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Mike Fletcher giving a presentation - Photo: Natasa Djermanovic -

It draws people from around the north eastern United States and eastern Canada. This year the attendance topped out at nearly 550 people.

The symposium, which took place on March 31st, offered an impressive slate of speakers throughout the day. Jack Papes, from the Maritime Archeological Survey Team, presented a compelling look at a series of dives made to wrecks dating between the mid 1800s and the mid 1900s along Lake Michigan’s western shore. Robert Osborne, CTV Producer and underwater film maker gave a multi-media presentation on the World War Two story about the Battle of Bell Island in Conception Bay Newfoundland (see X-Ray Magazine issue #47.)

Jill Heinerth
But the star attraction of the symposium was Jill Heinerth, world renowned cave diver and cinematographer. She gave two presentations during the day--the first a talk on tips on underwater photography.

Among the highlights of her first talk, a demonstration on the photography technique known as “painting.” Find a pitch black location, take a camera on a tripod and lock it off. Then open up the aperture and run around the area with strobe flashing it on the elements in the scene you want to paint. The result is surreal almost impressionistic photo.

Heinerth’s second talk of the day was about a pair of documentaries she’s currently working on: Ben’s Vortex, a story about a missing cave diver, Ben McDaniel that plays out with more twists and turns than John Le Carre novel. The story is full of hints of murder and mobsters and backwoods characters that could have been drawn from the movie “Deliverance.” Jill and her husband Robert McClellan are both involved in getting that piece ready during the next few months.

Heinerth also spoke about her upcoming documentary project “We Are Water.” A film that looks at the close affiliation between humans and their water supply and the devastating results that occur because of our lack of concern about this resource.

Mike Fletcher
The other marquis presenter of the day was world renowned diver and TV Star Mike Fletcher. He talked about his history as a commercial diver as well as both of his TV series “Dive Detectives” and “Sea Hunters.”

The afternoon was capped off by another pair of speakers who both described their searches for previously undiscovered wrecks. David VanZandt, chief archeologist for the Cleveland Underwater Explorers talked about his groups successful hunt for the shipwreck of the Sultan—a two-masted brigantine that went down in 1864. Georgann and Mike Wachter gave a compelling talk on their discovery of a wreck that they believe dates back to the War of 1812. They’re still working on a positive identification.

For shipwreck junkies the week-end was pure pleasure. In between talks participants could also wander around the many booths that had been set up in the hall. They offered a range of activities from a chance to talk with members of Paul Watson’s environmental group The Sea Shepherd Society, to an opportunity to get close and personal with an number of old brass diving helmets.

All in all a successful day. It may not be DEMA or Beneath the Sea, but this symposium is rapidly becoming a must attend for serious wreck explorers in Canada and the United States. The Niagara Divers Association is already planning next year’s conference.