Wreck location / archaeological survey seabed imaging applications for StarFish side scan sonar.

"For anyone interested in hunting for wrecks or surveying the seabed, the StarFish is a great piece of kit!"
Dive Magazine

ADA(UK) Training & Development

ADA(UK) Training & Development have integrated StarFish into their training course syllabus. For more information please contact ADA(UK).
Tel: ++44 (0)773 932 1211
www.underwater-archaeology.org.uk

APPLICATIONS > WRECK LOCATION / ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY

STARFISH WRECK LOCATION / ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY

The fantasy of finding sunken wrecks, a Spanish galleon or historical monuments and artefacts may no longer be just a dream for enthusiastic archaeologists and historians.

StarFish is a low cost, affordable side scan sonar system which can be used by wreck hunters and marine archaeologists to search for wrecks, treasure and historical artifacts lost at sea.

Lost wrecks and historic sites once thought to be lost forever to Davy Jones' Locker can be found with help from StarFish.

Traditionally side scan sonar, the number one remote sensing tool for wreck location and marine archaeological survey, has been very expensive to purchase. Commercial side scan systems are not affordable to most recreational divers, and as a result, many have been forced to try and manufacture homemade side scan sonars of their own with the project taking months or years to complete.

StarFish is a high definition, affordable, low cost side scan sonar system which opens up high-tech digital seabed imaging to everyone.

There are significant advantages when using StarFish for locating wrecks. StarFish covers exponentially more area than a standard echo-sounder or fishfinder where one would basically have to run directly over the wreck in order to locate it.

StarFish can image wide sections of the seafloor on each run allowing large areas to be surveyed for evidence of wrecks in a relatively short time. The near-photographic quality digital images produced by StarFish can highlight debris that is often visible around wreck sites even if the wreck is buried or beyond range.

Search exponentially more area using StarFish Seabed Imaging System than a standard echo-sounder or fish finder.

Any visible trace left by a wreck or archaeological site on the seafloor landscape can be found using StarFish.

Near photographic quality digital images can identify specific features of a wreck and gain important information about a dive site such as wreck orientation and potential hazards.

Analysis of StarFish images can help identify and possibly eliminate specific features of a wreck without the need to dive. Divers can also gain important information about a dive site, such as wreck orientation and potential hazards before entering the water.

StarFish is small, lightweight and very portable (it can even fit in a small rucksack!). It can be operated from the smallest of vessels making it possible to mount wreck or archaeological surveys in difficult or remote locations.

APPLICATIONS WRECK LOCATION / ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Some typical examples of seabed imaging applications for wreck location / archaeological survey include...

  • Wreck and cargo discovery.
  • Dive site navigation.
  • Discover tell-tail wreck debris.
  • Identify and eliminate specific features of a wreck.
  • Identify wreck orientation.
  • Identify potential hazards before entering the water.
  • Identify possible man-made structures for investigation.
  • Marine archaeology.

StarFish. The seabed is your playground.

UNESCO FACTS AND FIGURES

All facts and figures provided by UNESCO ( www.unesco.org ).

  • Over three million undiscovered wrecks are estimated to be spread across ocean floors.
  • 65,000 are thought to have sunk since 1500 off North American coasts.
  • Experts calculate that 850 ships - including 90 Spanish galleons and 40 Portuguese Indiamen - lie in the waters around the Azores.
  • The Dictionary of Disasters at Sea lists 12,542 sailing and war vessels lost at sea between 1824 and 1962.
  • Whole cites have disappeared under the waves, such as Jamaica's Port Royal, victim of earthquake in 1692.
  • Remnants of ancient civilisations now under water include the Alexandria lighthouse in Egypt and numerous Neolithic villages under the Black Sea.

UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage 2001 StarFish supports the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage 2001.