Jim & Pat Stayer

Jim & Pat have shared their love for diving for the past 28years. The Stayers along with their good friend Tim Juhl formed Out of the Blue Productions and have discovered and documented several shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. From these adventures the trio has authored 2 books ("Shipwrecks of Sanilac" and "Sole Survivor") and produced over a dozen videos.  Their work has appeared on all major commercial networks. Jim is a licensed U.S.C.G. Captain, and together the Stayers run a dive charter boat in the Great Lakes.

Pat is a marine artist and computer graphics professional. Jim is a past president of the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council. Out of the Blue Productions, also puts on "Shipwrecks Remembered", the second largest shipwrecks show in the midwest.

A Look into the Bellies of  Great Lakes’ Whales

Alexander McDugall’s Whalebacks were once a common sight on the Great
Lakes.  Join the Out of the Blue’s Dive Team as they explore examples of
these now extinct oddities. Learn about their tragic tales and see rare,
historical footage of life aboard a “whale.”
 
 
 

The Daniel J. Morrell

The Daniel J. Morrell was launched in 1906 at West Bay City, Michigan and was one of the standard 600 footers of the early twentieth century.

The Daniel J. Morrell sank on November 29, 1966. As she rounded the tip of the Thumb, she faced the full fury of a storm whose winds reached 65 mph and waves exceeded 25 feet. With little warning, the Morrell began to break in half due to tactile weakness. The bow section sank quickly and only four men made it to the lifeboat. The stern section continued onward and sank five miles away, nearly an hour and a half later! Unfortunately, of her crew of 29 men, Dennis Hale was the only one to survive.

The bow section now lies on the bottom of Lake Huron in 200' of water with the stern being in deeper water. The bow section of the Daniel J. Morrell is, for the most part, intact and upright with the name still visible on her hull.
 
 

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