Mike & Mike Photography School
Thank You, Mike & Mike
After nearly four decades of underwater photography, friendship and adventure, Mike Haber and Mike Mesgleski have completed their final photography charter with Aggressor Adventures.
Their journey with Aggressor began all those years ago with the Jim Church School of Underwater Photography, helping establish a tradition of hands-on underwater photography instruction that would continue for generations of divers and photographers. Over the years, that tradition evolved into the Mike & Mike School of Photography, where countless guests learned not only how to operate a camera underwater, but how to see the underwater world differently.
From mastering camera settings and lighting to refining composition, capturing the perfect image and processing it in the digital darkroom, Mike & Mike shared their knowledge with patience, enthusiasm and plenty of laughter. Their impact can be seen in the photographs—and friendships—they helped create around the world.
It was fitting that their final charter, August 22–29, 2026, took place aboard the Cayman Aggressor IV, bringing their Aggressor photography journey full circle.
There was even one final surprise waiting for them.
Joining the charter as an unexpected passenger was their longtime friend and Aggressor Adventures Reseller Manager, Captain Tom Gebhardt. The week quickly became a celebration of old friendships, great stories, plenty of laughs and nearly 40 years of memories.
At the final cocktail party, Tom presented Mike & Mike with special Aggressor Legends plaques, honoring their lifetime of dedication, hard work and friendship with Aggressor Adventures.
It was a fitting way to celebrate two people who have given so much to the Aggressor family and to the underwater photography community.
Mike & Mike, thank you.
Thank you for the photographs, the lessons, the stories, the laughter and the countless memories created along the way. Most of all, thank you for sharing your passion with so many people and for being such an important part of the Aggressor Adventures story.
While the photography charters may have come to an end, the images, friendships and memories created over nearly four decades will continue to live on.
Congratulations on your retirement, Mike & Mike. And thank you for an incredible journey.
Meet the Legends: Mike Mesgleski & Mike Haber
Mike & Mike own the Jim Church School of Underwater Photography. They worked side by side with their dear friend Jim Church teaching underwater photography for over 25 years. They continue Jim’s great professional legacy, and like Jim, they find the greatest satisfaction in making certain their students receive the finest instruction possible.
Mike Haber
Today, as we depart the Cayman Aggressor IV, we end out 25-year run as substitute teachers for the great Jim Church aboard the wonderful vessels of the Aggressor fleet. We cannot possibly express our thanks to everyone at Aggressor Adventures - especially Wayne Brown, Wayne Hasson, Anne Hasson, and Dana Brown - for allowing us to experience this amazing adventure. And to all of you who sat in on our lectures and shared your incredible photos, we are endlessly appreciative. Being named Aggressor Legends is something I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams. I don't have the words to tell you how much this means to me. The fact that our friend Tom Gebhardt traveled here to present it to us makes it even more special. Aggressor has been a cherished part of our lives for so many years. To everyone at Aggressor who has shown us such extraordinary kindness over all the time - thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We love you all. As the late great Jimmy Buffett said it in song... "Bubbles up. They will point us towards home. No matter how sdeep or how far we roam. They will show you the surface. The plot and the purpoise. So, when the journey gets long, just know that you are loved. There is light up above and joy. There's always enough. Bubbles up." Thanks again, Mike.
Mike Mesgleski
WOW! Mike and I - Aggressor Legends! The honor means a great deal to us because it comes from the family that gave us a home at sea, our Aggressor Family. For more than forty years we have had the privilege of teaching underwater photography aboard Aggressor Liveaboards. What began with the Jim Church School in 1988 became the Mike & Mike U/W Photography School. Together Mike and I have been fortunate to lead nearly two hundred instructional weeks across almost the entire fleet. That is not a career we built alone. It was made possible by Aggressor’s commitment to photographers, by the crews who treated cameras and guests with equal care, by thousands of divers who trusted us with their images and their time and ultimately, by our friend and mentor, Jim Church. And thanks for sending our friend Tom Gebhardt, one of our first Aggressor Captains, to present us this wonderful award on our final charter in the place where it all started, Grand Cayman. Thank you for the partnership, the trust, and this recognition. We are proud to have been part of the Aggressor story, and grateful that the work we loved for so long is being remembered this way. From another Jimmy Buffett song… "These moments we're left with, May you always remember. These moments are shared by few, And those harbor lights, lord, they're coming into view. It’s been a lovely cruise."
