Dave Wright
Electrical Engineer
Dave Wright joined the Ocean Exploration Program in 2009, bringing a set of skills that most would envy. A self-taught engineer, he is highly respected in the field of underwater technology. Dave spent a decade working with Dr. Robert Ballard at the Institute for Exploration, and prior to that was a development engineer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
Dave is one of our senior pilots and, in addition to being an invaluable electrical engineer, he is one of our most respected mentors to the younger generation we seek to train. Dave is a veteran of some of the earlier Ocean Exploration projects, having served as pilot on the 2004 Titanic cruise, the 2004 and 2005 Mountains in the Sea cruises, and the 2005 cruise to Lost City. He is a co-inventor of the ‘Aquatic Autosampler,’ a fully automated system for in situ species identification of toxic phytoplankton, developed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. When not on assignment with Ocean Exploration, Dave returns to Louisville, Kentucky. He divides his time between the ongoing upgrade of M/V Kitty Hawk, a 1940’s vintage wooden cruiser, and tinkering in the basement electronics lab.
