Miscellaneous Blogs
Book Review: Dragon Sea (2007) by Frank Pope
Dragon Sea, by Frank Pope, tells the true story of the location, combined archaeological survey of a large, five-hundred year old wreck and salvage of over 250,000 Vietnamese ceramic artefacts from the Hoi Ann shipwreck. It also charts the complex negotiation with government departments, legal and cultural bodies in Vietnam, as well as international groups, which had a vested interest in the outcome of the excavations and sale of artefacts.
It was a sensitive and expensive project. The ransacking of ancient Chinese porcelain artefacts from the wreck of the Dutch East India Company Geldermalsen, a few years earlier, had generated US$20 Million at auction but prompted furious international condemnation at the destruction of the wreck site for profit. In addition to managerial and ethical problems, the Vietnamese Hoi Ann shipwreck rested on the seabed over seventy metres below the surface in the turbulent and typhoon prone South China Sea. It would be a testing site on which to work.
At the outset the endeavour seemed to offer so much to everyone involved. The wreck site was a time capsule, sealed on the day of its sinking. It offered insights into Vietnamese culture and ceramics made during the golden days of the civilization. The Chief Archaeologist explained “shipwrecks preserve information in a way that very few land sites could – by freezing a moment in time” (p. 8).There was the prospect of huge financial rewards to the businessman leading the consortium of investors. Divers and technicians, managers and workmen, as well as Vietnamese institutions, all stood to benefit.
In his account Frank Pope combines the excitement of both archaeologists and accountants as pristine artefacts are uncovered and brought to the surface. His descriptions are vivid: “fragile kendis and ewers, vases, and large blue-and-white storage jars had cascaded down as the wood around them disintegrated” (p. 196). The numerous sketches Pope includes in his book are useful, but actual photographs of some of the artefacts and scenes would have been a valuable addition.
Throughout the book a central theme emerges; it’s the cost cutting measures under which the project operated. The author reveals how these pressures and accompanying resentments grew within the team as a result of these measures. For the divers, their work time in saturation (living inside a pressurized chamber breathing helium and oxygen, and working at seventy metres plus) was extended far beyond the recognised limit. Eventually, when they emerge after fifty-nine days of saturation diving, they were “thin and bearded, their skin yellowed and covered in rashes and lesions” (p.259).
Calm waters do not typify the South China Sea – especially as the typhoon season approaches. A recreational diver may experience surge, current and turbulent water; but is not working for twelve hours a day, for weeks, at a depth of more than seventy metres! The effect of surface sea conditions on a dive platform, waves and swell, are magnified underwater. The diving bell and the umbilical attached to a diver are continuously wrenched up and dropped down in the current. Even in calmer conditions the process of negotiating the metal grid positioned over the wreck is problematic. It “was like trying to clamber through a climbing frame on a moonless night with a gale blowing, wearing full dive gear, trailing a cable and carrying a heavy basket of fragile ceramics” (p.209).
Pope skilfully describes the changing atmosphere surrounding the project – both above the water and below. Close, personal friendships become strained as fatigue and adverse weather, financial constraints and day to day problems begin to overwhelm those involved. The uneasy balance between rigorous archaeological practise and the economic need to recover artefacts takes centre stage. The Chief Archaeologist “couldn’t shake the fear that despite his instructions, the divers were ignoring anything that wasn’t ceramic.” The businessman believed the actions of the archaeologist were sabotaging the recovery of artefacts. The crescendo, the sale of the artefacts from the Hoi Ann shipwreck, is not what you may have expected.
Perhaps the outstanding feature of Dragon Sea is the way Frank Pope succeeds in building a relationship between the main characters and the reader. You want a diver to survive, another character to change, broken relationships mended. The closing sections provide a pleasant summary of what subsequently happened to them. However, perhaps the most salutary comment is reserved for the state of marine archaeology in many parts of the world. Frank Pope writes “In most of Southeast Asia, however, it is still open season on the seabed.” (p. 315)
Dragon Sea (2007)
- By Frank Pope
- New York: Harcourt Books
- ISBN 9780156033299
- 341 pp
Frank Pope obtained a degree in Zoology from Edinburgh University and is Ocean Correspondent for The Times newspaper. He has worked on underwater expeditions under the auspices of Oxford MARE (Maritime Archeological Research and Excavation), including the salvage of Lord Nelson’s flagship Agamemnon. His most recent book is 72 hours (2013); the Royal Navy’s dramatic race to save the crew trapped inside a Russian submarine.
Find out more about Professor Fred Lockwood, who is also a published author, at www.fredlockwood.co.uk.
If you ever wondered what’s the exciting buzz around the RAID Diver Agency, we can tell you right here!
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Why RAID? Truly Different?
The RAID philosophy is we are divers, not Recreational or Technical, just divers.
We all start with our first breath underwater with limited knowledge and experience. How much theoretical knowledge individuals may want is a personal choice.
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With the roots of RAID International being founded in a technical background, the ethos is to provide all divers with solid fundamental skills of diving buoyancy, hover & trim which provide a robust platform for any future training in whatever direction they decides interests them.
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RAID conduct all dive skill training how you would use it practically. Perfect buoyancy with good hover and trim position.
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You bet that wasn’t popular with the book selling agencies!
If that wasn’t enough, additionally, all the skills videos, are available on YouTube with FREE access.
The core of RAID‘s ethos is to provide all divers with solid fundamental skills of diving buoyancy with perfect hover & trim providing a robust platform for any future training.
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Should you decide you would like to know more or would like to take a course contact James at RAID UK and he will direct you to your local RAID centre.
RAID UK
James Rogers
www.diveraiduk.com
info@diveraiduk.com
+44 191 4324644
RAID – A Global Agency
RAID has Regional Offices around the world all fully embedded in the governing bodies of diver training.
WRSTC Member USA, ERSTC Member EU, Worldwide ISO Certified, RTC founding member.
RAID Dive Centres are in all corners of the UK!
All ready to offer divers and beginners a friendly welcoming new standard of service. Whether you are ready to take your first breath or an experienced exploration diver, make visiting a RAID Dive Centre your next step.
Here are just a few suggestions.
Bay Divers
Swansea
www.baydivers.co.uk
+44-7859-018970
West Coast Diving
Kilmarnock
www.westcoastdiving.co.uk
+44-7904-539512
SevernTec Diving
Dive South
RAID – Holiday Destinations
Looking to take a dive trip with your club or personally, here are just a few popular RAID dive holiday destination ideas for the UK based diver.
Egypt
Maldives
Bali
Thailand
South Africa
Click to contact the Regional Office for a full list of dive destinations in that region.
EGYPT
Pharaoh Dive Club
Roots Red Sea, El Quseir, Egypt
info@pharaohdiveclub.com
www.pharaohdiveclub.com
+20 10068 22000
Multi award winning centre offering special ‘Dive & Stay’ packages
Scuba Dreamer Diving College
Park Regency, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
www.scubadreamer.it
info@scubadreamer.it
+20 122 7150550
Based at Park Regency & Beach Promenade providing a full 5* package
MALDIVES
Fehivina Dhangethi &
Dhodhi – Dhiffushi – North Male’ Atoll
www.scubadivinemaldives.com
scubadivinedhangethi@gmail.com
scubadivinedhiffushi@gmail.com
+96 07913075
Range of accommodation options available
Jerrys Dive Club
Rasdhoo, Maldives
www.jerrysdiveclub.com
hello@jerrysdiveclub.com
+960 772 7876
Stay at Jerry’s Guest House
BALI
Prana Dive
Kabupaten Karaangasem, Bali, Indonesia
www.pranadive.com
info@pranadive.com
+62 813 3877 5345
Why not stay with us at Teratai Boutique Resort
THAILAND
SOUTH AFRICA
Adventure Mania
Sodwana Bay, South Africa
www.adventuremania.co.za
info@adventuremania.co.za
+27 82 653 7824
Adventure Mania takes pride in providing personalised, eco-conscious dives that highlight the beauty of protected coral reefs and marine life. This family diving business, nestled within a Marine Protected Area, offers a diving experience that is as educational as it is exhilarating.
Adventure Mania’s expert instructors and staff have a deep-rooted passion for ocean conservation. They not only guide divers through breathtaking underwater landscapes but emphasise the importance of marine preservation. Teaching diving with Adventure Mania goes beyond imparting technical skills; it embraces fostering a respect for the ocean.
ScubaCo
Durban, South Africa
www.scubaco.co.za
info@scubaco.co.za
+27 79 779 4242
ScubaCo is a boutique RAID Dive Centre operating on the Kwa-Zulu Natal coastline of South Africa. ScubaCo are specialists in both shark and reef diving as well as featuring the annual Sardine Run migration as they are so well positioned to offer the best of the best.
Many clients enjoy our wonderful packages with ScubaCo Guest House accommodation coupled to amazing dive options – Shark Diving, Big 5 Safari & Diving the Sardine Run.
This destination is a must for every Diver and should be on your bucket list for dive travel.
Make sure to add Aliwal Shoal to your next Diving holiday and let Tamara and her team take fantastic care of you while in South Africa.
Dive & Travel the RAID way
When you see the RAID emblem at a dive centre around the world you can be assured that the highest standards of diver training are being provided, knowing all RAID professionals have met the testing criteria to achieve their professional rank.
Gemma and Ian chat to Dawn Kernagis. Dawn joined DEEP in 2023 as the Director of Scientific Research. DEEP is an ocean technology and exploration company with a mission to ‘Make Humans Aquatic.’ DEEP’s undersea habitat and submersible systems, combined with multi-phased diver and human performance training, will create the next evolution of subsea science, research, and exploration capabilities. Dawn is a NASA-trained NEEMO Aquanaut, Explorer’s Club Fellow and Women Divers Hall of Fame Inductee and who is also tasked to establish DEEP’s first US presence in North Carolina. Dawn has also been a diver with numerous underwater exploration, research, and conservation projects since 1993, including the mapping and record-setting exploration of some of the deepest underwater caves in the world.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-kernagis-995383152/
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