Show

Even if you don’t know him yet, you will love him. Big T is back this year speaking about a couple of more recent discoveries up in Canadian waters.

Terry Irvine was certified in 1987. He completed his cave training in 1995 and his Trimix training the following year. He completed his Closed Circuit Trimix Rebreather training in 2016.

Terry has actively documented shipwrecks and caves using video and photos since 2000. He has been an active contributor to Quest since 2001. Some of his video has been featured on the Outdoor Life Network and local media publications.

In 2016, Terry was part of an Explorer’s Club team that discovered and documented the steam locomotive CPR 694 in Lake Superior near Marathon, Ontario. Some of his photos and video were used for several newspaper articles, an article in Branchline Magazine and the documentary called “The Ties That Bind”.

In 2018, Terry was part of the diving team that documented the wreck of the Manasoo in Georgian Bay which has since been featured in Quest Magazine and Wreck Diver Magazine.

Terry has a keen passion for photographing Great Lakes shipwrecks and enjoys exploring sites in all five of the Lakes.

James Mott is an instructor for Unified Team Diving International, a training agency that is committed to building thinking divers. A veteran of the Great Lakes area diving community and PADI instructor since 1998, he started working at Don’s Dive Shop in 1991 and was a co-founder of Sea The World Scuba Center in 1996. Although he has an honest interest in all things underwater big or small, James’ heart lies beneath the cold waters of the Great Lakes along with the shipwrecks that he loves diving. Passionate about educating the diving community and sharing an underwater philosophical base, James’ instruction provides infinite possibilities and extends attainable excellence to all divers willing to reexamine their underwater behavior.

Michigan’s own pretty boy of diving returns. You may know Ol’ Jamesey as just the eye candy from The Great Dive Podcast, but there is more depth to this man. Dive in and give him a listen on February 25th.

Kevin Magee is back with us this year. Breaking trend from his normal Lake Erie wrecks, this February 25th, he is going to be speaking about Scapa Flow.

Kevin Magee was certified for scuba in 1984, moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1993, and discovered shipwreck diving in the Great Lakes shortly afterwards. He enthusiastically practices diving shipwrecks in the Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes. He was trimix certified in 1999 and has visited many of the pristine deep water wrecks that technical diving allows.

Mike Poggione has been a long time sponsor and advocate of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival TM. He will be presenting for the first time at our show on February 25th. Mike’s shop, Motor City Scuba and Snorkel will also have a booth at the show.

Mike is an active diver and instructor in the Metro-Detroit area; he has been diving for thirty years and teaching scuba diving for twenty one years. Mike owns Motor City Scuba with two locations in SE Michigan and has trained thousands of divers, he is an Instructor Trainer through TDI and SDI. When Mike is not in one of his dive stores, he is diving. He loves the Great Lakes and is happy to tell anyone that will listen just how great they are. In addition to his obsession with scuba diving he also has a degree in History and is known to give impromptu lectures to an unsuspecting audience.

The President of the Michigan Underwater Preserves Council, Kevin Ailes, returns again for 2023.

Kevin is an avid technical diver, historian, amateur archeologist, and preservationist. Consistently he dives with purpose which has brought him many historical opportunities within the Great Lakes. Through numerous interviews, articles, and photographic events he regularly inspires others to enjoy Great Lakes shipwrecks while employing low impact diving practices.

He is part of a team only completed by his wife Amy. They have assembled a unique blend of old and new technology which is proving quite effective for finding shipwrecks. Together they discovered 5 of them in 2022, 3 of which were part of the news cycle within the last year.

This is his first time presenting at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival TM. Let’s welcome Jeff Thomas to the show.

As a high school history teacher and part time Great Lakes sailor, Jeff Thomas draws on both experiences to tell the story of Great Lakes shipwrecks. He finds the small details that bring the stories to life in a story-telling experience that puts the viewer “in the moment” of these dramatic tales.

Erik Petkovic is an explorer, author, maritime historian, shipwreck researcher, and technical wreck diver. Erik is the author of multiple wreck diving and maritime history books. Erik has been featured in publications worldwide and is a consultant for various production companies. Erik regularly presents at large dive shows and museums. He is a sought after presenter due to his unique storytelling and in-depth research. He currently lives in Southern Maryland with his wife and sons. ErikPetkovic.com

Many know of him, not many have met him. This is something you can change in 2023.
Come out and see Brendon Baillod present at the show in February.

Brendon Baillod is an award winning Great Lakes maritime historian, antiquarian and diver based in Wisconsin. He has been studying Great Lakes maritime history for nearly forty years and has amassed the largest private collection of antiquarian books, maps and ephemera on the Lakes with material dating back to the 1600s. Brendon is the current president of the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association and frequently searches for and surveys new underwater cultural sites, especially shipwrecks. Brendon is the author of Fathoms Deep but not Forgotten: Wisconsin Lost Ships, a compendium of over 200 shipwrecks in Wisconsin waters and is the author of the upcoming book Ghosts of the Oceana Coast, Pentwater, Michigan’s Shipwreck Graveyard. Brendon is a frequent consultant on shipwreck preservation and interpretation and has appeared on the National Geographic Channel, the Science Channel and the Travel Channel discussing Great Lakes shipwrecks. He is also the creator and administrator of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Group, a Facebook community and YouTube channel with over 5000 members and the host of the podcast Great Lakes Shipwrecks LIVE! 

A Great Lakes show wouldn’t be the same without the great Ric Mixter. Ric Mixter has been a storyteller since he was a kid, first broadcasting professionally when he was 16. He’s worked for affiliates for CBS, NBC and ABC and currently is a multimedia producer for “Great Lakes Now” on Detroit Public TV. His documentaries have been seen by millions of viewers and he’s been awarded by the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History for over 20 years of education to the public. Ric’s podcasts on www.shipwreckpodcast.com are the first dedicated to sharing maritime history of our inland seas.Ric Mixter has been a storyteller since he was a kid, first broadcasting professionally when he was 16. He’s worked for affiliates for CBS, NBC and ABC and currently is a multimedia producer for “Great Lakes Now” on Detroit Public TV. His documentaries have been seen by millions of viewers and he’s been awarded by the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History for over 20 years of education to the public. Ric’s podcasts on www.shipwreckpodcast.com are the first dedicated to sharing maritime history of our inland seas.