David A. Bright (June 29, 1957 – July 8, 2006) was an American underwater explorer and
diver.[1] He was the president of the
Nautical Research Group, which he founded in 2003, and an avid contributor to documentaries on shipwrecks.
Early life
Bright was born in
Niagara Falls, New York in 1957.[2] He was on his school's swimming team and one of his coaches asked if he would be interested in taking
scuba lessons. He became a certified scuba diver at 13 years of age and started diving around the New York and Canadian areas. He received two bachelor's degrees in
biology and
German, and two years later got a masters in
Physiology, all from
Penn State.[3]
Bright repeatedly dived on the
SS Andrea Doria shipwreck, near
Nantucket, to research the ship's demise. His first expedition to the wreck showed that the
Stockholm had caused much more damage to the Doria than had been originally thought. He kept diving to what many considered the Mount Everest of diving, even after 13 other divers died exploring the wreck. On July 8, 2006, while diving to determine if any damage was caused to the keel of the ship, Bright suffered from
decompression sickness and went into cardiac arrest.[1] He was pronounced dead at
Cape Cod Hospital.[3]
David A. Bright (June 29, 1957 – July 8, 2006) was an American underwater explorer and
diver.[1] He was the president of the
Nautical Research Group, which he founded in 2003, and an avid contributor to documentaries on shipwrecks.
Early life
Bright was born in
Niagara Falls, New York in 1957.[2] He was on his school's swimming team and one of his coaches asked if he would be interested in taking
scuba lessons. He became a certified scuba diver at 13 years of age and started diving around the New York and Canadian areas. He received two bachelor's degrees in
biology and
German, and two years later got a masters in
Physiology, all from
Penn State.[3]
Bright repeatedly dived on the
SS Andrea Doria shipwreck, near
Nantucket, to research the ship's demise. His first expedition to the wreck showed that the
Stockholm had caused much more damage to the Doria than had been originally thought. He kept diving to what many considered the Mount Everest of diving, even after 13 other divers died exploring the wreck. On July 8, 2006, while diving to determine if any damage was caused to the keel of the ship, Bright suffered from
decompression sickness and went into cardiac arrest.[1] He was pronounced dead at
Cape Cod Hospital.[3]