Diving With a Purpose

This chapter provides an historical overview of the formation of Diving with a Purpose (DWP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of submerged heritage resources by providing education, training, certification, and field experience to adults and youth in the fields of maritime archaeology and ocean conservation. A special focus of DWP is the protection, documentation, and interpretation of African slave trade shipwrecks and the maritime history and culture of African Americans. DWP participants and members are volunteer citizen scientists who provide the skills and labor for various projects, expeditions, and field work conducted worldwide in collaboration with national and international partners. By illuminating the environmental and cultural conservation and preservation programs hosted by DWP, this chapter discusses the importance of citizen scientists, and how such community-based efforts are transformative to the field of maritime archaeology.