dives, and salvages artifacts from shipwrecks in the North Atlantic. Jennifer is a US Coast Guard–licensed ship captain and a certified diver. She was part of the crew that discovered the wreckage of the 1855 passenger steamship Le Lyonnais, the WWI casualty West Point, the bow of M/S Stockholm, and other shipwrecks. She has served as surface support for expeditions to RMS Lusitania, SS Andrea Doria, and Titanic’s sister ship, HMHS Britannic. Jennifer is an associate member of Boston Sea Rovers and passionate about educating people of all ages about maritime history. 

Captain Eric Takakjian, a professional mariner, has been sailing ships and oceangoing tugboats to various corners of the world since 1978. He has conducted extensive historical research on New England shipwrecks. Since 1985, Eric and his friends have conducted expeditions resulting in the location and exploration of over 70 previously undiscovered shipwrecks in the waters around New England and outer continental shelf waters. As an avid shipwreck diver since 1975, Captain Eric has been a fellow of the Explorers Club since 1997, a member of the Board of Directors of The Steamship Historical Society of America and an associate member of the Boston Sea Rovers.

At the age of 50 years, JAWS is still considered one of the most influential thrillers of all time. Released in 1975, this summer blockbuster generated fear in many beachgoers - to this day, some will not go back in the water. Thought to inspire the “Jaws Effect,” the film is often blamed for the demise of shark populations. At 25 feet long, the movie’s villain eagerly consumed swimmers, held personal vendettas, and sank boats. Was this cinematic hyperbole, factual content, or something in between? This presentation will celebrate the anniversary of this iconic film by teasing out the truth from Hollywood fiction.

Dr. Gregory Skomal is an accomplished marine biologist, photographer, and author. He has been a senior fisheries biologist with the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries since 1987 and currently heads up the Massachusetts Shark Research Program, where he has been actively involved in research on the life history, ecology, and physiology of sharks. He has written dozens of scientific research papers and his work has been highlighted in several film and television documentaries including programs for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and PBS.

Diamond Shoals Light Vessel No. 71 was sentinel of the seas at arguably the most treacherous spot to navigation on the US East Coast, Cape Hatteras. On August 6, 1918 U-140, Under Korvettenkapitan Waldemar Kophamel attacked the Collier SS Merak, just off the outer Diamond Shoal. When the U-boat became aware that the nearby Lightship began transmitting wireless messages about the attack, the guns of the submarine turned on the unarmed lightship. Uwe Lovas first located and dived the LV 71 in . The vessel lies in 190 feet of water just to the South of Cape Hatteras. She is nearly intact and visually spectacular.

Marc Corbett, Panda Daniels, and Jay King are founding members of the North Carolina Shipwreck Project. A group dedicated to locating, exploring, researching, and documenting historic shipwrecks along the NC coast. The NC Shipwreck Project is a technical dive team, and extremely close group of friends who work together towards their goals. 

Hailey will present highlights from this summer as the 2022 Boston Sea Rovers Summer Intern.

Hailey is very excited to be the Boston Sea Rovers 2022 Summer Intern! She grew up in York, Maine and is currently a freshman at University of California, Santa Barbara. She hopes to continue on the double major path of aquatic biology and communications! I am a part of the UCSB Scuba and Freedive club and have loved exploring the kelp forests off the west coast.

Hailey started getting into photography in high school, and practiced by taking photos for local businesses in southern Maine. She also completed a year-long research paper exploring the marketing aspect of marine conservation, where she was able to converse with many underwater photographers and learn about their work.

The Great Lakes region boasts a rich maritime history, with numerous shipwrecks resting on the lakebeds, ranging from remote locations to popular dive sites. This presentation delves into the allure of these submerged time capsules, shedding light on the stories of the ships and their fateful voyages. Additionally, we explore how modern divers are employing photometry and video technology to protect these precious wrecks. By documenting and sharing these underwater treasures, we can raise awareness about the importance of their preservation, ensuring that future generations can continue to appreciate the historical significance of these submerged relics.

Greg Such, a distinguished boat captain, seasoned explorer, and dedicated instructor trainer, has dedicated three decades to the dive industry. Greg's passion for underwater exploration has taken him to the far corners of the globe, with a special focus on wreck diving. His expertise extends beyond diving, as he imparts his knowledge to train both divers and instructors. A true advocate for accessibility to remote dive sites, Greg actively collaborates with organizations to ensure divers can access these hidden gems. His commitment to preserving maritime history is evident through his efforts to document these sites for museums, ensuring that the world can share in the wonder of these submerged treasures.

Jake Stout is a wildlife photographer specializing in natural history photojournalism. A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Jake developed his love of nature spending summers in New Hampshire. Jake has been sharpening his photography skills since 2009 and has worked across many genres of the medium.

Jake began his SCUBA journey in 2017 and never looked back. A year later, he was the recipient of the Boston Sea Rover’s internship in which he traveled around the world doing underwater photography with marine scientists, BBC and National Geographic photographers and filmmakers. In 2019 Jake had the honor of presenting his work at the Boston Sea Rovers Film Festival, the longest continually running dive show in the world, and was inducted as a full active roster member in 2020. He is currently developing underwater camera technology in the Red Sea at the Derya Akkaynak COLOR lab.

Join Kayla as she leads team members Jill Heinerth and Charlotte Pilon-McCullough to explore the three-masted schooner, the OLIVER MOWAT, in the waters of Prince Edward County region of eastern Ontario. The OLIVER MOWAT was considered the crown jewel of the Millhaven shipyards when launched in 1873 and her career lasted 48 years, representing the last of the era of wind and sail. Lost in 1921 and re-found in 2004, the wreck was kept secret for its protection. Come discover this amazing wreck with Kayla as part of a 2023 Royal Canadian Geographical Society Flag Expedition!

Kayla Martin represents the upcoming generation of shipwreck divers and since 2014 has shared her passion at conferences across North America. She promotes preserving historic shipwrecks and low-impact diving as the Heritage Ambassador for Save Ontario Shipwrecks and serves on the board of Ontario Marine Heritage Committee.She volunteers as a member of the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association Dive Team and assists the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society in creating 3D photogrammetry models.Selected as a 2023 Royal Canadian Geographical Society Expedition Grantee, she is currently leading an expedition to document the Oliver Mowat, an intact Great Lakes schooner. 

Caribbean coral reefs have experienced dramatic changes over the past few decades, driven by both natural and human-induced factors. Once thriving ecosystems, these reefs now face increasing pressures from climate change, particularly marine heatwaves that are growing in both frequency and intensity. The extreme ocean temperatures recorded during 2023/2024 triggered the fourth global bleaching event, underscoring the vulnerability of coral ecosystems to rising temperatures. In response to this heatwave, the reefs of Little Cayman —an isolated and well-protected ecosystem— experienced dramatic changes in coral cover and species composition which will have implication for overall reef function. Similarly, well established coral nurseries suffered from near complete mortality. Here I will explore these changes in the context of long-term monitoring data and examine the cascading effects on the future success of restoration efforts. Finally, I will discuss emerging strategies to identify and protect potential climate refuges, such as deeper reefs and offshore seamounts, which may serve as sanctuaries for coral species and provide hope for sustaining these vital ecosystems amid rapid environmental change.

Dr. Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley received her PhD from Harvard University in 2009 where she studied the evolution of corals across the Caribbean. She subsequently held postdoctoral positions in Florida and Italy, before settling at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences. During her time at BIOS she became heavily involved with studying the invasive lionfish, a project that led her to technical diving as they discovered dense aggregations on deeper reefs. She quickly became fascinated with mesophotic coral reefs and over time transitioned to a closed circuit system. In 2020 she joined the Central Caribbean Marine Institute as the Director of Research where she lead a team focused on documenting biodiversity on deep reefs, understanding community dynamics, and examining the potential of mesophotic reefs as thermal refuges.

Diving With a Purpose Collective Approach to Restoring our Eco-System is a citizen science based coral ecosystem monitoring program that trains recreational scuba divers to document the current condition of the coral ecosystem by identifying key indicator species.

Kramer Wimberley is a board member and lead instructor for Diving With a Purpose, he is the founder of the organizations CARES program.  Kramer has been diving for 37 years and is a Master Scuba Diver Trainer with PADI. Kramer was featured in Samuel Jackson's six part Series 'Enslaved', where they told the stories of the Transatlantic slave trade through the lens of shipwrecks.   He's partnered with NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary,  Coral Restoration Foundation,  Florida Sea Grant and many others helping to preserve our coral ecosystem.  Kramer spent 29 years in the Fire Service in Newark New Jersey as a Fire Captain,  Executive Officer for their Arson Investigation Unit, Deputy Municipal Emergency Manager and Acting Fire Director.  He attained his Juris Doctor at City University of New York.