After many years of watching her partner leave on underwater archaeology jaunts, Kate Fleming decided that she would see what all the fuss was about! Here she recalls her Archaeological Underwater Skills Days experience. 

Bright and early on the 8^th of July, five divers gathered at Vobster Quay Dive Centre for our NAS Archaeological Skills Day. Despite the early start we were all keen to get going and to develop practical skills to go alongside what we had already learnt in the online theory modules.

Image: students and tutors gathered around the biscuit tin, ready to learn. Photo by Peta Knott

The first day was Recorder Day. After a quick refresh of our previous knowledge, and fortified with biscuits, we were out in the car park sketching maps and photographing a new ‘wreck site’ that had suddenly appeared just by the classroom!

Image: the wreck site that just ‘appeared’ beside the classroom! Photo by Kate Fleming

Back in the classroom Sara and Peta explained to us how these same tasks were to be achieved on the underwater site, then with slates and Go-Pros ready we headed down to the water. Vobster has a purpose build wreck site at 13m, and our task was to spend two dives photographing the site and producing a sketch map. What had seemed very straight forward in the car park proved to be a bit more of a challenge under water, and with 3 buddy pairs and a very silty bottom the vis quickly became tricky. However, comparisons of our photos and sketches suggested a reasonable level of accuracy, and we retired back to the classroom for another raid on the biscuit tin.

Image: dingy on the wreck site, with the visibility quickly deteriorating. Photo by Kate Fleming

Image: two happy divers with successful sketches. Leon Smith (left) and the author Kate Fleming (right). Photo by Peta Knott

The afternoon brought an opportunity to examine some real artefacts from a wreck (probably my favourite bit of the whole course) and to start our preparations for surveying the site the next day. 

Image: author Kate Fleming (left) and fellow students entranced by the artefact handling session. Photo by Peta Knott

Day two was Surveyor Day. After a (much needed in my case) theory refresh of different surveying techniques we were back on our car park site. We practiced how to take offset measurements, and trilaterations relative to a baseline, and how to record these measurements on the correct proformas.

Image: divers in the dry, practicing before they survey underwater. Photo by Peta Knott

After more biscuits, it was time to try out our skills underwater. This time we divided up the site into sections so that between us we would be able to produce a more complete site survey. We also staggered our dive times, to avoid having too many of us on site at once. My buddy and I were last in and were tasked with taking offset measurements, and trilaterations of the jetty area of the site, and also with retrieving the base line. Again, what had been straight forward on land proved more challenging under water. But with our task competed we headed back to combine and write up our measurements, to collaboratively produce a not entirely inaccurate survey of the main parts of the site.

Image: jetty part of the underwater site. Photo by Kate Fleming

Image: the site survey and the newly trained divers who created it! Photo by Peta Knott

The afternoon was then spent learning how to use a planning frame to make detailed drawings of sections of a site (possibly not my strongest skill) followed by a sum-up up of all we had learnt, and where this knowledge might take us next.

Image: students learning how to use planning frames on the fake wreck. Photo by Peta Knott

All-in-all it was an excellent two days, and I learnt a huge amount and it was great fun.  Many thanks to our three tutors, Peta, Sara and Neil. I know that we are all now keen to get out and use our new skills in the field.

Image: happy NAS divers with their Foundation qualification. Photo by Peta Knott

If you like the sound of this experience, why not sign up for a Skills Days course for yourself!

There are two opportunities left in 2024:
Foreshore Archaeology Skills Days 10-11 August, Gosport, Hampshire
Underwater Archaeology Skills Days 5-6 October, Stoney Cove Dive Centre, Leicestershire