Former Canadian resident and ‘Diver’ Magazine contributor Cris Kohl has won a prestigious dive award. ‘Our World-Underwater’, a Chicago based dive exhibition, announced in February that Cris Kohl has won their annual dive award.
Former Canadian resident and ‘Diver’ Magazine contributor Cris Kohl has won a prestigious dive award. ‘Our World-Underwater’, a Chicago based dive exhibition, announced in February that Cris Kohl has won their annual dive award.
In naming Mr. Kohl the recipient of their annual award, the dive show noted that he is “an intrepid explorer. Mr. Kohl has studied hundreds of shipwrecks underwater in three oceans and all five Great Lakes during the past 33 years. He has a Master of Arts degree in History, specializing in Great Lakes Maritime History, plus an English degree, important elements which have helped him research, locate, identify, and write about numerous Great Lakes shipwrecks. He is also a certified Dive Master and Full Cave Diver, and he has taught Power Squadron courses for safer and more knowledgeable boating.”
Cris Kohl has written dozens of articles of Great Lakes shipwrecks for Diver Magazine. He also has written for Skin Diver, Immersed, Sport Diver, (Rodale’s) Scuba Diving, Discover Diving, Great Lakes Cruiser, Chicago, Cottage Life, Inland Seas, and the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper. His eleven books on Great Lakes shipwrecks continue to be popular with North American freshwater divers.
He is a Past President of the Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago, having served on their Executive Board for several years. He has also served in the capacity of scuba club President (3 years), Executive Board member of the Ontario Underwater Council (9 years), and Executive Board member (6 years) of Save Ontario Shipwrecks, the Windsor branch, which he co-founded.
In 2004, Cris Kohl was inducted into the prestigious Boston Sea Rovers organization, whose list of 127 inductees reads like a Who’s Who of the diving world. Raised in Windsor, Ontario, he now resides with his wife, writer and historian Joan Forsberg, near Chicago. Besides doing shipwreck presentations together, they recently co-authored the book, Shipwrecks at Death’s Door, and they produce a quarterly newsletter called “Shipwrecks! …The Great Lakes and Beyond.”
Diver Magazine contributors have a long history of winning the prestigious Our World Underwater Award including:
2007 Michel Gilbert & Danielle Alary
1999 Wes Skiles
1978 Dr. Sylvia Earle
1977 Rick Freshee
1976 Stan Waterman
1975 Jack McKenney
1974 Dr. Glen Egstrom
1972 Dr. Joseph MacInnis
1971 The Cousteaus