
Greg Stemm was co-founder and is currently Director of Operations for Odyssey Marine Exploration, a public company engaged in the exploration and archaeological excavation of deep ocean shipwrecks. He has been a pioneer in the emerging field of deep ocean exploration and has played a primary role in the development of new technologies and the development of private sector standards for underwater cultural heritage resource management.
Stemm was responsible for directing the archaeological team and operations that accomplished the world’s first complete remote robotic archeological excavation, on a Colonial Spanish shipwreck in a depth of 1,500 feet. The two year operation resulted in the excavation of 17,000 artifacts to precise scientific standards, and still stands as the deepest complete archaeological excavation ever accomplished. He has directed operations which have resulted in the discovery of hundreds of shipwrecks, including ancient Roman and Phoenician shipwrecks in waters up to 3,000 feet deep.
He has authored many papers and articles on deep ocean shipwreck exploration and archaeological excavation, and has given over 100 lectures on the subject to a variety of venues including the Explorer's Club, Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Young President’s Organization, World President’s Organization, World Business Council, Association of Dive Contractors, The UK National Shipwreck Conference, BMC Software and is a frequent enrichment lecturer for Cunard and Seabourn Cruise lines. He was a panelist at the 1998 Law of the Sea Institute, and was appointed for four consecutive terms to the United States delegation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) expert meeting to negotiate the “Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage”.
Greg has appeared on many television programs including The Today Show, Inside Edition, Real TV, Discovery Channel Canada and all the major network News Shows. He has written for Maritime Heritage Magazine, Anthropology Newsletter, Ocean News & Technology Magazine and authors a Column on shipwreck exploration and technology for Underwater Magazine. He was selected as a Fellow of the Explorers Club, and was the founder, past-president and is currently a Director of the Professional Shipwreck Explorers Association (ProSEA). ProSEA is a non-profit group that provides a forum through which private sector explorers, archaeologists and governments cooperate to promote ethical policies for dealing with shipwreck resource management.
Stemm served as a Founding Director (1986-93) and International President (1992-93) of YEO (Young Entrepreneurs Organization), the world's largest international entrepreneur's organization with over 4,000 members in 74 chapters in 24 countries. YEO members average 33 years of age and together represent $46 Billion in sales annually. He was also a Founder of the Florida Aquarium and a member of MENSA, Nautical Archaeology Society, Marine Technology Society and the World Entrepreneurs Organization, where he served on the International Board of Directors (1997-98).
Greg lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife Laurie and two sons, Nicolas and Adam.
March, 1996 "The State of the Deep Ocean Shipwreck Exploration Business"
Ocean News and Technology Magazine
May, 1996 "The Key to Davy Jones' Locker - Historical Shipwreck Recovery Ethics"
Ocean News and Technology Magazine
April, 1998 (co-author: Capt. J. Ashley Roach) "The Deep Ocean: Our Nautical
Heritage in Suspended Animation"
Maritime Heritage Magazine
March, 1998 "Cultural Heritage in Inner Space: The Future of Historical Shipwrecks"
Journal of the 31st Annual Law of the Sea Institute
September, 1998 (co-author: Capt. J. Ashley Roach) "Shipwrecks in the Deep Freeze"
Maritime Heritage Magazine
December, 1998 "Meeting Place for Two Worlds - The Punic Shipwreck"
Anthropology Newsletter
September, 1999 "The Shipwreck Dilemma"
Underwater Magazine
January, 2000 "Differentiation of Shipwreck Artifacts as a Cultural Resource
Management Tool"
Proceedings of Underwater Intervention 2000
March, 2000 "Shipwrecks, Apes and Van Gogh: Issues in Underwater Cultural Heritage
Management"
Underwater Magazine
June, 2000 "Finding Common Ground to Save the Sea's Treasures"
IMMERSED:International Technical Diving Magazine
July, 2000 "Shutdown at the Shipwreck Corral: Big Brother or Wild West?"
Underwater Magazine
September, 2000 "Putting 'Professional' into Shipwreck Exploration"
Underwater Magazine
January-February, 2001 "The UNESCO Convention: A Perspective from Inside the Process"
Underwater Magazine
July-August, 2001 "A Mid-Ocean Meeting of the Minds"
Underwater Magazine
November-December, 2001 "UNESCO 2002:Where Do We Go from Here?"
Underwater Magazine
January, 2002 "UNESCO Gets Its Feet Wet: An Analysis of the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage"
MINERVA: International Review of Ancient Art & Archaeology
December 5 and 6, 2001 Bogota Colombia
Latin American ADC Conference
Paper: "New Trends and Technical Advances in Remote Marine Archaeology"
Panel Moderator: "International Legal, Political and Diplomatic Issues in Shipwreck Resource Management."
January 26, 2000 Houston, Texas
Association of Dive Contractors/Marine Technology Society UI2000 Conference
Panel Moderator: "Trend in Commercial Shipwreck Exploration Operations"
Panel Moderator: "The UNESCO Convention: Strategy for Addressing Effects on Commercial Exploration"
January 27, 2000 Houston, Texas
Association of Dive Contractors/Marine Technology Society UI2000 Conference
Paper: "Differentiation of Shipwreck Artifacts as a Cultural Resource Management Tool"
April 22, 1999 Paris, France
UNESCO Plenary Session/Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage
Presentation: "Trends in Deep Ocean Archaeology Technology and Policy"
January 19, 1999 Cambridge, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Deep Ocean Archaeology Conference
Panel: "Ethics Issues of Deep Ocean Shipwreck Exploration"
February 13, 1999 Plymouth, England
United Kingdom National Shipwreck Archaeology Conference
"Odyssey's Punic Shipwreck: Bridging the Gap between Two Worlds"
February 19, 1999 Rügen, Germany
International Kongress für Unterwasserachäologie - IKUWA
Panel: "Kommerzielle Ausgrabungen und Antikenhandel"
September 9, 1998 Lisbon, Portugal
"Arquelogia dos Navios Medievais e Mondernos de Tradicao Ibero-Atlântico"
"The UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage"
March 30, 1998 Miami, Florida
Thirty First Annual Law of the Sea Institute
Panel: "The UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage - Legal and Political Issues"
April, 1998 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Explorer's Club/Shipwreck Explorers from Around the World
"The Tortugas Shipwreck - The First Deep Ocean Archaeological Excavation"
March, 1997 Plymouth, England
Fort Bovisand/UK National Shipwreck Archaeology Conference
"Deep Ocean Archaeological Robotic Techniques employed on the Tortugas Site"
Personal and Family Links
Articles by Greg Stemm
Dad's Nicaragua Website
Brother Scott's Hotel in Brazil