Marine program co-sponsors February 17-20 marine symposium about shipwrecks

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Jeff Kuwabara, (808) 956-8433
Posted: Jan 30, 2012

Hellcat engine photo
Hellcat engine photo
Have an interest in shipwreck diving or ever wondered how many wrecks are in Hawai‘i’s waters? And what do wreck sites tell us about the past? The UH Mānoa Marine Option Program will address these questions at its 23rd annual symposium on maritime archaeology and the history of Hawai‘i and Pacific.
 
The symposium will be held on February 17-20, 2012, at the NOAA Sanctuary office at 6600 Kalanianaole Highway, Suite 300 (third floor of Roy’s Restaurant building in Hawai‘i Kai).   
 
This year’s theme is “Diving into History: Technical and Sport Exploration of Shipwreck.”  Other symposium focus areas include addressing wreck survey training opportunities available to recreational divers and how other locations have enhanced their wreck diving opportunities.
 
Sport and tech divers, diving operators, historians, students, underwater archaeologists, preservationists and the general public are encouraged to participate.   
 
Program highlights include:
 
Friday, February 17, 6:30 p.m.: Keynote speaker Dr. Della Scott-Ireton, Associate Director of the Florida Public Archaeology Network, will discuss Heritage Awareness Diving Seminars (HADS), an approved NAUI, PADI and SSI course specifically geared to instructors that bridges the gap between academic and sport wreck diving. Free and open to the public.   
 
Saturday and Sunday, February 18-19, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.: A symposium with more than 24 presentations, such as:  
  • New submerged discoveries by local divers.
  • Technical diving in Hawai‘i.
  • The Hawai‘i Undersea Research Lab’s recent discoveries of the S-4 and USS Bennington.
  • Updates on the status of the Japanese mini-sub near Pearl Harbor.
  • The emerging wreck inventory for the main Hawaiian Islands.
  • NOAA’s consideration of wrecks within the Humpback Whale sanctuary.
  • The potential for public maritime archaeology courses at local diving operations.
  • The shipwrecks of Bikini Atoll.
  • Current status of the Falls of Clyde.
  • The Manila galleon trade in the Pacific.
  • Public outreach and Blackbeard’s flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge.
  • Native Australians in maritime history.
  • International projects from the Marshall Islands, Indonesia, Tokelau, and Greece. 
Full registration for both Saturday and Sunday is $75. Saturday-only and Sunday-only registration is $40 each day. For military, student and K-12 teacher registration costs, please contact Jeff Kuwabara at 956-8433.
 
Monday, February 20, 9:30-11:30 a.m.: Field trip visit to the Hawai‘i Undersea Research Lab and its two PISCES submersibles.  Free and open to the public.
 
The symposium is co-sponsored by NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Marine Option Program, and the Maritime Archaeology and History of the Hawaiian Islands Foundation. 
 
The symposium includes continental breakfast, informal receptions with pupus, and a conference barbecue.   For additional program and symposium information, visit http://www.mahhi.org or contact: hans.vantilburg@noaa.gov.
 
Hellcat engine photo caption: A UH Mānoa Marine Option Program diver documents the radial engine of a World War II fighter plane, an F6F Hellcat, near Laie, Maui. The fuselage and wings lie a short distance away. Photo courtesy of Hans Van Tilburg, NOAA ONMS.