Shipwrecks

Ric Mixter has been producing and writing shipwreck stories since he first strapped on airtanks in 1991. He's hosted his own PBS TV series on diving, created the most listened to podcasts on shipwrecks, appeared on the History/Discovery and National Geographic Channels, written over a dozen magazine articles, and has been awarded the most prestigious history awards on the lakes. From diving the Edmund Fitzgerald to hosting the largest dive shows on the lakes, Ric is one of the most recognized historians in freshwater.

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.

Producer Yvonne Drebert and Director/Cinematographer Zach Melnick are the founders of Inspired Planet Productions. From their home on the beautiful Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula in Ontario, Canada, the husband-and-wife team have created more than 40 hours of nature and history documentary spanning two decades, including the 2021 Canadian Screen Award nominated series, Striking Balance. Driven by a profound concern for the global decline of freshwater ecosystems, Drebert and Melnick have embarked on a dedicated mission into the underwater world. Using cutting-edge ROVs (remotely operated underwater vehicles), they immerse themselves in rarely seen aquatic environments, capturing extraordinary wildlife behaviours, and even discovering the occasional shipwreck. Their mission is threefold: to inspire the public, deepen scientific understanding, and enlighten decision-makers about the freshwater ecosystems we all depend on.

Kevin was certified for scuba in 1984. He moved to the Cleveland, OH, area in 1993 and discovered shipwreck diving in the Great Lakes shortly afterwards. He enthusiastically practices diving shipwrecks in Lake Erie as well as the other Great Lakes. He was trimix certified in 1999 and has visited many of the pristine deep-water wrecks that technical diving allows. In 2001 he co-founded the Cleveland Underwater Explorers (CLUE), which has found over 35 shipwrecks in Lake Erie. Kevin is a member of the National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL), Maritime Archaeological Survey Team (MAST), Lake Erie Wreck Divers (LEWD), and Bay Area Divers (BAD).

Cindy began diving the Great Lakes in the early 1990s and has over 1,000 logged dives and holds numerous dive certifications up through Advanced Nitrox. She is an Official Court Reporter for the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and is a Registered Professional Reporter with the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), is a Certified Reporting Instructor, and has taught court reporting theory at a local college. Cindy is a member of the Cleveland Underwater Explorers (CLUE), the National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL), Maritime Archaeological Survey Team (MAST), Lake Erie Wreck Divers (LEWD), and Bay Area Divers (BAD).

David Trotter has been involved in Great Lakes shipwreck searching, diving, exploring and documenting new discoveries for 35+ years. The solving of "history's mysteries" has made significant contributions to the story of our Great Lakes and has provided new exploration opportunities for sport and technical divers to enjoy. Dave's discoveries have been featured on the Discovery Channel as well as in the New York Times, Detroit Free Press, and Canadian "DIVER" magazine. David’s lecture series has entertained thousands of people who enjoy discovery and exploration of long missing ships. Going where no one has gone before.

Cris Kohl and Joan Forsberg, well-known maritime historians, authors, and speakers, as well as underwater explorers, photographers, and videographers, are a husband-and-wife team who love to examine shipwrecks, particularly those in the Great Lakes. Starting with a double major in French and Russian for a diplomatic career, Joan switched to completing a degree in History. Cris has degrees in English and Education, and a Master of Arts degree in History. Both have underwater archaeology certifications from Great Britain’s Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS). Their maritime history archives are one of the largest privately-held collections in the Great Lakes.

Mike and Georgann Wachter are the authors of Erie Wrecks and Lights, Erie Wrecks East, and Erie Wrecks West, and have published a Lake Erie shipwreck chart with over 360 GPS shipwreck coordinates.
They have been diving around the world since the mid 1970’s but particularly enjoy the pristine and perfectly preserved shipwrecks that lie in the fresh waters of the Great Lakes. This has resulted in the discovery of over 60 wreck sites. Each year they create a least one new program for presentations to educate divers and historians. They have authored numerous magazine articles and have a passion for preserving and creating diver access to and Great Lakes maritime history. Both have been active in the Maritime Archaeological Survey Team (MAST) where Mike is past president and Georgann has been treasurer. Under Mike’s tenure 6 shipwrecks in Ohio waters were moored for divers. They are active members of Lake Erie Wreck Divers and Bay Area Divers scuba clubs.
Georgann was inducted into the international Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2013 for documenting over 300 Great Lakes shipwrecks with her writing, research and marine artwork. Mike hosts a database on Lake Erie shipwrecks at www.eriewrecks.com. In 2023 they received Shipwrecks and Scuba’s first ever “Key Contributor Award” as a power couple that have made “exceptional contributions to The Great Lakes Shipwreck Research”, with “ unwavering support to the scuba diving community”, and to over 20 named organizations that have benefited from their hard work and generosity.

David Mekker, a long-standing member of the Niagara Divers’ Association, is Chair of Shipwrecks/2024. He has held that position for the last twenty seven years, and has been instrumental in bringing what began as a small show to the successful world-class event it is today.

Dave was certified in 1989, trained in Nitrox and Cave diving in 1992, and has since moved into deep and Trimix diving, with over 1,200 logged dives. His enthusiasm and “drive to dive” led him into underwater photography in 1992. His photography has centred around Great Lakes shipwrecks, resulting in awards at events such as the Ford Seahorses Great Lakes Film Festival. In 2000, Dave discovered a new passion for underwater videography – this will be his sixth presentation at Shipwrecks.

Walter Lewis took up diving in 1990 specifically to dive on the wreck of the CORNWALL. At Shipwrecks ‘95, he did a presentation on the wreck, which was subsequently the subject of The River Palace, co-authored with Rick Neilson and published by Dundurn Press in 2008. In the following year, he and Rick were awarded the S.O.S. Marine Heritage Award. In 2011 Walter was named Great Lakes Historian of the Year, an award presented by the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. He is known to many in the Great Lakes community for the website he manages, which presents the raw materials of history, gathered through the work of many researchers, particularly those interested in shipwrecks. He is a frequent speaker on a wide range of topics related to the history of the Great Lakes.