Category: News

Part of our “Inner Space Seminar” series at Hart House.
Shipwrecks of Ontario — The R.H. Rae and Alpena’s Empire ship the Falstaff — with scuba divers and shipwreck historians, David Mekker and Durrell Martin, of Niagara Divers’ Association, Save Ontario Shipwrecks and Ontario Marine Heritage Committee.
Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Recording of Shipwrecks: History and Mystery
View the recording of this very interesting seminar

Shipwreck Symposium
For more information on shipwrecks, check out the Niagara Divers Association’s Shipwrecks Symposium, April 9 and 10, 2021.

The R.H. Rae Sesquicentennial – 150 years of History:
Come explore the mysteries of the R.H. Rae, one of Kingston, Ontario’s true marine treasures. She holds many secrets, having been lost only a year after her launch even though she was outfitted with some of the newest technology of the time. Descend with us and travel back in time and tell the story of her history, from her launch in 1857 to be discovered by Barbara Carson to being visited by Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

Alpena’s Lost Empire Ship
The Empire Falstaff was the first ship to be lost in the Great Lakes after the 1959 expansion of the St Lawrence Seaway. Following World War II, vessels of war became ships of commerce. The British Empire Ship the Falstaff ended her career as the Monrovia 26 miles from Alpena, Michigan. The 447-foot ship now rests at 135 feet and offers fascinating diving opportunities for both recreational and technical divers. The hospital room, machine shop and galley can be viewed easily in less than 100 feet of water. More experienced technical divers will enjoy the spectacular engine room.

Bio

David Mekker 
David Mekker certified in 1989 at Tobermory. He received his Cave Certification in 1992, and was one of earliest users of Nitrox as a diving gas. Since then, he has extended his range of exploration with trimix diving. David’s second passion is Great Lakes shipwreck photography. He has a logbook filled with thousands of dives, as well as awards at Film Festivals. In the year 2000, David was one of the first divers to start shooting digital underwater video and using HID lighting. David is now able to combine his skills of videography and trimix diving to capture outstanding footage on some of the newly discovered shipwrecks around the Great Lakes. He created White Wind Productions with Joyce Hayward and Durrell Martin to produce multimedia presentations which he has shown at scuba diving shows across North America. David is a long-standing member of the Niagara Divers’ Association and is the current Chair of the annual Shipwrecks Symposium held each year in Welland, Ontario, bringing what began as a small show to the successful world-class event it is today.

Durrell Martin 
Durrell Martin discovered scuba diving in 1994, with over 20 scuba certifications including Divemaster, Cave and Trimix. Completing thousands of dives around the world, his true love is Great Lakes shipwrecks. Currently he is the Vice president of the Niagara Divers’ Association, President of Save Ontario Shipwrecks and sits on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Marine Heritage Committee. For the past 26 years he has helped to organize the annual Shipwrecks Symposium, which is Canada’s largest shipwreck show. Durrell loves to explore and document shipwrecks. In 2003 he was part of the team that did the site survey on the Cornielia B. Windiate for the NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Over the years with his partners in White Wind Productions, Durrell has presented at shows across North America. His most recent endeavor is being a team member on the Hamilton & Scourge Monitoring Program, which is being run by The Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society under license with the City of Hamilton and the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture.

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Index: 
– Inner Space Seminars