Preparation is in full swing, as all the equipment has now arrived at the main compound. Members of the dive team are unpacking and assembling their equipment, filling cylinders and testing kit.

Briefings are taking place so that team members from Greece, the United Kingdom, America, Sweden & Australia work cohesively as a group. Also assembling smaller sub teams. Everyone has their own specialty, plus a lot of common skills, such as technical diving expertise.

Something that isn’t generally mentioned in stories about the project is that addition to scientific and technological challenges, logistics are difficult and expensive. Tonnes of equipment has to be brought to Antikythera for the duration of the project and then returned, even a rented forklift. Then there’s the human element, 20-30 people have to be accommodated and fed (a number greater than the permanent population of the island), a temporary dive centre needs to be set up, organising supporting vessels, plus scientific infrastructure and so on. The project is a massive production!

Team members have been arriving in Antikythera from around the world over the last few days, using all modes of transport ranging from the standard ferries, to a helicopter transit provided by our good friends at Costa Navarino.

Our two dive boats from Crete and Alimos are in Antikythera, with the mother ship, MV Glaros due shortly, which is generously provided by the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation.

Thousands of kilograms of equipment and supplies have also been arriving, literally tonnes of material to support diving operations and the team for the next few weeks. The main task for this week is preparation, ready for first dives on the wreck on Sunday or Monday, depending on the weather.

Some may not realize how logistically demanding this project is, taking science to new limits on a number of fronts.

Stay tuned!

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs has approved scientific analysis of Antikythera Shipwreck artifacts from the 1901 and 1976 salvages. The first task is extracting ancient DNA in the ship’s luxury ceramic artifacts to determine their original contents. We will sample seven artifacts to start: lagynoi, olpe, and unguentaria recovered in 1901 and 1976; and a filter jar recovered in 1976.

We will collect the samples from the jars this month, using a non-destructive technique recommended by forensic scientists in American police crime labs. We expect to have results by the close of 2015. If this pilot study reveals ancient DNA, then we will submit a new permit application to investigate many more artifacts from the wreck.

The Return to Antikythera team comprised of a lot of talented people, across a wide range of disciplines (and nations). From archaeologists to technical divers, robotics experts, vessel skippers and crew, photographers and film makers. Here’s some candid photos of team members in action this season. A first installment featuring about one third of the team. Subsequent posts will follow shortly.

Dr. Theotokis Theodoulou, Project Co-Director, maritime archaeologist in the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Dr Brendan Foley, Archaeologist – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Project Co-Director & visionary.

Alexander Sotiriou, lead diver, fieldwork organiser & technical diving instructor.

Phil Short, lead diver, rebreather instructor trainer.

Evan Kovacs, bottom diver, videographer, film maker.

Brett Seymour, bottom diver, photographer.

Nikolas Giannoulakis, technical diving instructor

Thanasios Chronopoulos, diver, boat skipper

Alex Tourtas, archaeologist, diver

John Fardoulis, photographer, content producer, diver, drone pilot.

Konstantinos Kotoulas, boat crew, diver

Evita Simoni, photographer

OTE-COSMOTE installed two new base stations (cellular towers), to provide our project and guests  reliable, fast 4G mobile internet coverage. Most of these updates were sent to the internet by their 4G network.

These new base stations will remain in Antikythera, providing the island with improved infrastructure as a result of the Return to Antikythera project and OTE-COSMOTE’s sponsorship.

We were very fortunate to have the Hellenic Navy as a partner during the Return to Antikythera 2014 season.

They provided the vessel, HN THETIS and a full crew, which functioned as a support craft for the Exosuit.

HN THETIS, anchored next to the Antikythera shipwreck

HN THETIS, a stable platform for the Exosuit

A seven man Navy SEAL (O.Y.K) team was also assigned to the project by the Hellenic Navy, who spent a considerable amount of time training on mixed gas Sentinal rebreathers prior to fieldwork, the same units as used bottom divers in the Return to Antikythera team.

The Hellenic Navy SEAL (O.Y.K) team assigned to the project.

Crew from HN THETIS, Navy SEAL (O.Y.K) & Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities teams all working together

Antikythera is a difficult place to get to. There is no airport (just a helipad), ferry services are limited and weather is often inhospitable, cutting off the island.

Hence, we were lucky to have Costa Navarino as a sponsor, providing a Bell 430 helicopter for transport when we were out of other options.

It brought VIP guests from Athens and those transiting from abroad, transported the archaeologists and diving team to Kythera for the sponsor event and was a nice safety blanket in case we got stuck.

Mathias Buttet, Hublot R&D Director, leaving Antikythera with the Costa Navarino helicopter.

The yacht, turned research vessel GLAROS, provided by sponsor, the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation also helped a lot, being a platform for AUV deployment, providing accommodation and transport throughout the 2014 Return to Antikythera season. Especially transporting most of the archaeologists and diving team – plus hundreds of kilograms of equipment to Piraeus on Wednesday when fieldwork finished, rather them having to wait until Sunday for a ferry.