The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the world's largest museum dedicated to a single civilization, has officially opened its doors. We are delighted that a selection of 132 finds from our research in the sunken cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus and the eastern harbour of Alexandria is now permanently on display at the GEM  Among them are the colossal statues of a Ptolemaic king, a queen and the god Hapy, all three about 5 metres high, which we discovered in Thonis-Heracleion.

As a member the team of Director of Excavations Franck Goddio, I'm writing now from my cabin on the Research Vessel Princess Duda, anchored over the site where we found the colossal statues. The entire IEASM Team on board  are proud of being able to contribute with to the impressive collection of the GEM. One of our goals is to make our research results accessible to the broad public and what could be better than having them presented in this fascinating museum.

Franck Goddio presents his research on the remains of a large religious complex in the Portus Magnus of Alexandria.

Thank you for responding to my click-bait exaggerated-danger title. An alternative title could be; "Why Global Underwater Explorers reject the Wichard “Safety Snap Hook”.

Here is the actual story...

It’s true that we were prepared for difficult diving conditions when Joe and I walked backwards into the Mekong River in the Golden Triangle region of Northern Laos. The possibility of entanglement had been discussed and prepared for, as well as how to not be shocked if we encountered a 600 lb Mekong Catfish.

Fortunately, Joe has a lot of experience with river diving. It was the end of the dry season, and  the expedition had been organized planning on the lowest river level and velocity possible, yet it was still high and strong in mid-March this year. Expedition Leader Ken Hayes had brought Joe and me along to help resolve the mystery of a Buddhist Temple from 500 years age that disappeared in antiquity, which is currently giving new hints as to where it has been hiding all these years. Archaeologists from the Lao National Museum had contacted Ken to help with the search.

My own experience with archaeological diving in various seas involved more moderate currents, or preferably none at all.

the day was warm and the water temp not shockingly cool, didpite its source in the snow melt of the Himaiayas. By the time I got to 3 m depth, the current was so strong that I was hanging onto larger rocks and a substantial tree branch with both hands. If I let go with one hand, I’d start sliding backwards in the current.

 The bottom was rocks, boulders, logs, and branches, plus twisted sheet metal and fishing nets.

I knew this because there was about 30 cm of visibility, and by putting my face near my hands, there was enough light to see.

I noticed that my line reel had paid out. The clip on the end must have  stuck or tangled on something, now upstream somewhere out of reach. A few minutes into my second dive, I had stumbled into one of the classic axioms of dive gear management: “ Don’t get your stuff tangled with debris in a strong current.”

Now I was entangled under the Mekong...

The new documentary film about our ongoing excavations on Cleopatra's personal Temple is launching on PBS. To accompany the launch, Franck Goddio is doing an AMA on Reddit about the science behind the  excavations

You can watch the Full 55 minute Documentary  streaming on PBS by clicking here

Secrets of the Dead: “Cleopatra’s Last Temple” will air on October 15th 2025
at 10pm. I haven't seen it yet, and am leaving for Egypt tomorow. Tell me how it goes.

"For more than 30 years, French explorer Franck Goddio has been hoping to confirm that ruins just below the Mediterranean’s surface in Alexandria’s harbor are a temple belonging to Cleopatra. If true, this discovery could reveal vital new information about Cleopatra’s reign and her connection with the goddess Isis".

At the Explorers Club Flag Return Ceremony for the Bokeo Buddha Expedition  I had the opportunity to share my thoughts on Why We Explore. Here is the text I fumbled through;

 A question I've been asking myself and others for years is “Why do we Humans leave the comfort of our homes and communities and go out into the world to explore?” I have a few observations I'd like to put forward and see what you think of them.
 How many of you have ever been lost? My hand is up. 

'Franck Goddio and his team haven't slowed down. Want proof? Check out this dramatic, exciting 18 minute documentary by Roland Savoye, titled L'Alexandrie engloutie: une adventure humaine" ( don't worry, youtube has cc subtitles!)

As we warm up for our upcoming fall archaeological mission, its great to see this reminder of what we achieved last year, but most of all remember "the human adventure" that we all experience being part of this team.

What struck me was the contrast between the old-timers ( like Jean Claude and Greg), and the fresh faces of the new team members. There is so much excitement in store for them, under the waves!

I'm looking forward to re-joining the team in just a few weeks for the fall mission excavating Sunken Egyptian Cities.

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;