29th January 2011 - Introduction to Foreshore and Underwater Archaeology

The end of January was the first step of the NAS official training programme with the Introduction to Foreshore and Underwater Archaeology down at NAS Headquarters at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth.

Hosted by Mary Harvey and Mark Beattie Edwards, we also had the advantage of a number of trainee tutors who had spent the last couple of days going through the NAS tutor programme. The gave us the benefit of a ratio of one to one in trainees and tutors.

I was struck by the range of backgrounds for the trainees on the course with backgrounds ranging from interested but archaeologically novice sports divers to Phd students looking to expand their experience and knowledge.

We started off with a class room session to give us background on what exactly Nautical Archaeology is, the type of sites where it is undertaken and and and introduction to possible methods of investigation. In addition we also covered the myriad of law that applies to the sites nautical archaeologists visit - the basics were familiar to me, and I suspect to most UK recreational divers, but well worth covering again considering the number of rules that apply.

Then it was time to pair up outside for our first real try at surveying a simple site using the methodology we'd just learnt, offset and trilateral measurement with control and detail points.

It all seems straightforward enough and when it came to plotting our data back in the class room it worked out well except for one artifact that we managed to plot in two different locations!

The real challenge was up next with the location moving to the Pyramid pool in Southsea and a chance to put into practice the survey methods underwater. Some of the group were none divers so used to opportunity to refine their above water skills and try out planning frames.

Meanwhile my dive buddy Brian and I kitted up in our scuba gear and got wet. Going through the survey exercises underwater were, as expected , far more difficult, than on land with communication and good a plan being the key to a successful survey. We also discovered that drawing a planning frame underwater was actually easier for us the those on land as we had the option to hover over the grid to make our drawings allowing a good plan view and saving our backs.

Following a quick post dive de-brief we were finished and given our new, and very nifty, USB card course completion cards.

I can't recomened this day enough to anyone with an even peripheral interest in diving or archaeology as it has plenty of appeal to either.