About Sealark
Sealark Exploration
At Sealark Exploration, we aim to make a lasting impact in the Pacific
community and beyond. Our initiatives and activities are designed to catalyze true transformation. But above all, passion is at the heart and soul of everything that we do.
Sealark Team
Mission teams are comprised of many experts representing diverse fields such as history, archaeology, linguistics, forensics, cartography, photogrammetry, hydrography and more. The core of each team are the five permanent members of Sealark. Meet them here.
Matt Wray
Special Projects Director matt@sealarkexploration.org
An experienced sea captain, Matt brings with him over 30 years of maritime survey experience to his position as Director of Sealark Exploration. He gained his IHO Cat A Hydrographic Surveyor qualifications whilst serving in the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). He currently manages his Sealark work around hydrographic survey project management and his time as a Commander in the RNZNR. As a hydrographer he has had an extensive career, starting as a survey specialist sailor, and progressing to the Hydrographer RNZN. He has experienced all aspects of hydrographic surveying in a wide variety of locations, including the tropics and the Solomon Islands. For exploration, Matt has proven himself in the historical sense in and around Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and in a contemporary sense with the search and locating of the missing fishing vessel 'Easy Rider' in 2012. For planning, Matt has years of maritime planning experience at all levels. Matt also has strong liaison qualities with operational experience in East Timor and the Middle East.
Ewan Stevenson
Director, Historian, Cultural Liaison, Chief Photographer ewan@sealarkexploration.org
Ewan was born on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon's and grew up there. From an early age he was exploring WWII battlefields in the surrounding seas of Iron Bottom Sound. A fluent Pidgin speaker, Ewan has a lifelong passion for WWII historical research and archaeology of the South Pacific. He has conducted and participated in a number of expeditions to the South Pacific particularly to the Solomon Islands.Ewan has participated as a volunteer SME on a number of US Defence Department DPAA surveys in the Solomon's with Brent Prop Group. Ewan's discoveries include the sites of the USS Aaron Ward (DD-483), USS Seminole (AT-65), Japanese midget submarines and a number of aircraft sites.He has travelled extensively through the Solomon's archipelago and has an extensive geographic, historical, hydrographic and cultural knowledge of the area. He also has a Bachelor of Science Degree.
BC Cook
Director, Historian, Communications Manager bc@sealarkexploration.org
BC is a historian, columnist, teacher, writer, boat skipper, master diver and a specialist on the history and culture of the Pacific region. He authors the newspaper column “BC’s Tales of the Pacific,” which is read around the world. He holds a B.A. in history from Lindenwood University, a M.A. in history from the University of Alabama, and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Missouri. He worked as a columnist and editor for the Marianas Variety newspaper on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands and was a member of the faculty at the University of Missouri and Lindenwood University. He has travelled extensively throughout the Pacific region. In between dives, he is editing his columns in preparation for publication and has submitted a fiction manuscript for publication.
Mark Roche
Director, Chief Financial Officer mark@sealarkexploration.org
Mark is a Director of Sealark Exploration, which is the culmination of a lifetime passion for WWII history. In addition to being an experienced diver, Mark has owned and flown numerous WWII naval aircraft. In 2006, Mark founded the former Gauntlet Warbirds, a training facility for general aviation pilots seeking warbird training and experiences. He also founded Mustang Aviation, which provided airshow demonstrations of WWII naval aircraft. Mark serves on the Boards of Directors for the National Museum of the Pacific War, The Admiral Nimitz Foundation and The Indiana Military Museum in the US. Mark was an investment banker for 35 years and is currently co-founder and partner with Teton Range, LLC, a US oil and gas production company based in Jackson, Wyoming.
RICH HENDREN
Maritime Archaeologist, Photographer rich@sealarkexploration.org