2013 Speakers


Ric Gillespie - The True Story of Amelia Earhart's Disappearance

Historian, pilot, research director, expedition leader, author, and Executive Director of TIGHAR


Historian, pilot, research director, expedition leader, author, and Executive Director of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), Ric Gillespie is also an accomplished public speaker. Ric is widely regarded as the world’s leading authority on the Amelia Earhart mystery read more...

Bret Gilliam - An Insider's Look At The Evolution of the Diving Industry Plus A Banquet Presentation of Humorous Experiences from His Career

Captain & Dive Industry Pioneer


Gilliam was involved in all phases of the modern diving industry from 1971 to the present. His companies pioneered resort diving in the Caribbean, the earliest liveaboard diving vessels, shaped the certification curricula of dive training, helped set protocols for field treatments of divers in recompression chambers and "in-water" protocols, helped develop and manufacture the world's most successful modern diving computers along with decompression algorithms, established standards and training procedures for the technical diving segments including nitrox, mixed gas, equipment, read more...

Ann Merriman & Chris Olson - The Lake Minnetonka Sonar Survey 2011-2012

Maritime Acheologists


Maritime Heritage Minnesota Nautical Archaeologists Ann Merriman and Christopher Olson completed the Lake Minnetonka Survey in September and November 2011 and in May 2012. This project was a side and down imaging sonar surveys of the entirety of Lake Minnetonka. During the survey, MHM’s transducer sent images of the lake bottom to the sonar unit and the GPS provided a map and the lat/long of the boat's location on the lake in real time. read more...

C. Patrick Labadie - SOS - Save Our Shipwrecks

Historian


In recent years, a number of Great Lakes shorelines have experienced record low water levels. These low waters have resulted in a number of repercussions to our shipwrecks. Experienced Great Lakes diver, historian, researcher and underwater archaeologist Pat Labadie is here to give us a bird’s eye view on water level trends and its resulting impact on our treasured shipwrecks. read more...

Wayne Quarberg - Diving the Southern Caribbean Sea The Island of Curacao

Founder of MDEA & Owner of Waterfront Dive Center, Curacao


The island of Curacao is in the southern Caribbean sea and is perhaps one of the best kept secrets of the Caribbean. Imagine an island country where hidden coves reveal an emerald-blue sea, where majestic ocean views and underwater adventure meet. The island is known for its underwater paradise of coral reef, sponge formations and thousands of colorful tropical fish. read more...

John Janzen - Shipwrecks of Lake Huron's Presque Isle

Technical Diver and Instructor


The Presque Isle region of Lake Huron is rapidly gaining a reputation as one the of world's premier shipwreck diving destinations due to its clear water and abundance of outstanding wrecks. The region offers wrecks for almost any skill level of diver. read more...

Jay Hanson - Real-life Stories of a Great Lakes Diver

Charter Boat Captain, Dive Instructor, Commercial Diver


Jay Hanson will share personal stories (many of them humorous!) of his experiences as a Charter boat captain, dive instructor and commercial diver. You’ll enjoy hearing about fascinating dive sites as well as challenging and humorous experiences both above and below the water. read more...

Bob Tema - Surfing Lake Superior

Surfer & Founder of Superior Surf Club


Surfing is relatively new in popularity to Lake Superior, however, Bob Tema has been exploring its vast potential for over 10 years. There were only a few guys in the water in the late 1990’s when Bob began surfing Lake Superior. Over the years the Lake Superior surfing scene has grown to about 50 active surfers – just in the Duluth area alone. read more...