Sub Sea Research

HAITI

by Greg Brooks

What a fascinating country. My first visit was in 1984 on a diving trip to the north coast. The weather was perfect and the diving fantastic.

Now, 20 years later, Haiti is still in my life.

Sub Sea Research has short as well as long term goals to help the Haitian government as well as the people of Haiti to research, recover, conserve and display it's underwater marine cultural heritage. Sub Sea is in the planning stages of setting up a small maritime museum in Haiti. This museum will focus on the children as well as adults, having many interactive displays to introduce the vast underwater heritage in Haiti. Visitors will learn of the early shipping practices, pirates and the marine life that surrounds them. Some of them will have the opportunity to join us on our underwater expeditions and learn first hand how life at sea is and become part of a very exciting adventure.

"After several years of planning and extensive negotiations between Haitian officials and Principals of Sub Sea Research, an exciting and extensive cooperative agreement has been reached between Haiti and Sub Sea Research to rescue International Maritime Heritage Sites located along Haiti's coast in a long term multi-faceted project meant to bring interest and positive permanent advances to our knowledge of this period in Haiti's history and how that relates to our understanding of an important era of our exploration and trade in the western hemisphere." Greg Brooks of Sub Sea Research reported today in a telephone conference with some of his core team members.

"Projects which intend to expand the knowledge of Haiti's Maritime History in the New World and promote long term plans for establishing historic dive sites in an unexplored country hungry for revenue alternatives is warmly anticipated by Haitians from all walks of life and will only serve to improve opportunities for everyone." Greg Brooks, Co founder and Director of Sub Sea added. "I realize that many people today focus on the problems and difficulties but in the long run Haiti is long overdue on recognition as a hub for some of the most intriguing and least understood portions of our Marine cultural heritage and history. We plan to change that for the better." Although he realizes this is a daunting area of the Caribbean fraught with political uncertainty and long endured poverty, he feels confidently optimistic about the projects' long term success.

"I visited Haiti as a tourist many years ago, and discovered for myself that there is much more to the country and its' people than is often assumed." Greg adds "Everyone involved in this business and in this project understands that these efforts won't be realized overnight. "It will take time just to survey the areas we are starting with, there is so much out there -but we are committed to seeing this through." He says the waters around Haiti have been "ignored and overlooked for too long, and there is too much history lying on or under the seabed, rotting away -so, it's wrong for us to ignore it any longer. We have the technology and the resources to be productive partners in this with the Haitian people." It will be a beneficial and hopefully a very rewarding venture that we intend to stick with for a very long time." Greg Brooks and his partners are committed to seeing these efforts produce positive and beneficial growth and opportunity for the Haitian people and see the potential for many offspring ventures from this.

Hundreds if not thousands of ships were attracted to the multitude of naturally protected deep bays and harbors surrounding Haiti -which lies in the middle of one of the most popular Dutch West Indies Trade Routes for the Ships of Discovery and Spanish Main. It was also one of the strongholds of Buccaneers, Privateers and Freebooters throughout this period - and therefore illustrates the incredible wealth of Sea faring history lying in repose off Haiti's shores. Sub Sea also hopes to strike a chord with people who are looking to add value to their lives and instill adventure in their travels by volunteering their time and talents and joining Sub Sea's new "Diving Into History" program. This is currently being developed to allow students and travelers and divers the opportunity to experience a once in a lifetime adventure, while aiding our efforts to identify, locate and recover Haiti's incredibly rich and undetected Maritime Heritage and Shipwreck history.