SPEAKERS

As an informative and entertaining forum dedicated to the full spectrum of diving activities, OZTeK'09 will again feature many of the world's leading authorities in their respective fields of diving expertise.

On track to become one the largest gatherings of diving celebrities ever seen in this region of the world, information on speakers will be regularly added to this section.

Organisations and individuals who might be interested in presenting papers at the Conference are invited to contact the Convenors at: admin@diveoztek.com.au

        Speakers listed alphabetically by surname

Samir Alhafith

Founder and team leader of the, The Sydney Project - an association of technical divers involved in researching and discovering important historical wrecks in depths between 75 and 135 metres more...

Leigh Bishop

Leigh Bishop is a world-renowned deep shipwreck explorer. His specialist deepwater photography alongside his own research has led to the documentation and discovery of many famous shipwrecks. more...

Kevin Denlay

Kevin Denlay is a Fellow International of The Explorers Club (New York) and has been involved in deep shipwreck exploration since his 1995 participation in the very first scuba dives on the USS Atlanta more...

Richard Evans

Originally hailing from California and now living in Australia, Richard Evans served in the US Navy during the Vietnam conflict, followed by 12 years as a police officer in Los Angeles. He holds a degree in the Administration of Justice and has been employed by PADI for the past fifteen years.more...

Dr. Andrew Fock

Andrew began diving in 1988, during his intern year, as a member of a University based club. This spurred an interest in Diving Medicine (and a love of diving ship wrecks) more...

Dr Mike Gadd

Although a keen and accomplished wreck diver, Dr Mike is currently most active in the location and exploration of new cave systems in Southern Thailand including the deep exploration of Sra Keow cave more...

Karen Gowlett-Holmes

Born in England in 1959, Karen migrated to Australia with her family in 1965, and lived for many years in Adelaide, South Australia, where she attended school and college, graduating from the University of Adelaide in 1980 with a BSc in botany and zoology more...

Kevin Gurr

Kevin Gurr was the first Technical Diving Instructor outside of the USA and is an IT at all levels. He was the first engineer to develop an EANx dive computer in the late 1980, is the co-author of Proplanner Decompression software more...

David Harasti

Dave Harasti is a marine scientist in Australia who has been working on threatened marine species (sharks, seahorses and fish) for the past 10 years. Dave is currently doing his PhD in his spare time on the conservation of seahorses and more...

Jill Heinerth

Jill Heinerth is an explorer. Her curiosity and photographic skills give us a tantalizing peek at a breathtaking world few will ever experience. more...

Dr Richard Harris

Richard Harris (or Dr Harry as he is better known), is an Adelaide based tech diver and underwater photographer. To pay for this expensive addiction he works as an anaesthetist and hyperbaric physician! more...

Greg Hodge

Greg first learnt to dive in 1980 while studying with the US Navy at Mare Island, California. After a long break he has returned to recreational and technical diving with renewed passion. more...

Richie Kohler

Richie Kohler's passion for technical scuba diving and maritime history has led him to explore some of the most challenging and dangerous shipwrecks in the world, including the Andrea Doria and HMHS Britannic. Exploring lost ships has led him to locate and help name numerous lost vessels more...

John Lippmann

John Lippmann began diving some 35 years ago and developed an avid interest in deeper diving. He has been involved in researching, teaching, writing and consulting on safe diving, decompression and accident management for the past 30 years.more...

Warrick McDonald

Introduced to SCUBA diving in 1961 on a Dutch Navy twin-set, Warrick McDonald retains his undiminished enthusiasm for an activity that has dominated his life.more...

Pete Mesley

Pete's passion for diving started in the cold English waters over 16 years ago. This is where his "Lust for Rust" was created and from then onwards he has dedicated himself to researching more...

Ron Micjan

Ron Micjan is a commercial vessel captain and technical CCR diver and instructor. He lives in the NorthWest corner of the United States. more...

Dr Simon Mitchell

Simon is an anesthesiologist and diving physician based in Auckland, New Zealand. His diving career has spanned many disciplines including sport, scientific, commercial, and military diving. He remains an avid diver, and uses a Mk15.5 closed circuit rebreather to pursue his interest in deep wrecks. more...

Martin Parker

Managing Director and owner of Ambient Pressure Diving, (manufacturers of the Inspiration and Evolution rebreathers) and A P Valves, (manufacturers of the Buddy range of buoyancy compensators) Martin Parker developed the Buddy range of jackets more...

Des Paroz

Des Paroz is a Sydney-based diver, underwater photographer and instructor. His passions in diving include underwater photography, wreck diving, and sharing the underwater world with others. more...

Mark Ryan

After learning to dive in 1986 in Melbourne, Mark became an Instructor in 1995. His technical diving career started in 1990, when as an active club member Mark arranged decompression dives on sites like the Euro & Piggott in Melbourne's Shipwreck Graveyard. more...

Tim Smith

Tim Smith is a Senior Heritage Officer and State Government Maritime Archaeologist, with the Heritage Branch, NSW Department of Planning (Sydney, Australia). With a Graduate Diploma in Maritime Archaeology and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Archaeology from more...

Carl Spencer

Carl Spencer has been fortunate enough to dive on some of the coolest shipwrecks around the world and been involved with several marque projects and television productions. more...

Dr Mark Spencer

Mark Spencer has been diving since 1975 and taking photographs underwater since 1978.

He originally took a camera underwater to identify the strange new creatures he was discovering and to learn more about them more...

Rick Stanton

Cave explorers generally fall into one or other of two categories; technical divers who dive in flooded caves but rarely leave the water, and cavers who dive but treat the flooded section as a barrier more...

Richard Taylor

Richard Taylor is the Regional Sales & Training Director for Technical Diving International (TDI) and Scuba Diving International (SDI) for Australia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, East Timor more...

Steve Trewavas

Steve Trewavas was spear fishing before he left primary school and began to scuba dive at the age of 15 in the temperate waters of New Zealand. He has been exploring the underwater world ever since. more...