by Shea O'Malley | May 25, 2022 1:51 pm
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
OSWEGO – As a celebration of the coming summer season and a welcome to warmer weather; of all that Lake Ontario and the City of Oswego have to offer, the first annual Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival was held this past weekend on May 21 and 22.
The festival was a celebration of all things maritime – from protected marine sanctuaries to dancing pirates, the H. Lee White Maritme Museum had it all!
Some of the presenters at last weekend’s event included the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS), the Oswego Fire Department Water Rescue Team, Sodus Bay Maritime Captains Association, U.S. Coast Guard, H. Lee White Schooner Vessel Ontario project, Oswego Book Mobile, Girl Scouts and The Happy Pirates troupe for children’s entertainment.
Great Lakes Regional Coordinator at NOAA Ellen Brody, and Office of Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuaries Chairperson Pamela Orlando were present at the event, offering valuable information about the proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary.
“NOAA is proposing a National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of four counties,” Brody said. “A National Marine Sanctuary is designated as an area that NOAA manages, protects and interprets sanctuary resources. It could be a Humpback whale in our Hawaiian sanctuary, a coral reef in a Florida Keys National Sanctuary – what we’re proposing off the coast in Lake Ontario is protecting and managing Maritime Heritage Resources such as shipwrecks. So that would be the focus of this particular sanctuary.”
Helping find the historic shipwrecks and national treasures hidden in the deep waters of Lake Ontario and the surrounding Finger Lakes were USCG Captains and Underwater Sonar and ROV Specialists Tim Caza and Dennis Gerber.
Both Caza and Gerber have been shipwreck searchers for 40-45 years on Lake Ontario as well as Seneca and Oneida Lakes, hoping to spot unusual maritime secrets lying undisturbed in the deep cool waters of the Upstate New York region.
According to Casa, his team uses underwater Third Generation ROV’s capable of diving to a depth of 500 ft. Using a 600 ft. tether, the ROV’s are capable of remaining underwater all day unlike a scuba diver.
The ROV’s can also measure with laser beams, giving exact data of the size and scope of the vessel, which the team can then replicate into a 3-D images. With the use of VR goggles, Caza said they can see what the underwater rover is seeing in real time in 600 ft. deep water while aboard the boat.
According to Casa, during a routine sonar excursion on Oneida Lake, he and his team found a Durham boat in the lake bottom.
“Now a Durham boat – to give you an idea of what that is, go all the way back to George Washington crossing the Delaware. He crossed in Durham boats. To this day, there have never, ever been any archeological remains ever found until now. This is what we found buried in the bottom of the Oneida Lake,” Caza said. “These artifacts were brought up, transferred to [the] Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and restored. Now, they’re in the museum in Albany for the public and the story behind it, but that is the only known discovery ever found. That was in Oneida Lake.”
According to Casa, 33 Canal Boats have been found in Seneca Lake with 26 found in Lake Ontario thus far. He and his team are out on the water as much as possible, usually 14-16 hrs at a time looking for possible wreck sites.
Caza also said that all shipwrecks are protected by New York State – meaning all wrecks and artifacts belong to the citizens of NYS. Caza said they are now able to print 3D replicas of underwater wreckages for authenticity and public display.
Also, during various times at the event, the Oswego Fire Department’s Water Rescue Team showcased their rescue fire boat “Marine 1”. Firefighter Jason Williams spoke about specific features on the rescue craft.
“[The vessel] has a 500 gallon-per-minute water pump on it so we can fight fires in the marina or on shore,” Williams said. “Directly underneath the boat there is an intake system that draws water in that goes to a fire pump on the front of the boat.”
Williams said two hand lines (hoses) can also be attached for dock or home shoreline firefighting, similar to a fire engine. The craft is also used as a medical response boat, with all OFD personnel trained as ALS Paramedics. ODF works often with U.S Coast Guard Station in emergency response situations.
“We work with the Coast Guard a lot,” Williams said. “They don’t have medical, so if they get a medical call we can either take our gear, get on board their vessel and go out anywhere on the lake if they need assistance.”
Speaking about the Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival, Williams commented concerning OFD’s connection with the public during the Lakeside celebration.
It’s a community event. We love seeing anybody’s who’s out here and being a part of it –especially the kids,” Williams said.
For more information about varying groups reprensented at last weekend’s events, please click the links below:
Tim Caza/Dennis Gerber : www.thesonarguy.com[1]
Sodus Bay Maritime Captains Association: www.sodusbaycaptains.org[2]
The Happy Pirates: www.thehappypirates.com[3]
NOAA: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/[4]
S/V Ontario: www.hlwmm.org[5]
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/lake-ontario-waterfront-festival-showcases-best-of-maritime-fun-and-information/
Copyright ©2026 Oswego County Today unless otherwise noted.