The Chicago Scuba Meetup Group

Name: Phil Willink and The Fishes of the Chicago Region!
Start: 2025-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2025-07-16T02:00:00.000Z
Location: Irish Times Pub and Restaurant

Chicago, IL, US

1,827 members · Public group

Organized by Dean Nolan and 12 others

What we’re about

We are a dive club with an emphasis on diving! We take local and warm water trips, and participate in lots of social, educational, and conservation activities.

Upcoming events (3)

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Wed, Jul 2, 2025, 7:00 PM CDTDiner With Divers-Fat Rosie's Lincolnwood
Fat Rosie’s , Lincolnwood, IL
We will be doing another Diner with Divers in July at Fat Rosie's, sitting right on top of Chicago in Lincolnwood! These events have always been a great way to meet and talk diving without a pesky presentation getting in the way! I've made the reservation for 12 at this time, but we will see if we can add to that if necessary. Parking is free. We can have separate checks, but we all will be billed an 18% service charge. This is a good Mexican restaurant. Hope to see you there!
7 attendees+2
Fri, Jul 4, 2025, 8:00 AM CDTNortherner and Mahoning Dive Charter!
Port Washington Marina, Port Washington, WI
$180.00
This will be a two tank recreational dive with Shipwreck Explorers on the Molly V with Captain Jitka Hanakova at the Port Washington Marina in Wisconsin. We will be diving the Northerner, an advanced dive to 130 ft. on one of the best preserved schooners in the Great Lakes. We will also dive the Mahoning which is at about 60 ft.

Great Lakes diving experience is preferred. You will need to be comfortable and experienced diving to the limits of recreational diving.

Everyone will start out on the wait list. I will give first chance to sustaining members. If it is not filled after about a week or so, I will open it up to all based on time of signup. Total number on this charter is 6. I will ask for payment up front soon after I see I have enough to make the charter go. The charter fee is $180, but there will be a discount given if I have six people for the charter which I will pay on the day of the charter.

You must read and agree to the CSM liability waiver (https://tinyurl.com/yb5nffvv). There will also be a waiver that I will send you a link for from Shipwreck Explorers.

Once you paid for the charter to ensure your spot, you will be responsible to find a replacement if you can not make the charter. I will help you with that however.

You will need to provide your own equipment, and you will need to bring your "C" card on the day of the charter. We should be at the dock by 7:30am to leave at 8:00am.

You can find out more on this trip by going to the charter website at https://www.shipwreckexplorers.com/shipwreck-diving-schedule-wisconsin/2024-07-04am-northerner-mahoning/

There is no better way to celebrate the Forth of July! These will be great dives! Hope to see you there!
6 attendees+1
Tue, Jul 15, 2025, 7:00 PM CDTPhil Willink and The Fishes of the Chicago Region!
Irish Times Pub and Restaurant, Brookfield, IL
WE WILL BE MEETING AGAIN AT THE IRISH TIMES IN BROOKFIELD

We welcome back Phil Willink, who along with Francis M. Veraldi, Stephen M. Pescitelli, has just came out with an excellent book about the fish in the Chicago region. He will discuss highlights of the book and answer questions. If you dive locally, or just have an interest in fish, you will want to hear this. He always gives a fascinating presentation.

Fish don’t heed state boundaries, and neither does this comprehensive, photo-filled guide to the diverse species of Chicago and beyond.

Encompassing southern Lake Michigan, northeastern Illinois, and
adjacent areas of Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, the Chicago Region is
home to rare habitats supporting diverse fish populations. From small creeks to large rivers and from small ponds to one of the world’s largest
freshwater ecosystems, Lake Michigan, these systems are home to some
164 fish species representing 31 families. In this essential field guide, the
most complete and up-to-date reference for fishes in the Chicago Region, we meet them all—lampreys, sturgeon, paddlefish, gars, drum, darters, perches, sticklebacks, sculpins, and more. Written by leading local ecologists and featuring a pictorial family key, color photographs, detailed species distribution maps, and natural history observations unique to the region, this go-to guide belongs on the shelf—and in the boat—of every angler, naturalist, fisheries manager, and biologist.

“Fishes of the Chicago Region will be a sought-after item among biologists, teaching institutions, anglers, and naturalists not only in Chicagoland but in other areas as well. The maps are concise, the
fish photos are stunning, and the natural history information is compendious. This book will be an invaluable resource for those passionate about fishes.”
—Jeremy Tiemann, associate aquatic ecologist, Prairie Research Institute’s
Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Bio:
Philip W. Willink is an academic researcher for the Illinois Natural History Survey. He was previously a senior research biologist in the Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research at the John G. Shedd Aquarium and the assistant collections manager for the Fish Division at the Field Museum of Natural History.

7:00pm- Meet and Greet (buy food and drink!)
7:30- Meeting
8:00- Presentation
3 attendees