Maritime Archaeology on Salt Cay
The island that time forgot
Salt Cay and its surrounding waters are largely unexplored from an archaeological point of view. The goal of this expedition is to make an archaeological map of the island, and to learn more about the island’s past by studying specific sites in depth.
During a reconnaissance trip in 2019, we discovered a number of underwater and terrestrial sites that we started to document in 2023. These include a wooden shipwreck in shallow water and the HMS Endymion, a British 44-gun warship that sank in 1790 south of Salt Cay. We continued our explorations in subsequent years by documenting three shipwrecks and discovered three more, in addition to numerous remains of maritime infrastructure. During the 2027 expedition, we will document the newly found sites and explore Salt Cay and nearby islands in order to find new sites.
This program is open to both divers and non-divers, as a lot of sites are in very shallow water and there is a terrestrial component to the expedition as well. To join as a snorkeler, you should be a good swimmer and be comfortable in the water. Because of the relatively easy dive conditions, for divers we only require a PADI Open Water Diver certification or equivalent certification from another training agency. Since we will be doing research underwater, there is a bit of task loading, which means you need to be comfortable in the water. The date of your last dive should be no more than a year before the start of the expedition.
