The Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) is best known for its work underwater on submerged landscapes and shipwrecks, carried out by SCUBA divers. However, we strive to involve local non-diving communities in our mission ‘to research, record, and protect our threatened underwater and coastal heritage for the benefit of everyone’. That ‘coastal heritage’ includes the intertidal zone – the stretch of shoreline between high and low tide – and this is where non-divers can roll up their sleeves and get involved, contributing to archaeological surveys and recording finds before they disappear, while discovering more about their own local history in the process. This work can be exciting, intriguing – and sometimes involves racing against the clock, particularly when artefacts are temporarily exposed at low tide, or when previously unidentified and unknown finds are revealed in the aftermath of big storms, which require speedy recording before the sands reclaim them.
The intertidal zone preserves an extraordinary range of archaeological remains, from the remnants of ancient settlements and structures once located on dry land but now submerged by rising sea levels, to abandoned, stranded, or wrecked vessels and their associated artefacts. Together, these sites offer valuable insights into human and maritime history, but are increasingly at risk from ongoing coastal erosion.
Why record maritime heritage? We believe that when people are given the opportunity to learn about their maritime heritage and help to research and record it, they come to understand it. When they understand it, they begin to value it, and when they value heritage, they become the best advocates for further research and protection. NAS is active all over the world, but here we would like to highlight some ongoing projects in the UK which you may want to get involved with.
