Dan Warter is the President of DCS FIlms, a company conceived by their heartfelt, and dramatic documentary film, "The Warrens, A Lake Crescent Mystery." Dan started diving in 1997, and soon thereafter in 1999, started his path to technical diving when he was introduced to the real shipwrecks in British Columbia. Knowing that wreck exploration was the path he was going to follow, Dan soon became proficient in underwater videography and historic research. Turning DCS Films into a hub of information for the diving and non diving world, Dan continued to discover more people with similar passions. With a hit documentary, several promotional videos for scuba companies, a handful of DocuMinis, and another full length documentary in the works, Dan has proven his love and drive for exploring and archiving our forgotten maritime heritage. 
Contact Dan at: dan@maritimedocumentation.org

Rob learned to dive from his father in 1978.  The lure of the depths and a love of history took a young Rob from the Diamond Knot to Bikini Atoll. A certified trimix CCR diver with numerous hours on both open and closed circuit, Rob is comfortable in the library researching or on the ocean floor exploring.
contact Rob at:  rob@maritimedocumentation.org

Growing up in the high deserts of New Mexico, Joshua Smith got his love for the sea from his mother, a former state swimming champion from Maine.  She taught him how to swim shortly after teaching him how to walk.  After getting certified as an Open Water Diver in 2006, Josh quickly threw himself wholeheartedly into his new obsession.  His goal from the very first day of class was to be able to dive the deep shipwrecks in his own backyard.  This quickly caused him to start hanging out with the wrong types of people and he got certified on a closed-circuit rebreather in late 2007.  Diving and exploring the waters of Puget Sound and British Columbia have become Josh's passion.  When not pursuing the next dive trip, Josh works as a general contractor, renovating and remodeling houses in and around Seattle. 
contact Josh at:  josh@maritimedocumentation.org

Paul has been diving since 2000.  He holds a PADI Open Water certification.  Paul's first shipwreck dive in 2001 was an artificial reef, the Cape Breton, in Canada and he has been hooked ever since. "The most fantastic view on the planet is seeing a shipwreck materialize out of the gloom on the dark ocean floor."  Paul
contact Paul at:  paul@maritimedocumentation.org

Chris was Open Water certified in 1997 at the age of 13.  Since that time, almost everything in his life has revolved around being underwater.  Chris is a Hypoxic CCR Trimix Diver.  His  passion for traveling lead to diving unexplored shipwrecks then photographing them to help outline the stories behind the sunken vessels.  Chris is a commercial diver by trade, he enjoys the different complexities that each job has to offer, and he can usually be found exploring the local lakes with other MDS crew in search of submerged relics from our local past. 

Erik learned to dive in 2004.  He immediately fell in love with the water and discovering objects that have long been forgotten.  Erik is a full trimix certified CCR and OC Diver.  He has traveled around the world diving to archive lost artifacts throughout many countries in Central and South America, shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, Florida, California, and loves diving the wrecks in local waters around Seattle.  Erik is a member of the Advanced Diver Magazine exploration team and attended Washington State University where he studied archeology.  

Dave began diving in 1969 before he even had his driver’s license.  In the 1970’s he moved to Key West, FL and worked at a dive shop there so he could better exploit his passion for diving.  In the late 80’s he was inspired by a diving incident to invent the DiveAlert that he now manufactures and distributes worldwide.  The DiveAlert is a diver’s signaling device that makes diving safer.  He began CCR technical diving in the late 1990’s and had one of the first AP Valve Inspiration CCR’s in the US.  He soon purchased the local favorite Megalodon CCR (the 10th one manufactured) and has been diving the premier deep wrecks of Puget Sound  and other places ever since. 

Ben started diving in 2004 and from the first dive knew that shipwreck exploration would be his passion.   Two years later in 2006, Ben began methodically searching and mapping the various waterways in the Northwest using side scan sonar.  As technology progressed, he began extending these technologies and built his own sonar systems.  With these units, Ben successfully mapped Lake Union and Lake Washington locating hundreds of wrecks and unknown targets, and proceeds now to search for several lost wrecks in the Puget Sound and Pacific.  Ben is an experienced technical diver with thousands of dives exploring the wrecks of the Pacific Northwest and vast cave systems of Florida and Mexico. He is a management consultant with PerSyst Consulting based in Seattle, Washington practicing in change management. Contact Ben at: ben@maritimedocumentation.org

Erin started diving in 2005 and immediately went to work for a local dive shop.  Pursuing her training through Dive Master, she actively dives and mentors throughout the Puget Sound area.  Her exuberance and excitement for the watery realm make her a natural fit for the MDS safety diver, a position she has held for two seasons.  She is at home in the water and comfortable doing deep bottle hunts or shallow fish counts.
contact Erin at:  cuppie@maritimedocumentation.org

Barb took up diving in 1979 in Alaska and opened a dive and travel business in 1980 which she ran for over ten years.  While raising four kids and running the dive business she also conducted marine research projects and worked with the military in providing cold water orientations for UDT teams in Alaska.  Barb currently works for the Dive Industry Association of BC and as a freelance writer/photographer for outdoor adventure magazines, with over 500 published articles around the world.  "I became a Trimix diver so I could photograph BC's gorgonian sea fans at 200 feet and enjoy deep historic shipwrecks."  Photography, underwater archeology and marine science are her specialties.  Her company is Innerspace Productions & Publishing in British Columbia.
contact Barb at:  barb@maritimedocumentation.org

IN MEMORIAM: All of us at MDS would like to honor our comrade, leader, and friend Ron Akeson. Ron was an avid diver and explorer, and amongst other accolades, a true inspiration. Ron loved to teach scuba, and it was during his "job" when Ron was taken from us in April 2014. A loving father, and true friend to countless individuals around the world, Ron will sorely be missed. His professional video and still images, somewhere hidden, will be a testament to his long legacy as a true artist, never lost in time. MDS would like to thank Ron for his years of guidance and leadership he exerted through his short stay, and will dive in our hearts forever...

Ron Akeson is the owner of Adventures Down Under, located in Bellingham, WA.  He first started diving in 1977 and has worked professionally in the dive industry for over 25 years.  Ron specializes in teaching technical diving, underwater photography, and holds instructor certifications in PADI, IANTD, SDI, TDI, and DAN.  With a degree in Marine Biology, Ron utilizes this knowledge  to teach marine education and sits on the Board of Directors for the Whatcom County Marine Resources Committee.  Ron is also the US Representative for the Dive Industry Association of British Columbia and also volunteers his time as President of the Washington Scuba Alliance.  When he is not out exploring deep shipwrecks, photographing a historic site or teaching Rebreather courses, he is a freelance writer and videographer for Northwest Dive News, X-ray International Dive Magazine and Canadian Diver Magazine.

IN MEMORIAM:  The entire MDS group would like to acknowledge the support and skill Mark Theune gave to us over the years.  Sadly Mark lost his life on a dive expedition in the summer of 2011.  A loving husband, a trusted friend, and a skilled diver, Mark was each of these and more.  Every single person who had the honor of meeting Mark feels the loss.  MDS would like to thank Mark for all of the energy and support he provided over his long career.  Mark will dive in our hearts forever...

Mark Theune learned to dive in the lakes and quarries of Wisconsin.  He received his basic open water scuba certification in 1970 and his PADI instructor certification in 1975.  Shortly thereafter he got a job as a scuba instructor and underwater guide in Montego Bay, Jamaica where one of his clients was a vacationing teenager by the name of John F. Kennedy Jr.  In 1976 Mark moved to Seattle and worked for a short time for Lighthouse Dive Center before moving to Spokane to attend law school at Gonzaga University.  He received his law degree in 1980 and moved back to the Puget Sound area on May 17th, the day before Mt. St. Helens blew her top.  Mark holds several technical diving certifications and is an avid underwater photographer.  He has a special interest in deep shipwreck exploration and the maritime history of Puget Sound.  Over the years Mark and his wife, Nancy have had the privilege to explore some of the best underwater sites in the world but his favorites remain the historic shipwrecks of Western Washington.  Mark served as a legal adviser and board member for MDS.