Master of Ceremonies One of Tom’s favourite phrases is, “The more I learn, the more I learn how little I know,” from Socrates, which he finds translates perfectly into Great Lakes diving. “The more I dive the more I realize there’s more out there to discover than I ever imagined,” he said recently. Drawing on …

Bob’s activity in the marine industry spans over 25 years and  includes commercial diving, Atmospheric Diving Suits (ADS) and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) operations. Operational and management pursuits have resulted in international projects over the years, including winters in Finland, summers in the tropics and ROV operations in the Andes mountains. Bob is presently a …

Born in the city of Khabarovsk in the Far East of Russia, Vlada discovered diving at an early age using her father’s scuba unit. Years later while expanding her dive education in Cozumel, Vlada decided to take an Underwater Photography course and has never dove without a camera again. Living in Toronto, with all five …

Learning to scuba dive was something that Warren had wanted to do for quite some time, and finally took the plunge several years ago and instantly fell in love with the sport. Living in Toronto, Ontario, the Great Lakes provided him tremendous opportunities to explore the rich marine heritage that Ontario had to offer. As …

Durrell Martin has been a member of the NDA since 1994 and has held positions from President to Newsletter Editor over the years. An active diver with close to 1,000 logged dives, Durrell was trimix certified in 1999 and has since then enjoyed exploring the deeper wrecks located in the Great Lakes. His real passion is …

Jonathan is an underwater archaeologist with Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Service, based in Ottawa, Canada. His research interests and publications include shipwrecks from the War of 1812 and the effects of zebra and quagga mussels on historic shipwrecks.  For over ten years he has conducted archaeological and historical research on the Hamilton & Scourge, and serves as a …

Chris Phinney, Project Director and Bryan Thomas, Dive Coordinator for Liquid Archaeology will present the history, identification and diving of the wreck Southern Trail. The Liquid Archaeology Survey team has been working on the wreck of the Southern Trail for over 5 years.  Chris is an IT analyst and amateur archaeologist working towards anarchaeology degree at McMaster University in Hamilton, …

What can you say about David Trotter?  David has given more presentations than any other speaker at our annual Shipwrecks Symposium.  He just keeps discovering shipwrecks and as long as he does, we’ll keep inviting him back! David Trotter is a renowned shipwreck discoverer, deep diver, author, lecturer and photographer.  In over 30 years of …

Authors of the recently released Erie Wrecks and Lights, Mike and Georgann are well known for their other two books, Erie Wrecks East and Erie Wrecks West. They have been diving around the world since the early 1970’s.  However, nowhere else in the world have they discovered the kind of pristine and perfectly preserved shipwrecks that lie in the fresh …

Master of Ceremonies By his own admission Tom Wilson dives essentially for one reason: to capture photographs. You may have seen the fruits of his efforts in the magazines such as Diver, Advanced Diver, Scuba Press, Immersed, Ottawa Outdoors, and even the Toronto Star, all concentrating on the amazing wrecks of the Great Lakes which …

Bernie Chowdhury, CHT, is a popular and engaging speaker who has presented at dive shows, shops and clubs throughout the U.S., and in eight foreign countries. He has worn many hats during his 24 years in diving, including: instructor, expedition organizer, industry consultant, documentary co-producer, lecturer, magazine publisher, and author, to name a few. His …

David Gilchrist has been diving since 1970.  He is a PADI Instructor and a member of the Niagara Diver’s Association (NDA).  He has been a presenter at past SHIPWRECKS Symposiums, UNDERWATER CANADA and GREAT LAKES UNDERWATER.  David has been our Master of Ceremonies for the last five years. He is an avid underwater photographer. A …

Jill Heinerth is an explorer. Consistently searching for what lies just beyond view, her curiosity and photographic skills give us a tantalizing peek at a breathtaking world few will ever experience. Best known as a pioneering technical diver, Jill combines a mastery of underwater technology with a formal Fine Arts education to produce artistic documentation …

What can you say about David Trotter?  David has given more presentations than any other speaker at our annual Shipwrecks Symposium.  He just keeps discovering shipwrecks and as long as he does, we’ll keep inviting him back! David Trotter is a renowned shipwreck discoverer, deep diver, author, lecturer and photographer.  In over 30 years of …

Energetic and passionate presenters, Valerie and Jack van Heest have explored and documented shipwrecks for over 20 years. Together they serve as Directors of Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates. Valerie is a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, and a 2007 recipient of the Historical Society of Michigan award for excellence of achievement in the …

Tom is an executive at an automotive supplier company.  He possesses strong leadership qualities, organizational abilities and a deep understanding of analytical problem solving.  Tom is a lifelong resident of Ottawa County, Ohio and grew up fishing and diving in Lake Erie.  Tom began diving shipwrecks in 1965 and has been researching Great Lakes history …

Chippawa Investigation Like the Niagara River, the Welland River (which flows through the Village of Chippawa), has been visited and dove by literally thousands of divers over the years.  Although in almost every case this can be a very enjoyable dive, there are several areas and conditions in the rivers that can make diving extremely …