Page 73 - Green - Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. 2nd ed

52 Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook, Second Edition
the buoy using a GPS. One of the most common and most effective search techniques is the swimline (Green, 1969, 1973; Martin, 1975; Wignall, 1968). A group of divers are spaced out on a line so that they are within sight of each other (see Figure 3.16). The divers swim in a particular direction keeping the line taut and at right angles to the direction of motion. The
Figure 3.16 Swimline being deployed from a boat. Note the diving team enters the water one by one as the vessel proceeds. Each diver holds the swimline at the fixed separation distance, the vessel proceeds slowly, and the swimline is deployed in the correct orientation and spacing ready to dive as a group.