about us

Field schools

Each year, The Shipwreck Survey organizes multiple underwater archaeological field schools and expeditions in exotic locations around the world.

Field schools are held at locations where large-scale investigations of underwater archaeological sites are carried out. During these programs, participants are fully immersed in the archaeological process from start to finish, during which they learn a wide variety of skills. Field schools are a mix of presentations, workshops, underwater research, data processing, artifact conservation, and public outreach. Participants will learn all the basic skills and methods of underwater archaeological investigation.

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surveying techniques
creating site grids
site reporting
underwater drawing
underwater photography and photogrammetry
metal detecting
artifact recovery

Field schools are great programs for anyone interested in a career in underwater archaeology, or enthusiasts who would like to be completely immersed in maritime history.

Expeditions

These are usually shorter trips focused on the exploration of remote shipwreck sites in off the beaten path locations.

The focus of these trips is usually shipwreck discovery and basic documentation using underwater photography and photogrammetry. We tend to visit many different sites during an expedition. As these are true adventures, living and working conditions might be a bit more basic than during our field schools. Expeditions are suited to both enthusiasts and students who are looking for a unique experience in underwater archaeology.

staff

Ruud Stelten

All our programs are led by experienced maritime archaeologist Ruud Stelten. Born in the Netherlands, Ruud earned BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees in archaeology at the Faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University.

After working in Dutch commercial archaeology for over a year, Ruud became the island archaeologist on St. Eustatius in the Dutch Caribbean in 2011. Since then, he has directed numerous underwater and terrestrial archaeological projects and field schools, teaching hundreds of students on various islands such as Mauritius, Martinique, the Dominican Republic Grenada, St. Eustatius, Salt Cay, and Bonaire. In 2016, he founded Terramar Museum, a new archaeological museum on Bonaire. A year later, he founded The Shipwreck Survey in order to focus fully on underwater archaeological research and exploration. In addition to his work at The Shipwreck Survey, Ruud is also an associate lecturer at Flinders University in Australia. Ruud has been diving for over two decades. He is a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor and Specialty Instructor with experience diving all over the world. Besides archaeology, his big passion is underwater photography.

Alex Hinton

Alex Hinton is an American archaeologist who holds a Masters degree in maritime archaeology from Flinders University. For the past five years, she has worked on archaeological projects across the Caribbean and United States.

Alex was Director of the St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research from 2021 to 2022. Her research in the Caribbean has focused primarily on maritime archaeological projects, but she has extensive experience in terrestrial archaeology as well. Her specialties are underwater site formation processes and the archaeology of colonial-period warships. Besides being a vital part of The Shipwreck Survey’s field team, Alex brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the lab, where she leads the artifact conservation and documentation processes. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Flinders University, focusing on Dutch East India Company shipwreck collections.

Ruud Stelten

Alex Hinton

Training facilities and equipment

At The Shipwreck Survey we have all the facilities necessary to carry out an archaeological project from start to finish. Our laboratories are spacious and well equipped to conserve artifacts and process data.

Our air-conditioned presentation rooms are equipped with large screens and provide ample workspace.

We conduct our training with top of the line equipment to ensure participants are using the latest technology in the field. For geophysical surveys, we use a Starfish 452F side scan sonar. A Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II metal detector is used to investigate metal targets in the seabed. For underwater photography, videography, and photogrammetry we use high-end Canon and Olympus mirrorless cameras with a variety of lenses and underwater housings. For deeper research, we have a BlueROV2 Remotely Operated Vehicle that is depth rated to 300m/1,000ft.

Data processing is done with programs used throughout the industry, such as Agisoft Metashape, Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. Wherever we are in the world, we ensure participants have access to high-quality dive equipment to ensure safe and productive dives.