Chesil Chieftain in permanent survey mode

Our dedicated survey boat Chesil Chieftain is up and running and as you can see from the picture her wheelhouse is a little compact and bijou. She is ready to go at the press of a button and no more will we have to strip all the gear off her larger sister to go diving. Onboard we have sidescan sonar, Olex seabed imaging and a navigation integrated underwater camera system.
Click image to enlarge.

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Shipwreck Project does it again.

Tempering the disappointing news from the Shipwreck Conference is the latest discovery of yet another wreck site. The pictures show timbers some of which are completely buried from a ship we believe will date back to before the 1770's, in part due to the absence of bronze pins. We still have other sonar targets around this site to investigate, I think we are going to be busy!

The future of shipwreck exploration?

Came away from the International Shipwreck Conference yesterday in a state of shock. UNESCO continue to threaten the future of shipwreck exploration but this madness has to be eclipsed by the sorry state of affairs surrounding the MMO (Marine Management Organisation). The new Act came into force three years ago and still there are no guidelines! A set of guidelines has been issued by the NAS (Nautical Archaeological Society), use them at your peril, they are just an interpretation of how NAS sees it. The MMO are apparently working hard to resolve the situation even though by their own admission they know nothing about diving or divers. The MMO say they are being advised by English Heritage and English Heritage say they are not advising the MMO. God give me strength, what the hell is going on here??