Christopher Kovacs

Growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Chris was immediately drawn to the ocean during summers spent at the New Jersey shore. Chris is passionate about diving and science and is a NAUI certified scuba instructor as well as a trained technical diver. He has traveled extensively and has been diving throughout the world, including much of the Caribbean and Mexico, California, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and Iceland. During several summers spent living and diving in remote East Greenland, he trained to dive under the icebergs and became fascinated by ice, local Inuit culture, and the polar regions. He has a passion for cold-water and wreck diving and when not in the classroom or research laboratory, he spends as much time as possible exploring the historical shipwrecks of the Great Lakes in the USA.

In addition to his love of the underwater world, he has always been fascinated by human physiology. After completing his Ph. D. in Kinesiology in 2001 he entered academia and is currently a tenured professor at Western Illinois University. His diving research is primarily focused on issues related to dive safety and extreme cold-water diving and he has published in numerous academic journals and presented his work at both national and international academic conferences. In addition to his academic interests, he has had a lifelong fascination with history and exploration, has a passion for teaching and education, and enjoys sharing his interests, unique diving experiences, and knowledge with all of our guests.