It was the objective of this year's first survey to relocate the sites and explore them in the hopes of confirming some, or all, of the survey areas as archaeological. This year's survey was organized and supervised, by Field Scientific Director Thadra Palmer Stanton . Rachel Horlings serves the field school as collections manager, keeping track of our inventory of artifacts and overseeing the organization of artifact provenience designation and field specimen logs. All dives are carefully planned and monitored by a safety diver and a timekeeper. It is important to check and double-check everything when diving.
Underwater archaeology is difficult and gear intensive, and safety consciousness is vital.
Michael stands watch as safety diver, always following the path of the diver's air bubbles on the water surface. Although a monotonous duty, it is of critical importance to the success and safety of the project. This navigational system is so accurate that it can return to an underwater site that was identified last summer to within a few meters. When the RV Seminole reaches a survey area, a marker buoy is deployed over the starboard side of the vessel. After anchoring, our divers gear up and move out.