Students help local captains dock their boats

The Project

Welcome to Cauhita!

This summer the Program in Maritime Studies of East Carolina University will conduct a field school in Costa Rica. Students will conduct a variety of underwater archaeological mapping and recording techniques on two shipwreck sites, small fishing craft, and an iron pier named El Lanchon. Students will be supervised and attended to by two faculty instructors, three student crew chiefs, and a dive safety officer. Teams are responsible for compiling data, working on drawings and photographs, as well as, geo-referencing during post-processing. We will conduct the following tasks:

  • Diver search patterns including tow boarding
  • Photography, Videography, Photo mosaics, Photogrammetry
  • Geo-spatial mapping of the wreck debris fields (ballast, cannon and anchors)
  • Artifact drawings
  • Site plans
  • Cannon and anchor recording
  • Analyzing site formation processes
  • Iron pier recording
  • Fishing boat documentation
  • Baseline studies of the marine flora and fauna on the sites
  • Compile data sets
  • Digital drafting
  • Conduct historical research
  • Maritime cultural inventory of heritage in the Caribbean towns of Cahuita and Puerta Viejo (selected watercraft, art work and shore structures)
  • Write a fieldwork report as a team at the end of the project