Shipwrecks, Survivals & Lost History Conference

[1733 Diver]

Shipwrecks, Survivals & Lost History Conference

A Special Maritime Event

SHIPWRECK CONFERENCE SYMPOSIUM

Friday October 30 – Sunday November 1, 2026​

HAMPTON INN & SUITES
400 Spanish Towne Blvd.
New Iberia, LA 70560
(337) 321-6700

Special Group Conference Room Rates Available

FRIDAY EVENING - PRE-CONFERENCE BANQUET

LANDRY’S CAJUN, SEAFOOD, & STEAKHOUSE

Landry's Cajun, Seafood & Steakhouse in New Iberia, Louisiana, is a locally owned restaurant. Founded in 1947, it serves authentic regional fare, including Cajun specialties, fried seafood platters, steaks, salads, and po-boys, alongside a popular weekend seafood buffet featuring live Cajun music.

SATURDAY - SHIPWRECK CONFERENCE

Guest Speakers, Door Prizes, Raffle, Silent Auction, Book Sale.

Shipwreck Author’s book signing event.

See artifacts recovered from the 1715 Fleet, El Cazador, El Nuevo Constante and other famous historic Shipwrecks as well as the Battle of Lafourche Crossing Site.

Tentative Speaker’s List (Subject to Change)

Anderson “Buzz” Bullock, Local Historian and Author “The Spanish brigantine-of War El Cazador: Louisiana Shipwreck Mystery – Solved.”

Jeff Burns, Director of the 1554 Fleet Society – The Loss of the 1554 Fleet off Padre Island, Texas and the aftermath.

Mark Gegenheimer, Documentary Filmmaker, Independent Maritime Researcher, and Historical Reconstruction Specialist. “The CSS Arrow shipwreck and the Empress of Ireland shipwreck.

Sal Guttuso, Operations Manager 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels, LLC, Founder History Hunts LLC and Author. “Finding the Fort: The Fort Capron Story.” a

Avery Munson, Historical researcher and diver, discoverer of the steamship SS New York. “The Loss and Discovery of the S.S. New York” and “The Heredia: A Tale of Shipwreck and Survival.”

Gary L. Pinkerton, Historian and Author of Paper Diver the 2024 biography about Harry E. Rieseberg, a famous fraud who claimed to be the world's greatest underwater treasure hunter without ever actually diving.

Sean Rich – Tortugas Trading, Inc., Chairman and CEO = Mr. Rich is a professional archaeologist with both terrestrial and nautical experience. Mr. Rich is a well-respected historian, classical numismatist, jeweler, master antique gunsmith, arms and armor expert. He made frequent appearances on History Channel’s “Pawn Stars” as their antique arms and armor specialist (Seasons 1-6). In 2012/2013 – filmed and starred in the First Season of National Geographic Channel’s new television series “Lords of War.” He has served as a historic weapons consultant and supplied movie props for many films including Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Jungle Cruise and others. “The Real Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Christian B. Roper, explorer, filmmaker, and television personality known for leading expeditions into aquatic folklore. He is the founder of The Subsea Society, a research organization specifically dedicated to pursuing unsolved maritime mysteries across the Americas. Roper made his on-screen debut as an expedition leader on History Channel's Beyond Oak Island. “Lafitte’s Lost Loot – Louisiana Treasure Tales.”

Robert F. Westrick, Director of Marine Archaeology, Coastal Environments, Inc. “El Nuevo Constante Shipwreck – Forty-Five Years Later in Retrospect and the Search for the Corizón de Jesús y Santa Bárbara” and “We Have the Technology - Deepwater Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico – An Archaeological Interpretation of the 7,000-Foot Wreck.”

Robert F. Westrick and Sal Guttuso “Medal Detecting Survey in the Pelican State - The Failed Texan Charge at the Battle of Lafourche Crossing: New Archaeological Evidence – Louisiana’s Bloody but Forgotten Civil War Battlefield Site.”

Saturday Evening VIP private after party.
VIP Ticket Holder’s Shipwreck Tales

In The Deep, a 1977 sunken treasure adventure film, when David Sanders (Nick Nolte) asks Romer Treece (Robert Shaw) what he does on a foggy night, Treece famously replies, “I just stay home and I drink rum.” Shaw’s character was based on Bermuda’s the real-life sunken treasure pioneer Teddy Tucker.

We’ll celebrate into the night drinking Dark 'n' Stormys, a highball cocktail made with Gosling’s Black Seal dark rum, spicy ginger beer, and a slice of lime. The dark rum floats on top of the fizzy ginger beer like a stormy cloud. It is the national drink of Bermuda. Or have a rum & coke, or whatever your drink of choice may be as we swap treasure tales.

Spend time with the speakers, kick back with a drink and swap shipwreck stories, get a tour of the shipwreck research library and test your strength by lifting an 80-pound silver bar recovered from the Atocha. VIP ticket holders will also have a private viewing of the never before aired documentary film Gold, Ghosts and Galleons.

This 45-minute documentary film was produced, written and directed by Mike Olafson, of Vintage Adventures. From lost cities in the sands of the Middle East to sunken treasure off the coast of Florida, Vintage Adventure Media follows in the footsteps of forgotten explorers, archaeologists and treasure hunters from the early 20th century. Gold, Ghosts & Galleons tells the story of HRD’s (Historical Research & Development Inc.) search for one of the missing 1715 Fleet shipwrecks off Vero Beach, Florida. The documentary was filmed on location in Vero Beach, Fort Pierce and the Florida Keys. Various interviews include Sire Robert Marx, Demostines “Mo” Molinar, Bob “Frogfoot” Weller and other successful Treasure Finders.

An intimate immersive event featuring shipwreck experts, the speakers and the authors in a deep dive meet and greet. You’ll sit in the same room, ask questions in a small group or one-one one setting and share storytelling and hear behind the scenes insights from the experts involved in exploration and discovery. Enjoy the kind of access that doesn’t exist anywhere else.

Sunday Morning

Bayou Teche Museum

The Bayou Teche Museum is located on Main Street in charming downtown New Iberia, recognized by Forbes Magazine as “America’s Prettiest Town” and immortalized as the hometown of James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux. New Iberia is also the hometown of the late Blue Dog artist, George Rodrigue and Louisiana’s first female governor, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.

We will get private behind the scenes tour of the Treasure Ship S.S. New York exhibit. Led by Avery Munson, one of the original discoverers of the historic shipwreck. Hear the story of the loss of the ill-fated steamship and the search and discovery. See gold coins, gold pocket watches, the ships bell and other artifacts recovered from the wreck site.

Sunday Afternoon

Tabasco Factory Tour and Jungle Gardens Experience

Tabasco Brand Factor Tour and Museum
Avery Island, LA

Where is TABASCO® Brand hot sauce made? With this Avery Island Experience, find out how The McIlhenny family has made TABASCO® Brand sauce on Avery Island, Louisiana for over 5 generations. Built on a salt dome, it is a mysteriously beautiful place where the red peppers grow, and the factory hums. Explore the 10-stop tour that takes you from seed to sauce, get a full tasting at the tasting bar in the TABASCO Country Store®, light up your taste buds with authentic Cajun dishes in Restaurant 1868!

Witness the growing process of the pepper plants from seedlings to full-grown plants; visit the mash warehouse for a peek at the sauce’s aging process; view and smell the aromas of the stirring vats; and learn about the company’s bottling and shipping process around the world. Sample spicy new food products and check out a wide array of branded products and souvenirs for sale at the TABASCO® Country Store.

From there, we’ll explore the ancient oaks and admire the wildlife through 170-acre,14-stop tour in Jungle Gardens.

Full full conference itinerary, advance online ticket registration or other questions please email.

stephmwest@hotmail.com