The Boston Sea Rovers 70th Annual Conference & Expo stands as the pinnacle of dive shows worldwide, offering an unparalleled experience for enthusiasts and professionals alike. Featuring an esteemed lineup of speakers, this event on 16th and 17th March 2024 is set to captivate audiences with its diverse range of attractions.
From enthralling film festivals to enlightening daytime presentations and captivating artifact exhibits, attendees are promised a journey into the depths of the ocean’s mysteries. Among the distinguished speakers gracing the event are renowned underwater photographers, marine biologists, conservationists, and explorers, each bringing their unique insights and experiences to the forefront.
Let’s dive in together to learn more about each of the daytime speakers at this years event.
Aron Arngrimsson
Aron Arngrimsson has owned and operated several high-profile technical diving operations, written for dive publications and training organizations, developed products with industry leading manufacturers and has regularly helped organizations develop training outlines. Aron has filmed documentaries and commercials along with hosting numerous TV and film productions including National Geographic, Dive Odyssey and Monty Halls and is now the co-founder of Dirty Dozen Productions.
Andrea Murdock Alpini
Andrea Murdock Alpini is a TDI and CMAS technical trimix and advanced wreck-overhead instructor based in Italy. He is fascinated by deep wrecks, historical research, decompression studies, caves, filming and writings. He holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and an MBA in Economics for The Arts. Andrea is also the founder of Phy Diving Equipment. His life revolves around teaching open circuit scuba diving, conducting expeditions, developing gear, and writing essays about his philosophy of wreck and cave diving. He wote the books: “Deep Blue: storie di relitti e luoghi insoliti” (2020), and in “Immersioni Selvagge” (2022). Actually he is working on a new book: “Andrea Doria: Un lembo di patria”.
Rick Ayrton
UK based technical diver and Underwater Photographer Rick Ayrton has been involved in wreck discovery around the British Isles for many years. The past two years have been some of the most rewarding and productive. Rick is an award winning underwater photographer and he enjoys bringing images of long forgotten shipwrecks back into the public eye. In 2021 he published “Expedition Britannic” a book about the 2019 expedition that was well received by both divers and non-divers.
Becca Boring
Raised on wreck diving and photography Becca Boring has been the Operations Manager of Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo for the last decade. She is passionate about documenting and helping others capture the beauty of the underwater world and has a particular fondness for the wrecks of the Pacific.
Mike Boring
Mike’s fascination with maritime history and shipwrecks began after his first wreck dive off the New Jersey coast in 1971. Since then he has explored many shipwrecks in various parts of the world and has participated in numerous projects and expeditions. In 1985 he was part of the seven-man team that recovered the bell from the Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria. From 1989 to 1995 he operated a charter boat off the Virginia coast and discovered a number of wrecks, including the 4-masted steam-schooner Eureka that sank in 1888 carrying a cargo of general merchandise. While living in Europe from 1999 to 2004 he explored wrecks in the English Channel, Scapa Flow, Baltic Sea, Northern Ireland, Norway, and the North Sea – including three expeditions to document the wrecks from the Battle of Jutland. In 2002 Mike organized a team of English and American divers who traveled to Poland to dive the German liner, Wilhelm Gustloff, where more than 9,000 people perished after being torpedoed by a Russian submarine in January 1945, making it the deadliest shipwreck in history. From 2017 to 2022 Mike lived in Okinawa Japan, traveling throughout the Pacific, diving wrecks in Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Truk Lagoon, and Bikini Atoll. Mike now lives in Florida, retired from work but not diving.
Giorgio Carampana
Dr. Giorgio Caramanna has more than 25 years of professional diving activity, primarily in high-risk environments (including caves, under the ice, and volcanic areas). He is a certified European Advanced Scientific Diver and American Academy of Underwater Sciences Scientific Diver. He is also a NAUI and DAN Instructor. He is a consultant for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (MA, USA), collaborating with the Diving Program in risk management for diving and scientific diving training. In 2018, he was awarded the “Golden Trident” from the International Academy of Underwater Sciences and Techniques for his contribution to the development of underwater science.
Paul Cater Deaton
Paul Cater Deaton is an award-winning Writer, Producer, Director and Cinematographer. Based in Galveston, he works all over the world on film, TV, music video and documentary projects. He is a popular speaker and master of ceremonies, making frequent appearances at international events. PCD is a member of the Television Academy, The Explorers Club, Boston Sea Rovers, Historical Diving Society and a NAUI Instructor. He is certified in Global Shark Biology, Biodiversity and Conservation by Cornell University and the University of Queensland and was recently named a Philippines Specialist by the Philippines Department of Tourism.
Mark Corbett, Panda Daniels and Jay King
Marc Corbett, Panda Daniels, and Jay King are founding members of the North Carolina Shipwreck Project. A group dedicated to locating, exploring, researching, and documenting historic shipwrecks along the NC coast. The NC Shipwreck Project is a technical dive team, and extremely close group of friends who work together towards their goals.
Fabien Cousteau, Brian Helmuth and Mark Patterson
Fabien Cousteau is the Co-Founder & Chairman and Chief Oceanic Explorer for the PROTEUS Ocean Group (POG). He is the grandson of Jacques Cousteau, and son of Jean-Michel Cousteau. Brian Helmuth, PhD is a 25-year Professor at the Marine Science Center at Northeastern University and Lead on POG Science & Research Strategy. Mark Patterson, PhD is a POG Lead Strategic Advisor and Northeastern Professor in Marine & Environmental Sciences/Civil & Environmental Engineering.
Cristian Dimitrius
Cristian Dimitrius is an Emmy Award Winning cinematographer, multi-task cameraman (top side and underwater), experient drone pilot and television presenter specializing in wildlife and natural history. In addition to several film credits including IMAX films, Cristian has shot and produce for the world’s top television networks including the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Netflix, AppleTV+, Animal Planet, Smithsonian, LoveNature, PBS and many others. With a large experience in the Brazilian Biomes, specially Amazon, Pantanal and the coastline, he is the right man to help you to get that stunning image your land mark series or any production working in Brazil. Due to its versatility and adaptation to different natural environments, Cristian has the ideal profile to get a better and more complete result in a shorter time. His cinematography has been acclaimed all over the world.
Amy Giannotti
Amy Giannotti is a marine ecologist and proudly represents Schoolyard Films as their Director of Development. Amy’s love of the sea spans generations, as her great-great grandfather was a prominent captain of sailing ships from Cape Cod during the 1800s. Amy has a B.S. in biology from Marietta College and a M.S. in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia. She has extensive experience in freshwater and marine environments, including underwater caves and problems with invasive species.
Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley
Dr. Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley received her PhD from Harvard University in 2009 where she studied the evolution of corals across the Caribbean. She subsequently held postdoctoral positions in Florida and Italy, before settling at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences. During her time at BIOS she became heavily involved with studying the invasive lionfish, a project that led her to technical diving as they discovered dense aggregations on deeper reefs. She quickly became fascinated with mesophotic coral reefs and over time transitioned to a closed circuit system. In 2020 she joined the Central Caribbean Marine Institute as the Director of Research where she lead a team focused on documenting biodiversity on deep reefs, understanding community dynamics, and examining the potential of mesophotic reefs as thermal refuges.
Roger Hanlon
Roger Hanlon is a diving biologist who studies rapid adaptive coloration in cephalopods. He has conducted detailed field studies worldwide with the aid of diving citizen scientists and film crews, and has published 250 scientific papers, several dozen of which involve two dozen octopus species worldwide. He is a Senior Scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole and was trained at Florida State University, the University of Miami, and Cambridge University. Active public outreach includes TED 2019, BBC, NOVA, Discovery, National Geographic, TEDx 2015, New York Times, and others.
Jill Heinerth
An underwater and wildlife cinematographer with a passion for showcasing the world’s stunning natural diversity. Maxwel grew up on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia before travelling around the world evolving his skills as a photographer. Maxwel currently works for productions like Netflix, Disney, National Geographic, BBC, IMAX, and more. He is a rebreather diver, cave diver, and a brand ambassador with Divesoft, Huish Outdoors and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Maxwel Hohn
An underwater and wildlife cinematographer with a passion for showcasing the world’s stunning natural diversity. Maxwel grew up on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia before travelling around the world evolving his skills as a photographer. Maxwel currently works for productions like Netflix, Disney, National Geographic, BBC, IMAX, and more. He is a rebreather diver, cave diver, and a brand ambassador with Divesoft, Huish Outdoors and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Dawn Kernagis
Dr. Dawn Kernagis is the Director of Scientific Research for DEEP. Her research over the past decade and a half has centered around extreme environmental physiology, health, and performance optimization, funded by agencies including the US Navy, NASA, US Department of Defense, DAN, and the American Heart Association. Dawn has also been a diver since 1993; she was a diver and operations manager of multiple underwater cave and wreck exploration projects. In 2016, she was selected as a crew member of the NASA NEEMO XXI undersea mission. Based on her research and diving background, Dawn has been inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame, selected as a Fellow of the Explorers Club, and is the recipient of the 2018 Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society’s Young Scientist Award.
Andrea and Tomas Kiss
Andrea and Tomas Kiss are instructors and passionate CCR divers. Over the years, SCUBA diving has become their lifestyle and profession. Founders of the AKITO dive team, with focus on diver training, underwater photogrammetry, support for scientific diving operations, and promotion of underwater environment and heritage protection.
Francesca Koe
Francesca Koe, (longtime Editor-at-Large for DeeperBlue.com, and narrator of the smash Nextflix documentary “The Deepest Breath) brings extensive breath-hold & freediving competition experience as the VP of U.S.A. Freediving, a multi-agency & multi-disciplinary dive instructor, and as an active AIDA + CMAS judge for international depth & pool events. Francesca has worked at Vertical Blue for over a decade, collaborating in roles of safety, production & now as the Chief Media Officer of VB. Partnering with many other global schools & competitions, Francesca is focused on ensuring best-practices, medical training and safety are prioritized worldwide.
Kirk Krack
Kirk Krack is a renowned ‘multi-disciplined’ diver and entrepreneur. Scuba instructor since 1988 and mixed gas instructor trainer since the mid-90’s, in 2000 Kirk developed one of the world first freediving educational systems, Performance Freediving International eventually training seven athletes to twenty-three world records and receiving the ‘DAN Rolex Diver of the Year’ award. He’s worked extensively in the movie industry recently training cast and crew for James Cameron on ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’. Kirk has joined DEEP Research Labs an ocean exploration and marine engineering company developing underwater habitats, submersibles and training.
Chris Kraska
Chris Kraska is the son of an Irish mother and Polish Father who met and married in Scotland at the height of WWII while father was a seaman in the Polish Navy. As a marine archaeologist, divemaster, and underwater photographer Chris has made hundreds of dives in warm waters as well as on Lake Erie. As part of his avocational work, Chris has been a member of MAST, the Maritime Archaeological Survey Team, since 2006 and served as the chairman of the board from 2012 until 2018. He has participated in numerous archaeological surveys as as a survey diver, dive safety officer, and project manager.Chris became involved with DWP CARES after meeting its Director while filming a documentary on Lake Michigan in 2019. Since that time, he has helped shape the organizations educational platform and course structure as part of their education advisory board.Chris has degrees in political science, archaeology, and education.
Mark Seth Lender
Mark Seth Lender is a producer for wildlife content and Explorer in Residence at Living on Earth, nationally broadcast to 250 Public Radio stations. He does his own fieldwork and writes and voices his material on air (2009 – present). He has a monthly byline at Connecticut Examiner and is an occasional contributor to Estuary Magazine. He is the author together with his wife Valerie Elaine Pettis of the award winning and much-beloved children’s book, Smeagull the Seagull, A True Story. Mark was inducted into the Explorers Club in 2015.
Kayla Martin
Kayla Martin represents the upcoming generation of shipwreck divers and since 2014 has shared her passion at conferences across North America. She promotes preserving historic shipwrecks and low-impact diving as the Heritage Ambassador for Save Ontario Shipwrecks and serves on the board of Ontario Marine Heritage Committee.She volunteers as a member of the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association Dive Team and assists the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society in creating 3D photogrammetry models.Selected as a 2023 Royal Canadian Geographical Society Expedition Grantee, she is currently leading an expedition to document the Oliver Mowat, an intact Great Lakes schooner.
Nancy McGee
Nancy McGee, an intrepid explorer and filmmaker, leads a life of thrilling adventures and remarkable achievements. She made history as the first female Exosuit pilot and garnered the prestigious Explorers Club Fellowship for her groundbreaking expeditions in uncharted territories. Her documentaries, centered on conservation and education, have left a lasting impact, while her roles as a prominent speaker and emcee further amplify her influence. Besides her stellar career, Nancy made substantial contributions to public education, touching the lives of countless children, and played a pivotal role in launching aerospace education for PreK-12th grade students.
Faith Ortins
Faith has spent her life educating people about diving through her love and enthusiasm for the ocean, she inspires people and instills in them a passion for diving in all its forms. In early 1990’s, she worked with DUI to develop the first women’s drysuits before becoming DUI’s VP of Sales and Marketing for 20 years. She created the DUI DOG Rally and Demo Tour Program which promoted local diving facilities across the US, teaming dive retailers together while divers test dive DUI products. She now is the co-owner of Blue Green Expeditions which guides expeditions to all the oceans on the planet including multiple polar expeditions. Certified in 1979, she has over 6000 dives including 1000 plus technical and polar dives.
Neal Pollock
Neal W. Pollock, PhD. holds a Research Chair in Hyperbaric and Diving Medicine and is an Associate Professor in Kinesiology at Université Laval in Québec, Canada. He was previously Research Director at Divers Alert Network (DAN) in Durham, North Carolina. His academic training is in zoology, exercise physiology and environmental physiology. His research interests focus on human health and safety in extreme environments.
Joe Romeiro
Joe Romeiro is a multi-award-winning veteran wildlife filmmaker and Executive Director of 333 Productions. He is a member of the Explorers Club and in 2019 the Boston Sea Rovers awarded him the esteemed “Diver of the Year” award. Joe has spent over a decade filming and interacting with sharks all over the world. He has worked with many top celebrities and holds producer and filmmaking credits for Discovery Channel, National Geographic, BBC, Animal Planet and many more. His mission is to showcase sharks as beautiful creatures that are critical elements to our oceans ecosystem through personal interaction, education, research and filmmaking.He has worked with many respected scientists in the field to bring to light some of the world’s first knowns about shark behavior and activities that astound audiences worldwide. Joe and his wife, Lauren, own a 45′ research vessel located in Rhode Island, the R/V WARFISH, and has co-authored many scientific papers on shark behavior, movement, ecology and biology. His work focuses on his local New England waters, fighting for the survival of native species with an emphasis on the mako, blue, porbeagle and great white shark. His work has fueled awareness and legislation to protect these species not just regionally, but worldwide.
Michael Salvarezza and Christopher Weaver
Michael Salvarezza and Christopher Weaver have been diving the waters the world since 1978. They have presented their work numerous times at the Boston Sea Rovers Underwater Clinic, and all of the major dive conferences, and have published more than 200 articles in numerous magazines, including National Geographic Adventure. Their work has been used to support a variety of research and educational programs. Their expeditions have taken them from the Arctic to the Antarctic and many places in between.
Jennifer Sellitti
Jennifer Sellitti is Marketing Director of Atlantic Wreck Salvage and a crew member aboard the company’s vessel, D/V Tenacious. She manages topside operations during dive expeditions, conducts historical research, and leads the team’s effort to educate the public about the importance of shipwreck discovery and salvage. A criminal defense attorney by trade, she is also a diver and a U.S.C.G. licensed ship captain.
Richard Simon
Richard M. Simon grew up diving and crewing on New England dive boats. Rick is a Boston Sea Rover & Frank Scalli Intern (2005) and a TDI dive instructor holding both recreational and technical ratings. Rick is also the president of Manta Industries- a dive equipment manufacturing company; and is the vice president of Shoreline Diving Services, INC.- a commercial diving company specializing in inspection, salvage and construction. Rick is an avid diver; especially enjoying cave and wreck diving mostly on the East Coast but really anywhere around the world. When he is not diving he enjoys spending time on his with- with his wife Erin and their many farm animals.
Greg Skomal
Dr. Gregory Skomal is an accomplished marine biologist, photographer, and author. He has been a senior fisheries biologist with the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries since 1987 and currently heads up the Massachusetts Shark Research Program, where he has been actively involved in research on the life history, ecology, and physiology of sharks. He has written dozens of scientific research papers and his work has been highlighted in several film and television documentaries including programs for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and PBS.
Jim and Pat Stayer
The Stayers, Boston Sea Rovers Associate Members and Explorer Club Fellows, are well-known underwater filmmakers dedicated to sharing shipwrecks, animal behavior, and remote dive destinations around the world. Jim & Pat have discovered several historic shipwrecks, co-authored 3 books, produced hundreds of multimedia presentations, and their footage has appeared on numerous major networks worldwide. They have directed several evening film festivals and are popular presenters across North America. The couple have been diving for 49 years and ran a charter boat on the Great Lakes. Jim is a USCG Captain and Pat is in the Women Divers Hall of Fame. Together they have led an amazing life of adventure
Jake Stout
Jake Stout is a wildlife photographer specializing in natural history photojournalism. A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Jake developed his love of nature spending summers in New Hampshire. Jake has been sharpening his photography skills since 2009 and has worked across many genres of the medium.
Jake began his SCUBA journey in 2017 and never looked back. A year later, he was the recipient of the Boston Sea Rover’s internship in which he traveled around the world doing underwater photography with marine scientists, BBC and National Geographic photographers and filmmakers. In 2019 Jake had the honor of presenting his work at the Boston Sea Rovers Film Festival, the longest continually running dive show in the world, and was inducted as a full active roster member in 2020. He is currently developing underwater camera technology in the Red Sea at the Derya Akkaynak COLOR lab.
Gregory Such
Greg Such, a distinguished boat captain, seasoned explorer, and dedicated instructor trainer, has dedicated three decades to the dive industry. Greg’s passion for underwater exploration has taken him to the far corners of the globe, with a special focus on wreck diving. His expertise extends beyond diving, as he imparts his knowledge to train both divers and instructors. A true advocate for accessibility to remote dive sites, Greg actively collaborates with organizations to ensure divers can access these hidden gems. His commitment to preserving maritime history is evident through his efforts to document these sites for museums, ensuring that the world can share in the wonder of these submerged treasures.
Eric Takakjian
Captain Eric Takakjian a professional mariner has been sailing ships and oceangoing tugboats to various corners of the world since 1978. Eric has conducted extensive historical research on New England shipwrecks. Since 1985 Eric and his friends have conducted expeditions resulting in the location and exploration over 70 previously undiscovered shipwrecks in the waters around New England and outer continental shelf waters An avid shipwreck diver since 1975. Captain Eric has been a fellow of the Explorers Club since 1997, a member of the Board of Directors of The Steamship Historical Society of America, and an associate member of the Boston Sea Rovers.
Peter Venoutsos
Peter Venoutsos has been a certified diver since 1976 and a commercial diver since 1983. His experience includes working with private underwater engineering firms, the Federal Government, and the US Navy. His interests include underwater photography, shipwrecks & cave diving, with the goal of promoting diving around the world.
Ron Watkins
Ron Watkins has been an award-winning photographer for 20+ years, writer, public speaker, conservationist and photography instructor specializing in underwater and topside nature photography. Ron is known as an adventurer who is passionate about sharing his knowledge of photography and gets as much of a rush from nailing a shot as teaching someone else how to do the same. As a Backscatter Photo Professional Affiliate, he leads trips, reviews gear and teaches workshops. His imagery and stories have been featured in numerous publications including Oceanographic Magazine, Alert Diver, Ocean Geographic, Scuba Diving, Scuba Diver Ocean Planet, and Unterwasser.
Brady Watson
Brady Watson of East Greenwich, Rhode Island is the 2023 Boston Sea Rovers Annual Summer Intern. Brady will be a freshman at the University of Rhode Island in the fall, majoring in geological oceanography. He is a certified divemaster and plans to pursue technical diver training. His interests outside of diving include gardening and serving as the sports photographer for his high school yearbook. He works for a pool company and as a divemaster.
Ronald Weller
Ron is an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Division of Criminal Justice in Connecticut. He has been a prosecutor for 30 years and, before that, a civil trial attorney. Ron is also an Adjunct Professor at Quinnipiac Law School and an instructor for the Connecticut Police Academy. As a PADI IDC Staff Instructor for Scuba Shack, Ron enjoys presenting on topics where the law and scuba diving intersect.
Paul Whittaker
Paul Whittaker has been an active diver since 1987 when he first obtained his scuba certification. Since then Paul has traveled all over the world diving in various locations to include Bikini Atoll, Truck Lagoon, Halifax, Okinawa, Guadalupe, Socorro, and the Great Lakes. His favorite dive destinations are off of New Jersey locating and diving shipwrecks, and North Carolina diving for meglodon sharks teeth. Paul is a retired New Jersey State Trooper and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He resides in Galloway, New Jersey with his wife and dive partner Jennifer.
