Through the Mekong River Archaeology Project that I have been involved with, I was introduced to Rick Stanton.
He is one of the divers who rescued the boys’ football team from the flooded cave in Thailand. I believe you have heard about it.
He was totally down to earth. Introduced by a mutual friend, there was none of the social tension that might arise if we’d met at one of the many speaking gigs he gives for people amazed by his story. We chatted for a while, then went to a bodega for a burger and chatted some more.
It’s interesting to see how the great actor Viggo Mortensen transformed himself to look like Rick for the Ron Howard film 13 Lives. Having spent two months with the film crew to teach Viggo and his co-star Colin Farrell to cave dive, the actors learned the craft so that they could do their own diving for the film. Colin transformed himself into Rick’s real-life dive buddy John Volanthen, and apparently, on set, the actors’ transformations were so remarkable that they nearly fooled Rick and John themselves.
A few days later we met up again and I asked him about how he balances risk.  He said “You prepare for everything, and then you deal with what you didn’t prepare for.”

Later on I got to watch the trailers for the Hollywood film, and the documentary which cam out earlier. I look forward to watching them entirely. Here is a link to the Trailer on Youtube;

zRosa Vásquez Espinoza, Ph.D., a Peruvian chemical biologist of Andean-Amazonian heritage, captivated the audience at the Explorers Club. Her compelling explanation of her recent expedition to document the enigmatic “Boiling River” in Peru was truly eye-opening.

Dr. Espinoza seamlessly weaves cutting-edge science with indigenous knowledge to protect Amazonian biodiversity. Her inspiration lies in her grandmother’s wisdom as a healer. As the International Ashaninka Ambassador, she has been recognized by the BBC’s “100 Women 2024” list and has been named to the Explorers Club EC50 Class of 2024.

As the founder of Amazon Research Int (ARI), Dr. Espinosa collaborates with native communities to uncover the rainforest’s untapped biodiversity. She advocates for global conservation through science, the Rights of Nature, and storytelling. Her groundbreaking achievements include pioneering microbial exploration of the Amazonian Boiling River and conducting the first chemical analysis of Amazonian stingless bees and medicinal honey in Peru.

For more information about Dr. Espinoza, visit her website: https://www.rosavespinoza.com/

https://www.amazonresearch.org/

Here is her presentation at the Club;

On Saturday, I attended a captivating lecture by renowned criminologist, researcher, and expert in counter-wildlife trafficking strategies, Monique Sosnowski, at the Asia Society in the Upper East Side. Her infectious humor and focus on data-driven criminal tracking left a lasting impression.

She was getting an award from The Explorers Club for her work, as one of the clubs Next Generation of explorers. Here’s a link; https://50.explorers.org/

Sosnowski’s multidisciplinary approach seamlessly bridges academia, global policy, and on-the-ground training to address pressing environmental and criminal justice challenges. She’s conducted counter-wildlife trafficking trainings for governmental agencies and NGOs in Kyrgyzstan and Brazil, equipping stakeholders with practical tools to combat illegal wildlife trade. She’s also developed internationally utilized digital training modules for large NGOs, emphasizing innovative, data-driven approaches to enforcement and prevention.

A trailblazing female leader in law enforcement and wildlife crime prevention, Sosnowski has made significant contributions to research spanning over 20 publications across academic journals and NGO reports. Her research explores the intersections of organized crime, environmental exploitation, and wildlife trafficking, featured in esteemed journals like Conservation Science and Practice, Biological Conservation, and Deviant Behavior. Notably, her publication “An Empirical Assessment of Drug Trafficking Trends from Latin America into the United States: The Role of Fishing” delves into criminal convergence and how illicit networks operate.

Monique’s passion for diversity and inclusion in global conservation drives her work with organizations like PEW Charitable Trusts and Earth League International. She actively fosters interdisciplinary collaboration to find innovative solutions to complex global issues. Monique’s groundbreaking approaches and unwavering dedication inspire others to embrace bold, creative methods in addressing pressing global challenges.

Visit her website at https://www.msosnowski.com/ for more information. She also discussed a significant trafficker, a Lao Exotic animal smuggler.

One of the New Divers on the team, Leonie Hoff, Just had an article published about her work  studying the fingerprints n ancient clay statuettes found recently by our team in Egypt.

The Science News Today Article says;
"A fascinating and groundbreaking study by Ph.D. student Leonie Hoff from the University of Oxford, recently published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, unveils how ancient fingerprints preserved on terracotta figurines provide compelling clues about the age, sex, and potential roles of the makers involved in their production. This research offers a rare glimpse into the lives of the artisans of Thonis-Heracleion, an ancient Egyptian port city that flourished between the seventh and second centuries BCE, shedding new light on a profession that has remained largely mysterious for centuries."

Silicone molded copy of imprints found on the interior of H20257, including measurements taken for ridge breadths (lines) and ridge densities (squares). Credit: Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation.

If you want the full article from The Oxford Journal of Archaeology, go Here

Video Audio Embed
Fascinating images that offer a glimpse into ancient Egypt: Photographer Christoph Gerigk talks about his work in the sunken ancient cities off the coast of Egypt and the challenges and developments in underwater photography.
Fascinating images that offer a glimpse into ancient Egypt: Photographer Christoph Gerigk talks about his work in the sunken ancient cities off the coast of Egypt and the challenges and developments in underwater photography.
Since the early 1990s Franck Goddio and the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and the Hilti Foundation, have explored the submerged remains of the ancient sunken cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus off the coast of Egypt and the Portus Magnus of Alexandria and its sunken royal quarter.
Photographer Christoph Gerigk has been collaborating with the IEASM for more than 25 years. In this episode, he talks about his work in the sunken ancient cities and the challenges and developments in underwater photography. Christoph has been honored twice at the World Press Photo Contest.
For more information about the work of the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM):
https://www.ieasm.org/
https://www.franckgoddio.org/
https://www.youtube.com/@Franck_Goddio
For more information about the OCMA: https://ocma.web.ox.ac.uk/
For more information about the Hilti Foundation: https://www.hiltifoundation.org/

 Director of Excavations Franck Goddio asked me to make some short videos of our Life On Board, during the current Underwater Archaeological mission in Alexandria Egypt.
Since these are "Shorts" the load differently than typical youtube videos. It may take me e few tries to figure this out.

Flint Dibble is an archaeologist at Cardiff University, and he wrote a very good article about how, and WHY, to take on conspiracy theorist in the archaeology/history space.

"In a world filled with people sceptical of science, we need to see these opportunities, not as debates but spectacles. We need to speak up strategically and share our expertise in our post-truth world."

Ironically, the image used in the article was of an AI generated sunken civilization, not unlike the fantasy images often used alongside images of the real work of Underwater Archaeologist Franck Goddio.

Thank you Professor, for inspiring me to struggle more against online disinformation of all types.

Oil lamps played important roles at Christian pilgrimage shrines all over the Byzantine world.

This gold finger ring appears to be fully functional, and might have been owned by a christian Pilgrim visiting a sacred site in Egypt during the Byzantine era, when many ancient sacred sites had been converted under Christianity.  You can find out about this and other finds by Underwater Archaeologists on the team of Franck Goddio by visiting https://www.franckgoddio.org/finds/