Cyprus underwater museum

[admikar]

I'm not. I'm currently working on a filming/laser scanning project that would introduce sub-sea laser scanning to maritime archaeology in Greece with Fabien. I have the support of the AHEPA and the interest of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities (who manages the protection, excavation and recording of ancient shipwrecks). Just one setback as the senior archaeologiest for the EUA is stepping down for a professor position at the University of Thessaly (where he will start the first maritime archaeology program in Greece, a very good thing) and a replacement has not yet been chosen (it is August when everyone is on vacation in Europe). We plan on filming/scanning the six shipwrecks reported by one sponge diver who I met earlier this month on Kalymnos. These are all unconfirmed, the deepest being 70 meters. So we will get in the area from the sponge diver's memory, then use side scanning sonar to pinpoint the location. That's why I'm getting into rebreathers. We have a tight timeline as the technology for doing this in a cost effective manner (which is why it has never been done before) is still in development, supposedly to market in spring. Our project is in line to get the first unit off their assembly line.

I'm focused just as that, as I'm a nobody, and before I even start discussing other projects, I need this one project to succeed.

Yeah, I'm sticking my head out there posting this, as it could still fail and I look like an idiot (I haven't made friends with everyone on SB, so I'd expect quite the pile-on if I fail), but if I succeed, I'll be able to make a lot more good things happen in Greece.

I'm looking at building the first ancient maritime museum in Greece with a replica of the ship in the middle of the room whose cargo will be on display like antiquities in the Acropolis museum, a glass floor with a 3D model of the scan of the shipwreck cargo that lay on the sea floor (like you see walking into the Acropolis museum), multimedia displays for more information, films, etc... I'm 50. I'm giving myself 4 decades to achieve the museum. The filming project 2 years.

As I achieve more, I can then start to take projects in parallel. It simply isn't practical to think of anything right now other than the first filming/scanning project.

But coral restoration is in the back of my mind. There are a lot of challenges. I just met a Greek professor living in Belgium who did his first PhD on the Calypso and was friends with Fabien's uncle Philip. He was involved with getting the Roman wreck off Alonissos opened up as a dive park decades ago (yes, things move that slow in Greece). I hope he lives a lot longer as he would be instrumental in more good things happen.

Any updates?
I find this very interesting.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Any updates?
I find this very interesting.

I just reached an agreement Thursday with a Greek government archaeologist on the changes to the project needed for us to work together.

I'm supposed to fill in Fabien tonight with more details. You can't expect to know more than him at this instant, do you?

I'm teasing of course but this was a huge development. There are logistical items I need to learn more about, namely site preparation to expose more of the cargo left behind. Winter storms often result in a lot of extra debris (mostly sand, some seaweed, etc). I do not know yet how to address this in the plan. Do we have a team of archaeologists go separately in front of us to prepare sites? I would assume so, but I need to figure out who/when/what how. I can't miss any details in our plan.

This is all a very slow process but I'm optimistic that September will be a go.

 

[Sim0s]

This has also been recently opened if you are interested: Karousos takes a dive as Amathus underwater park inaugurated | Cyprus Mail

 

[scubaozy]

I didn’t know you were involved with coral restoration projects @wetb4igetinthewater

Thats a sponge ;-)

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Thats a sponge ;-)

that's a sponge growing out of the amphora? Oh boy, I feel silly now. Good thing I don't have a degree in marine biology, I'd have to tear up my diploma.