Cape Cod is known for thousands of shipwrecks dating back as far as the 1600's. One of the remarkable things about these wrecks is that many of them can be visited by divers with recreational training and a few wreck diving tips from the seasoned and experienced divers.
Learn about some of the favorite wreck sites on Cape Cod and found out how easy it can be to visit them as a recreational diver. Photos and history of the more popular sites will be shared, along with some simple hints and recommendations on how most divers can experience Cape Cod Wreck Diving without being a technical diver!
SPEAKER BIO:
Jodi Burnham is a Technical Dive Instructor and Rebreather diver who first started diving in 2005. Jodi is President of the Cape Dive Club and also one of the founding members. She enjoys shipwreck photography, exploration and research, especially the history of shipwrecks in the local waters surrounding Cape Cod. Some of her favorite dives include the shipwrecks of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the reefs and wrecks of Florida, Bonaire, Roatan, Tortola, and of course, the shipwrecks of Cape Cod.
A photo tour comprising of seven trips from 1998 to 2008 sponsored by Dudas Diving Duds. This 600' Italian liner "Bianca C" rests in 170' off the beach of Grand Anse Beach, Grenada. She went to her grave after an engine room expolsion that caused the ship to burn for several days. Recreational divers drift over her stern to bow daily, while technical divers who choose to go deeper must deal with strong currents and long decompression stops. A challenging but beautiful wreck, the Bianca C is a top ten worldwide wreck.
SPEAKER BIO:
Evelyn Bartram Dudas began diving in 1964 while attending the University of Buffalo. On a 1965 trip to the recently sunk tanker Stolt Dagali, she met John Dudas, and the two became frequent diving partners and eventually married. Diving with John in 1967, Evie was the first woman to visit the Andrea Doria, and returned once again in 1991.
In 1966 Evelyn started making and selling individually tailored wetsuits. In July 1982 while ascending from the wreck known as the “Virginia”, John Dudas passed out and drowned. Evelyn continued to raise her four children as a single mom while continuing to teach scuba and expanding the wetsuit business into a full retail diving store.
Evelyn applied the skills learned to her new found love of cave diving in Florida and Mexico, and wreck diving in Truk Lagoon, Bikini Atoll, Vanuatu, Grenada, North Carolina, St Lawrence River, Tobomory and Scapa Flow.
Today Evelyn continues to be an avid Cave and DPV diver and travels the world diving and pursuing her hobby of underwater photography. Evelyn still owns Dudas Diving Duds and over the last 40 plus years has built it to be one of the premier dive stores in the Philadelphia area.
The Steamship Portland, lost with all hands in a devastating storm at the turn of the last century, was thought to be beyond the reach of scuba divers. In August of 2008, a group of Massachusetts divers pushed the boundaries of technical diving and visited this untouched wreck. Bob Foster will take you along as he and fellow team members develop the knowledge and experience they'd need for the first dives on the Portland, lost for almost 100 years after sailing into the "perfect storm" of November 26th, 1898. This elegant paddle-wheeler carried over 190 passengers and crew as it left India Wharf in Boston bound for Portland Maine, and was last seen as night fell off the coast of Cape Ann. The wreck was discovered in 1989 and positively identified in 2002, lying over 450 feet deep in what is now the Stellwagen Bank Underwater National Marine Sanctuary. Join Bob and his fellow divers as they work their way to previously unthinkable depths on their quest for the Portland.
SPEAKER BIO:
Bob Foster has been an active diver since 1972, and became interested in wreck diving while living near the Great Lakes in the 80's. He has been searching for shipwrecks in Massachusetts Bay for the last 8 years, and has discovered and documented over 15 including the YF-415, Brenton Reef Lightship, and Augustus Snow. Bob's wreck diving interests have also taken him to Lake Superior and to the Florida Keys, as well as to New York/ New Jersey to dive the U-869 and the USS Spikefish.
On September 21st, 1938 a category three hurricane struck the woefully unprepared and ill informed New England coast. This powerful storm claimed the lives of 682 people and 5974 vessels were lost, damaged, or destroyed. In this presentation we will explore the discovery of a previously unknown and yet to be identified shipwreck located off the Connecticut coast within Fishers Island Sound. Is she, as the evidence would suggest, a casualty of the hurricane dubbed the “Long Island Express?”
SPEAKER BIO:
Since 1988, Mark Munro has been actively diving on or searching for New England Shipwreck. Instilled with a passion for discovering previously unknown shipwrecks, he has sought out and located many using Side Scan Sonar and Magnetometers. Sonograms of shipwrecks acquired by Mark have been published in Underwater magazine and Gary Gentile’s book Shipwrecks of Rhode Island and Connecticut.
USNS Vandenberg, retired Naval Ship, became the world’s 2nd largest artificial reef this summer. Valeo Films Inc. was selected to document this historical event and celebrate the phenomenal, positive impact it presents to aquatic life, the environment, diver excursions and overall economy of Key West and the state of Florida.
SPEAKER BIO:
David Ulloa is the president and owner of Valeo Films Inc. (VFI), a Texas-based film and video production company. David's passion for his work and his outstanding performance as camera operator AD, UPM, line producer, writer, director and producer have earned him the respect of his colleagues as well as the industry at large. Undersea Expeditionary Video Services, the newest division of Valeo Films, specializes in expedition-style underwater film and video production. Its projects emphasize the technical, deep underwater content on which the company is now focusing. In addition to its professional activities, VFI maintains a national presence in the film industry through annual sponsorships and participation in numerous film and diving-related events.
