The Blue Wild Ocean Adventure Expo

Speakers

Dr. Eugenie Clark:
Scientist, Author, Shark Lady
Eugenie Clark, also known as Shark Lady, is a world-renowned ichthyologist and authority on sharks. She is currently a Senior Research Scientist and Founding Director at Mote Marine Laboratory. She has won many awards, authored three books, written over 160 articles (some for Nat'l Geographic), and conducted 71 deep submersible dives. www.sharklady.com www.mote.org

Martin Stepanek:
Multiple World Record Holder, Instructor
Martin is a freediving pioneer having gone to depths never before – over 400 feet on a single breath of air. He is one of the top freedivers/trainers in the world claiming over 13 World Records. Martin’s passion, dedication, and background in human physiology has pushed his F.I.I. curricula to the forefront of freediving education. A native of Czech Republic, Martin resides in Fort Lauderdale. www.freedivinginstructors.com www.martinstepanek.com

Sheri Daye
Sheri is a Freedive Spearfishing National Champ, multiple world record holder, and host of "Speargun Hunter" on Outdoor Channel. She is producing/hosting this Expo and wishes to thank all the speakers, exhibitors, and volunteers. She hopes you enjoy the big party -- thrown especially for ocean lovers!

Art Pinder
Art started spearfishing in the 1930’s with his father and brothers. They used slings and were considered the best in the world. Art led a colorful life -- he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, was a model, a pilot, a yacht Captain, a nightclub owner, served in the Coast Guard, and appeared on many TV shows. See Art's new biography at www.artpinder.com

Dimitris Kollias
Dimitris was born in Greece and became fascinated with the aegean waters early on. At 18 he shot his first “rofos” grouper, a legendary fish among Mediterranean spearos. Currently, he travels to practice selective hunting of fish, such as dentex and tuna. He has written many articles for diving magazines and became editor-in-chief of two. In 2002, he published "Spearfishing, the Full Method". In 2004, he started Deep magazine in Greece. In 2009, he started Deep Worldwide which is published in English www.deepww.com. He is a former member of the Greek national team, a CMAS freediving instructor, a Judge and instructor for AIDA International, and an experienced U/W videographer and photographer. But foremost, a passionate spearo.

Ryan McInnis Ryan has explored the underwater world since the age of twelve and has committed his life to documenting the beauty of the ocean and the people that subsist on her bounty. He is a freelance underwater cameraman from Wrightsville Beach, NC and holds a degree in Marine Biology. Ryan is also an FII Freediving Instructor and is the Photo Editor of Spearing Magazine. His credit list includes National Geographic Television, Animal Planet, Outside Magazine, and his internationally acclaimed web video series IN-SEAtv. For more of his work, check out www.InSeaWorldwide.com

Kirk Krack & Mandy-Rae
Kirk Krack is a world-renowned coach, mentor, and teacher of freediving. Mandy-Rae Cruickshank, also an instructor, is a
highly trained athlete, achieving many world records. Their Performance Freediving classes have helped many divers explore their potential and reach their limits in a safe and controlled environment. www.performancefreediving.com.

Bill Kyser
Bill Kyser's assignments as a firefighter/paramedic, commercial deep sea diver, and as a USAF combat rescue team member gave him an appreciation for sound health and fitness. Fitness is more than looking good; it's being able to engage life at a higher level. For divers, that means safer more enjoyable dives, whether on scuba or a single breath. The purpose of Diving into Fitness Workshop is to reveal the best elements of strength, endurance, leanness, and flexibility, and to help you create the right training regimen for your style of diving. www.professionalfitnesstrainer.com

Ted Harty
Ted started freediving professionally in 2009 when he became an instructor for Performance Freediving International (PFI). In 2010 he founded Immersion Freediving, where he teaches PFI classes in South Florida. Ted has won multiple freediving competitions, is a US National Record holder, and coached his student Nicholas Mevoli from being a 100ft diver to achieving a National Record dive of 300ft in only four months. Ted was selected to be the Team Captain of the US Freediving Team for the 2012 freediving World championships in Nice, France. www.Immersionfreediving.com

AST2 Alex Major Alex is an elite USCG Rescue Swimmer. He has helped to interdict drugs and illegal immigration from South America, attended the USCG Airman Training Program/Rescue Swimmer School in April 2007 and graduated as an Aviation Survival Technician in February 2008. He's been stationed at Air Station Kodiak in Alaska and is currently serving a second tour of duty at Air Station Miami. He holds his Advanced Open Water/Rescue Diver Certifications.

Stan Waterman:
Award Winning Cinematographer/Producer
Stan is a five-time Emmy-winning cinematographer. He learned scuba early-on, operated a dive charter in the Bahamas, and filmed a year-long trip with his family in Tahiti as shown on TV by Nat Geo. He was the producer of Blue Water, White Death and many award-winning documentaries. He is the author of Sea Salt and currently leads charters and lectures around the world. www.stanwaterman.com

Manny Puig:
Shark Wrangler, Swamp Explorer, Sculptor
Manny continues to educate and entertain audiences. His approach is primitive - no cages, tanks, or armor protecting him from encounters with some of the most feared predators in the world. Manny interacts with sharks, faces down black bears, and dives in the swamp with the American alligator. www.mannypuig.com

Dr. Daryl Wong

Dr. Daryl Wong is a dentist from Hawaii and is one of the premier builders of custom-made spearguns used around the world. He is also an accomplished spearo and world record holder, constantly experimenting with different designs and techniques. He enjoys reef and bluewater hunting and loves traveling to meet new friends or hosting them in his own back yard. He is known for his generosity, often sponsoring women and juniors, and for his kind spirit of aloha. www.wongspearguns.com.

Dan MacMahon

Dan MacMahon is one of the most respected spearfishermen in the state of Florida, due to his skill and character. He has won major tournaments multiple times and has speared the state’s largest Warsaw grouper at 403 pounds and the state's largest black grouper at 134 pounds. He is Spearfishing Magazine’s 2006 Spearo of the Year. He is an accomplished freediver, scuba diver, and technical diver, sometimes going to depths exceeding 400 feet. His passion for spearing comes through in his story-telling and he continues to be a role model and a guiding influence on many other spearos.

Dr. Jose Castro
Dr. Castro is a recognized shark expert and NOAA scientist from Mote Marine Labs. Dr. Castro's first comprehensive guide to
sharks is still used by researchers across the globe. He published an updated version of his book recently. He likes to share his knowledge of each species, including unique characteristics, interesting facts, and misconceptions. He will be signing books at the Expo

Lt. Dave Bingham
Lt. Dave Bingham has been a Florida conservation law enforcement officer for twenty-one years. He started his profession with the Florida Marine Patrol during the mid 80's and was a dive team leader in the early 90's, conducting underwater crime scene investigations and assisting with reef damage assessments. His agency deals with inland and marine related conservation issues and enforcement, as well as all types of boating safety regulations. He is especially good at clarifying any questions regarding spearfishing regulations in Florida. www.myfwc.com

Khalid Al-Hamadi Khalid is the first freediving instructor (FII) in Qatar trained by World Champion Martin Stepanek. He has worked to develop freediving and spearfishing in his region, and has been in several movies illustrating his freediving skills. Khalid travels extensively and has won a couple pearl diving competitions in his country. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Arizona and owns the freediving shop called Qatarsub. www.stateofqatar.com/qatarsub.htm Dr. Neal Pollock Dr. Neal Pollock is a Research Associate in the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology at Duke University Medical Center. Trained in exercise and environmental physiology, his research interests focus on human health and safety in extreme environments. The lab group is funded to conduct a variety of studies of decompression and diving safety. He has participated in breath-hold research funded by the U.S. Navy and currently collects and reviews breath-hold incident data for the Divers Alert Network. www.dan.org. AMT2 David Hetticher David is a USCG MH-65C Helicopter Flight Mechanic. He is a Los Angeles local and has been stationed in Astoria Oregon, Los Angeles Califrnia, and currently in Miami Florida. He has responded to numerous distress calls ranging from overdue vessels, open water rescues, to critically injured divers requiring transfer to the hyperbaric chamber. He enjoys museums and spending quality time with his family. You might recognize him from his appearance on CSI Miami.