Saving Maritime history
The shallow water shipwreck sites of the North Atlantic particularly those off the coast of Nova Scotia are facing an unprecedented threat of destruction and permanent loss. These wrecks, some dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, rest in vulnerable coastal environments often no deeper than 10 to 40 feet. Their shallow placement makes them uniquely accessible for exploration, but also alarmingly exposed to environmental and human caused risks. Without immediate and ongoing intervention, these irreplaceable time capsules of maritime history are in danger of vanishing forever.
One of the most pressing threats is the growing intensity and frequency of hurricanes and violent storm systems. With the Atlantic hurricane belt shifting north due to climate change, Nova Scotia’s coastline is now more frequently battered by powerful surges and high energy wave action. These forces churn and collapse underwater sediment layers, scattering or burying fragile wreck sites and exposing them to damage they were never built to endure. This erosion doesn’t just displace artifacts it destroys them, ripping them from the protective seafloor matrix and dragging them into oblivion.
Ocean acidification and warming waters further accelerate the degradation of these historical sites. As the North Atlantic warms, it alters biological and chemical balances on the seabed. Wooden components what little remain are broken down faster by marine organisms and bacteria that thrive in these new conditions. Simultaneously, acidic waters eat away at metal artifacts, from bronze cannons and iron fastenings to copper coins and navigational instruments. Even once stable ballast piles are shifting due to increased tidal energy, dislocating the final traces of many long-lost vessels.
The human threat is just as dangerous. Looting and unauthorized salvage have intensified with the rise of recreational diving, GPS technology, and metal detecting. Untrained divers frequently remove artifacts from their archaeological context, destroying vital historical information in the process. Many of these artifacts are lost to private collections or black-market sales, never to be studied, preserved, or shared with the public. Coastal erosion from shoreline development and subsidence only compounds the problem, swallowing entire wreck sites before they can even be documented.
Leading the charge to protect these vanishing relics is Jeff MacKinnon and his elite team of divers who are highly trained veterans, retired police officers, and first responders who have transformed their operational discipline into a force for cultural preservation. With decades of combined field experience and technical certifications in geophysical surveying, diving, and artifact conservation, this team is among the most qualified in the world. They conduct sanctioned, methodical recoveries of endangered sites, often racing against time and tide to retrieve artifacts before they are destroyed. Using a rigid scientific methodology, underwater communications systems, and detailed mapping technologies, they operate with military precision and archaeological care.
On behalf of the province of Nova Scotia, MacKinnon and his team are not only preserving history they are restoring dignity to the forgotten souls lost at sea and defending the cultural inheritance of future generations. Their work bridges two worlds: one of high seas adventure and another of scientific responsibility. In doing so, they’ve built a model for sustainable marine heritage recovery. One that recognizes the urgent need to act before the North Atlantic’s most vulnerable wreck sites are lost forever.