2001 Presenter Full Presenter List

Joseph MacInnis

Undersea Explorer

Joseph MacInnis is a physician who has spent three decades studying human performance in high-risk environments.

Since 1964, he has led 30 expeditions into the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans, and logged more than 5,000 hours under the sea. In Medicine his work with decompression made possible dives by himself and others that set records for depth and duration. In science and technology he designed and built the first Arctic dive station that allowed humans to explore beneath the polar ice caps.

Supported by the Canadian government, he led the first diving expedition to study the ocean under the North Pole. MacInnis was an advisor to the Titanic discovery team and co-leader of the most daring deep dive ever conducted, a seven million dollar expedition to film Titanic in the giant-screen IMAX format.

He is currently working on science-education projects aimed at restoring the health of the oceans. Since 1996, he has been the chair of the TD Bank Financial Group’s Friends of the Environment Foundation. His work has earned him a number of distinctions, including four honourary doctorates, the Queen’s Anniversary Medal and his country’s highest honour, the Order of Canada.