South West Maritime Archaeological GroupHistory from the Sea

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SWMAG is a team. Its members bring together a diverse set of skills; some run their own businesses, others are self-employed; there are builders, engineers, CAD and IT specialists, and a maritime law expert within the group. Add a total of over 300 years of diving experience and a passion for maritime history and archaeology and the result is something quite extraordinary.

Put your mouse pointer over a team member to find out more about them.

• Steve ClarksonSteve has been diving since 1966 and joined Reading BSAC in 1967.He has done over 3500 dive around the UK and Ireland as well as diving on sites in California, Western Austrailia, Maldives, South Africa and the Red Sea.Having qualified as a Electronic Systems Design Engineer Steve has now retired from his job as Project Management consultant and spend his time boating and following his passion for Marine Archaeology.He is a BSAC Diving & Boathandling Instructor and is also NAS Part 1 qualified. He has an International certificate for Operator of Pleasure Craft Steve is a member of the SWMAG committee.
• Dave DunkleyA diver since 1990, Dave is a BS-AC Advanced Diver. If a hole needs digging under the water Dave is your man Dave is a member of the SWMAG committee.
• Andy ElliottAndy has been a diver since 1980 - he was slim then. and is again now Andy is one the team's researchers -and founder member if there is a story to be told about an item Andy will find it and more besides.wrecks dived Salcombe Gold Salcombe Bronze age B1 and B2, Moorsands the erme four wrecks Halswell ,breda, volnay ,campen kyarra, bognor mullbery,s ,dragon ,St peters port Herm ,Alderney, lizard , Blesk , the rose , eddy stone eranner, herzan ceciel Gossemer
  will add more as the log book turns up research , some of the people and places I have dealt with include, Oxford mineral's BegbrokeNano OMCS Dr Peter Northover Dr Chris Salter known from my land archaeology days ,Dr George Bass USA the pewter's guild ,The collage of arms British museum Stuart Needham , Ben Roberts ,Camborne school of mining, ,Plymouth City Museum ,Adam Gwilt Wales museum Fiona Pitt, Salcombe museum also is archivist for first photos taken and recorded sheet for each artefact recovered weight,size Andy is a member of the SWMAG committee.
• Ron HowellRon's first dive was in 1958 with the Royal Navy where he was also a tender to the last of their Hard Hat divers. Ron joined Northampton BS-AC in 1975 where he qualified as an Advanced Diver. During his diving career Ron has been on the teams that found HMS Primrose, worked on the Dutch East Indiaman Campen, and a member of The Western Isles Salvors who located the Silver room on the Cunard liner Aurania. He has also dived the English East Indiamen Haleswell and Admiral Gardner. He is a founder member of SWMAG It was his immortal words on returning from his first dive on the Salcombe Cannon site: "Get my glove, there's a ****ing fortune in it" that led to the start of the site's story. Ron is Honorary Secretary of SWMAG.
• Mick KightleyStarted diving in 1975,With Northampton BSAC branch0013 Second class & Advanced Nitrox Diver. early days diving HMS Primrose helped raise 5 Canons & a Rudder from this site, dived @ the Lizard, on Cromdale, Czar, Mosel,also the Dispatch,@ Swanage on the Halsewell,the Aurania on Mull & Erme Estuary Devon on the ingot site & cannon site, Salcombe cannon site & Bronze age wreck site, Moor Sands Bronze site. found the first palstave Axe head & the First full Gold torc Two Visits to Buckingham Palace, 1993 & 2010. one of the Founder Team members of SWMAG. Mick is a member of the SWMAG committee.
• Mike KingstonMike is an ex-sport's parachutist who started diving in 1975. He is a founder member of Western Isles Salvers that worked on the Aurania and other projects. With SWMAG Mike has been involved with the Erme Estuary and the Salcombe Cannon Site. His diving and boating qualifications have enabled him to provide water-based safety cover for the filming industry. Having dived at a number of different locations around the world, Mike still finds the UK the most intriguing. Outside of diving Mike runs his own construction company and is a keen horse rider and owner; he has travelled to South America to ride in the Andes. Mike is a member of the SWMAG committee.
• Neville OldhamNevelle started diving in 1956 whilst in the Grenadier Guards.He is a founder member of the East Cheshire BSAC where he is now an Honorary life member. He had his own Dive Charter business based in Hope Cove in Devon where he gained his commercial diving ticket. Neville is a founder member of the International Marine and Shipwreck Society as well as South West Maritime Archaeological Group. He has been involved in the Nautical Arcaeological Society for may years and has recently be awarded a fellowship of NAS. At the age of 76 he is still an active diver and is currently the Licensee of the Moor Sands Historic wreck site. Neville is a member of the SWMAG committee.
• Mick PalmerMick has been diving since 1980 and is a BS-AC 2^nd Class Diver. RYA Yacht Master. Adv. Nitrox Diver. Gas Blender. These days his dives are 55 minutes long - any depth, any job. Mick is the English Heritage appointed Licensee for the Salcombe Protected Site, Bronze Age B and 17th Century, and Chairman of the South West Maritime Archaeological Group. Mick is Honorary Chairperson of SWMAG.
• Dave ParhamDave Parham (BA, MSc, MIFA) is a professional archaeologist with over 25 years experience in marine archaeological research and has authored over 100 publications and consultancy reports. He is Program Leader for the BSc Marine Archaeology Program at Bournemouth University’s School of Conservation Sciences and Director of the School's Centre for Marine and Coastal Archaeology. Dave is also a commercial Inshore Diving Supervisor, a Scientific Diving Supervisor and Advanced Diving Instructor. Dave is SWMAG's Nominated Archaeologist.
• Mike TurnerMike has been diving since 1985 and is originally from East Cheshire. Mike is a BSAC Sports Diver , Boat Handling and VHF Radio. Mike retired from Information Technology in Computer Manufacture Industry in 2002 and now lives in the South Hams Devon. Majority of dives in East and West Scotland, Wales,Orkneys and of course South Devon with few excursions to Red Sea, Maldives and Cuba.
• Jim TysonBorn in Glasgow and started working life in the ship auxiliaries industry in the north-east as a professional mechanical engineer. Over the years, work has gradually moved him further south, but now Jim is settled in Market Harborough which is about as far from the sea as you can get in the UK. Diving career started in 1975 with Northampton BSAC Branch No.13 and he is still an active member!. Original idea was just to get some training to do holiday diving in Malta (did not like the idea of cold, murky British waters), but he came back fully enthused with wreck diving and history - never stopped, and now he only ever dive in the UK waters. Early days were spent on the classic steel wrecks around Cornwall and the Isle of Mull. Soon got involved in historical project diving; HMS Primrose (c.1809) wrecked on the Manacles, Cornwall, the VOC ship Campen (c.1627) wrecked on the Needles, Isle of Wight; the Halsewell (c1868) wrecked at Swanage, South Dorset as well as an Armada wreck searched for in the Firth of Clyde - but not found yet! Since 1991 Jim has been diving in South Devon and was one of the founder members of the 'South West Archaeological Group'. The team has been fully committed to diving in South Devon with the following successes; •Erme Estuary Site - designated 1991 •Tin Ingot Site - designated in 1993, the team was awarded the 'Duke of Edinburgh Gold Prize' in November 1993. Oak timbers found on the site were carbon dated to 6300BP (over 4000 yrs old). •Salcombe Cannon Site - 1995 and still actively dived. Successes include designation in 1997, a press release at the British Museum in November 1997 and a further press release of Bronze Age finds in March 2005 Always had a great passion for diving and discovering 'history from the sea' and feel that the British coastline has the most to offer any diver who seeks it. Jim is a member of the SWMAG committee.
• Andy WagstaffAndy has been diving since 1999 and has obviously had a hard life. As well as the Salcombe site Andy spends a lot of time on the Haleswell. Andy is a member of the SWMAG committee.
• Julie WilliamsJulie has been diving since 1993 and is a BS-AC Ocean Diver; she is also an experienced motor boat sailor. She is a Chartered Accountant and Charted Tax Adviser, and lecturers in Accountancy and Taxation at a University in the East Midlands. Julie is a member of the SWMAG committee.
• Mike WilliamsMike Williams is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Wolverhampton. He has published extensively on the law relating to the foreshore and seabed and underwater cultural heritage. He advises government departments and agencies both in the UK and abroad and is retained as an advisor to the Crown Estate on foreshore and seabed matters. Mike has commercial and recreational diving qualifications and dives with the South West Maritime Archaeological Group. He sits on the Joint Nautical Archaeological Policy Committee, is Honorary Secretary of the Nautical Archaeology Society and is a trustee of the Resurgam Trust. Mike is a member of the SWMAG committee.
• Chris YatesChris started diving in 1982, going on to qualify as a BS-AC Advanced Diver and Advanced Instructor. He has been lucky enough to dive in many places in the world including The Great Barrier Reef, the Red Sea, and the Caribbean among others, but his first love is UK diving; in particular the Salcombe site. Chris is the team's GIS and web geek. Outside of diving he runs The Beastly Beasts, an organisation that raises awareness of the plight of many of the greyhounds used in the racing industry and the fact that they make great pets, and money for their rescue. Chris is Honorary Treasurer of SWMAG.