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Conversations about Conferences (and Trainings!)- American Academy of Underwater Sciences



The University of West Florida has recently become an American Academy of Underwater Sciences member. This status also applies to all FPAN divers if they plan to dive for work. The AAUS provides a set of diving standards and a Diving Control Board to regulate the safety of research divers across the country. 

The EC has 2; The Urca and Valentine! 

As an FPAN employee, my job is to promote Florida's buried past. That also includes Florida's submerged past. There are multiple dive training programs FPAN provides the public; SSEAS,
HADS, and now the beginning of Submerged HMS! To be able to incorporate these programs in the East Central region, I had to begin my AAUS diver training. 


Sarah: What did you expect in attending the AAUS Diver Training?

Emma: I was expecting to test my skills as a diver, pass some swim tests, and over all get prepared to assist the real underwater archaeologists. I knew I was going to learn a lot, I just didn't know how much.   


Sarah: So what did you actually learn?

Emma: What didn't I learn is a better question. I learned everything from how to multitask underwater, to how to identify an over expansion injury and how to treat the injured diver until rescue personal arrive. The best thing I "learned" was definitely to expect the unexpected. Emergencies happen at any time and 


Sarah: What was the hardest part of attending the workshop?

Nicole and Mike joined for our open water skills.
Photo by our DSO Fritz!
Emma: Honestly? I was just nervous about my skills going into the training. I had moments where I questioned whether or not I was ready for this. Fritz, the Dive Safety Officer, certainly tested my abilities! But at the end of the week I am a more confident diver.


Sarah: What will you bring back for the public for their benefit?

Emma: I am hoping to bring back the ability to host some of our diver focused training. There are so much coast line, and so many springs and caves in the East Central region that hopefully I can inspire some local divers to adopt sites for underwater monitoring or to learn how to record them with out damaging them! 

The stretch of Florida deemed the Treasure Coast is so much more than the "treasure" people talk about. The history of salvage in the area seems to overshadow the archaeology. I just want to be able to accurately talk to people about what underwater archaeologists actually do and how to record sites without damaging them. We all want history to be around for the next generation right? That includes sites underwater too!  


Sarah: What activities did you do, with the workshop or in Pensacola?

Emma: We completed basic underwater skills in the pool, the 400m and 25m swims, learning how to circle survey, install an underwater grid, mapping with your partner underwater (pretty hard without speaking), underwater navigation, underwater puzzles (which was so much fun! Never thought I would use a wrench underwater), dive tables and calculations, CPR and Oxygen administration, and towing a tired diver. 

It was a lot to take in, I am still in training and I know I need to personally prefect my skills, but I am eager to continue on!

As for activities in Pensacola, it was a nice homecoming! As a UWF grad student (thesis and graduation pending), I was able to spend dinners with colleagues and friends. I was excited to spend time with the FPAN Northeast group, it was a reunion I wasn't expecting till our annual meeting. Pensacola has been embracing their history more and more. Every time I come into town there is a new portion of their Colonial Archaeological Trail, or the UWF Historic Trust has developed a new interpretive program. It is amazing!  


Sarah: Anything that surprised you?
Dive Table conversions.

Emma: The math! The biggest take away from the dive was not the skills learned underwater but was the information about the dive tables. I spent close to four hours just going over different dive scenarios and how to plan my dive so there is little to no risk of getting bent. I guess I wasn't expecting to see the difference in how my computer calculates my dive time, how the Navy calculates dives, and how PADI does their own calculations. It has made me want to be a bit more cautious in my dives.

I also was surprised I passed my swim test. Twenty-five meters underwater with one breath is quite the distance. It did take two tries! 


Sarah: Future plans?

Emma: I am excited to be able to assist the State in any projects, but more so I am excited to use these skills to bring submerged history to the eyes of the public. I never thought I would be a scuba diver, so being able to grow this skill to the point where I can provide tours of shipwrecks of even run my own SSEAS training in the area would be amazing! 
Only a small portion of wrecks off the "Treasure Coast" (Photo)

In my second week in the office I had received a call about a potential shipwreck washed up along the coast, although it was a false alarm, the next one might not be. The Florida east coast is a area rich in maritime history. Being born and raised in a land locked state I honestly never thought about underwater archaeology, or diving historic sites. 

 Shipwrecks in Florida are a common occurrence and with areas called "The Treasure Coast", the imagination tends to run wild with dreams of finding buried treasure. As I finish this blog post, I want to add in a quick statement about the laws protecting shipwrecks and why they exist. The laws are simple, do not disturb any wreck or archaeological site (underwater or on land). The reason for this is that these sites are time capsules, they are a closed context of materials relating to a single moment in time. Meaning everything that went down on the ship is still there. This paints an elaborate picture of the time period and the lives of those on board. Information that is often not recorded, or on land has been disturbed by a century of people living in the region. Please check Florida laws before diving on shipwrecks, and please take only photos and only leave bubbles!

I am ecstatic to be able to experience and learn more about the history that lays just off shore, but more importantly I am excited to be able to share that history. If you are in the East Central region and are interested, stay tuned for more events about our submerged past! If you are a a diver interested in training, email me and we can start planning!  


Words and Images by Emma Dietrich, FPAN Staff.


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