2026 Thunder Bay International Film Festival - More Than a Decade of Highlighting Ocean & Great Lakes Films For the past 14 years, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS) has brought the wonders of the ocean and Great Lakes to northeast Michigan through the annual Thunder Bay International Film Festival. Held each January, the five-day [...]
On February 10, 2026, Stephanie Gandulla, Sophie Stuart, and Andrea (Andi) Yoxsimer returned — virtually — to their alma mater of Eastern Carolina University (ECU) to speak with students in a Cultural Resource Management class. The program prepares future leaders in underwater archaeology and heritage management, and admits a limited number of students per year. [...]
What if reading a book didn’t end on the final page? For sixth graders at Alpena Public Schools and Posen Consolidated Schools, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi became more than a classroom novel — it became an immersive, hands-on journey into maritime history at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS). From Page [...]
In August 2025, the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary dive unit joined forces with experts from the NOAA Diving Program and NOAA Diving Center to conduct a series of deep-water archaeological surveys. Over an intensive three-week expedition, the team executed more than 120 dives to survey nine historic shipwrecks resting in the deep, cold waters of Lake [...]
Summer in the Sanctuary: Discovery, Exploration, and Hands-On Learning This year’s Summer in the Sanctuary education series at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS) brought together curious kids and passionate educators for a season filled with exploration, creativity, and underwater adventure. The TBNMS Education Team offered three programs—Archaeology Adventure, Learn to Snorkel, and Underwater Robot [...]
This year’s Sail Into Your Sanctuary event brought adventure, history, and plenty of on-water time to Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. From August 14–17, 2025, the sanctuary teamed up with Tall Ships America to host a sailing weekend that gave participants the chance to set sail on replica historic schooners and connect more deeply with [...]
"Even though lighthouses may no longer serve their original purpose with modern GPS and radar, they still hold a valuable place in our cultural heritage and in how communities connect with their past." —Don La Barre, maritime historian at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary & the Michigan History Center In August of 2025, Thunder Bay [...]
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is known for the shipwrecks it protects—nearly 200, with about 100 yet to be found! So often, deep-water shipwrecks are the images we see because the preservation and detail are stunning. However, there is also an impressive selection of shallow shipwrecks that are great for exploring via kayak, paddleboard, or [...]
The 2025 MATE ROV Competition World Championship brought together different languages, continents, values, time zones, resources, climates, and customs - but with a shared mission; ocean, and planet. It is easy to stand back and see the differences, but the shared passion to innovate new technology to serve our shared ocean and Great Lakes overpowers [...]
Say hello to some hydrographers in training! In May, students from Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City got hands-on experience with NOAA hydrographers as they kicked off a major effort to map the 4,300-square-mile sanctuary. These soon-to-be graduates of the Marine Technology Program helped calibrate and test the equipment that will create high-resolution maps of [...]
