A team of scientists, filmmakers and divers from the National Geographic Explorers Club will visit Gwynn’s Island this month to spend 100 hours underwater. By doing this, they will recreate a 1954 Chesapeake Bay expedition undertaken by the late Gilbert Klingel, an explorer and Gwynn’s Island resident.
Panel discussion Tuesday
The public will have a chance to meet the team during a panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Williams Wharf Landing, 1039 Williams Wharf Road, Mathews. This free event is sponsored by the Mathews Land Conservancy.
A boatbuilder as well as an explorer, Klingle built a diving chamber he called the Aquascope for his 1954 expedition. It was financed by National Geographic, and he wrote a 16-page article about his adventures for the magazine, complete with numerous pages of full-color photos taken by National Geographic photographer Willard R. Culver.
Led by National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Sylvia Earle, the new 13-member team will be updating the work Klingle did, using modern equipment and the latest scientific methodology.
A scientist for more than 60 years, Earle has been on numerous expeditions around the world, is a world-renowned expert on marine biology, and holds the record for the deepest walk on the sea floor. She is the first woman to lead the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and is an advocate for ocean conservation and education.
The expedition lead will be Helena Janulis, director of operations and strategy for Investable Oceans and manager of the COP29 Ocean Pavilion at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Also, part of the team will be water quality specialist Dr. Stephen Tomasetti, assistant professor in the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and science lead Morgan Bennett-Smith, owner of Red Sea Imaging LLC and Bennett-Smith Underwater Media.
The Explorers Club is a renowned international organization dedicated to advancing exploration and scientific research across the globe, said a press release. Founded in 1904 and headquartered in New York City, it brings together a diverse community of 3,500 members in 34 chapters worldwide, including leading explorers, scientists, and innovators. It supports fieldwork and discovery in 60 countries, including groundbreaking expeditions such as the first ascent of Mount Everest.