What is The Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival?

Are you a Diver in the Great Lakes area, a maritime history buff or just curious about the underwater world? Come to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival held on Saturday, February 25th, 2012 and find out what it is all about. The Ford Seahorse Scuba Diving Club, in conjunction with the Detroit Historical Society’s Dossin Maritime Group and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum will present the 31st Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival at Washtenaw Community College’s Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E. Huron River Drive, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The programs run from 9am–5pm, featuring a wide variety of sessions on Great Lakes shipwrecks, exotic dive locations from around the world and education/technical sessions. In the Exhibit area, there will be book signings, exhibits from local maritime artists, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, dive equipment manufacturers, diver charter operations and dive travel agencies. A number of local dive shops will be represented as well as underwater marine sanctuaries, and local quarries.

Shipwrecks are always the theme of this event and this year is no exception. The Festival has three venues, including presentations on Great Lakes shipwrecks, exotic saltwater destinations and Educational/Technical topics.

In the Shipwreck Room; Valerie van Heest will share three new Lake Michigan discoveries—a sloop, a schooner and a schooner barge. David Trotter will present three new shipwreck finds from 2011 titled “Vanishing Points!” Jim and Pat Stayer will highlight a historically significant Tuskegee Airman aircraft found in the St. Clair River. Sue Smith has put her Tech Diving equipment to good use to bring us some deep shipwrecks. Tony Gramer brings us video on the Fred McBrier that was lost in a collision on October 3, 1890. Ross Richardson knows that the Manitou Passage is dangerous and he will bring us the “Shipwrecks of Sleeping Bear Point”.

In the Saltwater Room, Tony Gramer will take us to the Socorro Islands; “Where Giants Roam”—mantas and whale sharks are highlighted. Roger Roth will take us to Egypt and share his video of the “Shipwrecks of the Sinai Peninsula”. Jeff Ginther will share a DVD presentation on the “Cayman’s Newest Shipwreck—USS Kittiwake”. Jim and Pat Stayer will show their wide angle video of Diving San Benedicto Island off the coast of Mexico. Merik Standowicz will show his dark, deep and cold “Shipwrecks of Arctic Norway” and Rudy Whitworth will provide presentations from the Caribbean Windward Islands of Dominica and St. Vincent.

In the Tech/Ed Room, Joel Stone, the Curator for the Detroit Historical Society will discuss the 17th and 18th century cannons that have been found recently in the Detroit River. Luke Clyburn will discuss the ancient shores of the Great Lakes and what they were like 395 million years ago. John O’Shea, Curator of Great Lakes Archaeology for U of M, will discuss his search for the “Caribou Hunters Beneath Lake Huron”. Robert McGreevy has a historical presentation on the Key Stone State, a side wheel steamer built in 1849 and disappeared taking 33 lives in 1861. Valerie van Heest will provide an overview of the “Abandoned Shipwreck Act—25 Years Later”. Kathy Johnson and Greg Lashbrook will present their presentation on “Sharks in the Great Lakes” (Lake Sturgeon). David Heidemann will show his “Underwater Photography: How to Avoid Common Pitfalls and Take Compelling Photographs”.

This is a preliminary list of the exciting and informative seminars and presentations that we have scheduled. Check back to the programs page frequently for the latest detailed information.

Tickets for the event are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

Ticket order forms with a more detailed list of programs and times will be mailed in January 2012.

The Ford Seahorses Scuba Dive Club, established in 1957, is one of the most active dive clubs in Michigan. The club is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the enjoyment and advancement of the sport of scuba diving.