Before reaching the bottom, we all remove our fins. This simple procedure prevents damage to delicate wooden structures or areas under excavation. The site is quite sandy, and fin removal also keeps the sand on the bottom, rather than in the water. Some prefer to clip their fins to a loop on their buoyancy compensator while others tie them to a designated coral head above the site before collecting the tools they need for working in their area. Work on the bottom, even at 130 feet, is not much different than work on land.
Excavation is slow and careful, using a technique known as hand-fanning.
Still other dives are spent setting up new equipment under water or in photography and documentation of the work and the site. Each person is assigned to a particular area and is responsible for its excavation and mapping, just as on land sites. But instead of eight hours at work, we have only one, split into two dives each day. At the end of the dive, buddies slowly ascend together, often with a basket of artifacts or wood for further research on shore. After the safety stop, the archaeologists head for the surface, climb the platform's ladder, cinch their weight belts to its railings, and then make their way back to shore, carrying baskets of artifacts with them if needed.