DWP started with a phone call from Karuna Eberl in 2003. At that time, I was the Southern Region Representative for the National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS), and Karuna was producing a documentary called the Guerrero Project and needed some Black divers to interview. After she found me on the NABS website and contacted me with the request, I enlisted some of my NABS friends – Erik Denson, Goldie Singleton, Major Nimiock and Rod Singleton – to be interviewed for her documentary about the search for the slave ship The Guerrero, as told through a book by Gail Swanson. The documentary also tells the story of treasure hunters and archaeologists and their opposing views on where the lost ship was located.

A year into the project, I had the pleasure of meeting Brenda Lanzendorf, an archaeologist at Florida’s Biscayne State Park and the “star” of the documentary. Her passion for The Guerrero search and unwavering support for preserving our national marine sanctuaries was inspiring! During one of our meetings, she mentioned to me that Biscayne Park had a lot of wrecks needing to be documented. And since Brenda was the only park archaeologist, she needed help!

I went home and contacted many of my NABS brothers and sisters. I began the correspondence with: “Tired of the same old dives? Let’s dive with a purpose!” Erik Denson was the first excited respondent. Erly Thornton and Rod Singleton came on shortly afterward. Soon, these three experienced NABS divers and I were taking an underwater archaeology course, and DWP was born!

Today, 300+ divers have completed the course and more than 46 have become instructors. Included in this number are three young divers from the local youth organization that I co-founded, the Tennessee Aquatic Project and Development Group, Inc. (TAP).

Diving with a Purpose has become an integral part of the Biscayne Park’s yearly activities and each year has expanded its reach. Unfortunately, the driving force of the program is no longer with us. Brenda Lanzendorf passed away, but her legacy continues! My life has been enriched by the experiences I’ve had through the Diving with a Purpose program. And in the process, hundreds of African-American archaeology enthusiasts have been born!

Ken Stewart

DWP Founder and Program Director

Diving With a Purpose (DWP) is a volunteer underwater archaeology program that started with members of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS) and the National Park Service (NPS) in Biscayne National Park. Biscayne National Park is the largest marine park in the National Parks System and has over 110 archaeological sites, approximately 43 of which are intact shipwrecks, that tell compelling stories of the nation’s rich maritime cultural heritage.

DWP trains experienced divers, including youth, to become underwater archaeology advocates. Through the program, divers are able to assist in the historical documentation and preservation of artifacts and wreck sites. The program helps to perform a congressionally-mandated condition assessment of archaeological sites within the Park’s boundaries. DWP performs extensive underwater archaeological documentation of these shipwrecks, surveys their condition and develops detailed maps of the wreck sites. The program also attempts to interpret and understand the historical context in which the ships existed.

DWP believes it is important to document these historical sites while they still exist. The sites are subject to an ever-changing environment both man-made and natural. Sites have been looted for their valuable artifacts and damaged by storms and time on the ocean floor. The shipwreck data collected serves as a vital educational resource for local communities that will tell the story of these vessels and the role they played in the nation’s maritime heritage. Documenting these sites allows a rich history to be shared for generations to come.

Over the last eleven years, over 300 people have participated in the program, most are repeat attendees. In addition to their volunteer hours, DWP participants pay their own travel and hotel expenses.  Program fees pay for equipment, boat rental and crew.  Each year DWP participants patronize local hotels, businesses, shops and restaurants flowing thousands of dollars back into the community.

DWP is expanding internationally, beyond the Park’s boundaries, with expeditions and training abroad. George Washington University, Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture, South Africa’s Iziko Museums and DWP, in partnership, formed the Slave Wrecks Project to search for slave shipwrecks around the globe. In addition:

• DWP has collaborated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) providing Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) training and expeditions in the National Marine Sanctuaries. NABS and NOAA have created a website called Voyage to Discovery, which is a multimedia educational initiative highlighting African-American contributions to the country’s maritime heritage.

• DWP graduates have recently assisted NOAA with the identification and mapping of the shipwreck Hannah Bell in Key Largo and the documentation of a lost Tuskegee Airmen P-39 aircraft in Lake Huron.

• DWP participated in the search for the Guerrero, a pirate slave ship sunk off the coast of Florida, which was featured on an episode called “Sunken Stories” in the PBS Changing Seas documentary series.

• DWP established a Youth DWP (YDWP) archaeology program and has added a Coral Restoration course.

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