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.
What have they put in the lakes?
While legions of scuba divers explore wrecks from schooners to ore boats, there are many other reasons to dive the inland seas. In addition to shipwrecks, an array of planes, train cars, autos, snowmobiles, weapons and even a couple submarines rest on the bottom of the Great Lakes. Mike & Georgann will tell some amazing stories of items found on the bottomlands and present photos and video of this vast, underwater treasure trove.
