Introducing Tradewinds Archaeology
Conservation through Inspiration
Tradewinds Archaeology works with local communities to create interactive, community driven experiences that celebrate and conserve maritime resources and preserve the beauty of our oceans. Many sustainable tourism efforts have successfully helped communities take ownership of their cultural heritage on land, as well as natural resources both on land and under the sea, but many have overlooked the possibilities that maritime cultural heritage contains.
Maritime cultural heritage can be anything pertaining to the ocean, from the ships that sail along it, the people and villages that depend upon it, to the secrets sunk into its murky depths. We specialize in helping communities find growth from and value in their maritime heritage and resources. Possibilities abound, from sailing upon traditional vessels, eating traditional maritime foods, to even scuba diving upon sunken cities and shipwrecks.
Humans have relied upon and interacted with large bodies of water ever since we first crawled out of them. Our global maritime heritage is storied and long with endless possibilities for education, conservation, and inspiration. Let us take you on the journey to find how connecting with your maritime culture can better the future of your community.
Benefits of Sustainable Maritime Tourism
Sustainable tourism has been well established as a tool for social development, safeguarding the environment, and protecting cultural practices and traditions, all while promoting economic growth and world equity. Maritime and underwater cultural heritage is just one more tool that should be in the toolbox of any organization promoting sustainable tourism.
Some benefits of protecting maritime heritage and resources:
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Empowering indigenous and local communities by helping them preserve their cultural heritage while building long term economic growth
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Opening up sustainable tourism opportunities to cultures that aren't lucky enough to have an Angkor Wat in their backyard, but have a rich cultural maritime heritage
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Protecting marine environments from over-fishing and other dangers
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Preserving maritime cultural heritage for future generations
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Fighting assimilation and cultural genocide by helping communities feel pride in their history, traditions, and culture
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Elevating the standing of indigenous communities with local and regional government and economic sectors
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Enticing international tourists who increasingly want to feel good about where and how they travel
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Strengthening local businesses, particularly local tourist groups, scuba diving businesses, boat and equipment rental, local fisheries, restaurants, transportation, hospitality, craftsmen, and many more.
Maritime Heritage Sites are Good Business!
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Over 80% of all certified scuba divers are considered members of higher income groups and therefore more likely to travel and spend money where they travel. (UNESCO)
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Sites in Australia, the Cayman Islands, Micronesia, Grenada, Italy, Egypt, and Florida, have created growth of up to 15% annually for small businesses directly associated with
them, like dive shops, fishing tours, and boat tours. (UNESCO) -
EXAMPLE: The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve has over 70,000 visitors each year, providing the surrounding counties with $100 million USD in sales associated directly with sanctuary activities, $39 million USD in personal income to residents, and 1,704 jobs. (USNPS)
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EXAMPLE: The Youngala wreck site near Queensland, Australia receives an average of 10,000 divers a year. With a single day tour costing $224 USD, that is a yearly gross benefit of nearly $2.37 million USD from the dives
alone, not including impact on the larger regional economy. (Tourism Research Australia) -
EXAMPLE: Florida created a network of underwater parks spanning hundreds of miles, with plaques, maps, and laminated informational sheets. Between 2007-2008, almost 750,000 people participated in over 2.8 million days worth of diving, spending $54 million USD at diving centers. In Monroe County alone, these divers contributed $470 million USD in support of 7,500 of the 33,000 diver tourism related jobs in Florida. This accounts for 58% of the local economy and over $2.3 billion USD in annual sales. (NOAA)
Tradewinds Archaeology has the knowledge, creativity, and experience to create custom, scalable programs depending on the needs of any given project. We gain inspiration from each community, tailoring the experience to their unique traditions, history, and environment. We can accommodate a variety of budgets and are accustomed to working with a wide range of cultures. Here are a few different ways we could approach your project.
Endless Possibilities
Landlubber's Tour
Individual maritime sites can be developed into cultural heritage parks where people can learn about indigenous maritime history from local community members who have lived it. On land this can take the form of tours of historic fishing or whaling camps, lighthouses, shipyards, and fortresses. They can be as simple as self-guided hikes with informational plaques, to more complex tours with personal guides.
Maritime Heritage Deep Dive
With research, community involvement, and local support we can develop a tour that traces the maritime heritage of a whole region. Tours can include homestay opportunities with families tied to traditional maritime practices such as fishing, diving, sea-salt gathering, or shipbuilding that are situated along the tour route. At these homestays, guests not only learn about indigenous practices, but can participate directly in these industries which inspires communities to protect their traditional lifeways.
Shipwreck and Underwater Trails
A trail or tour of many underwater sites in a designated area or, sometimes, over the course of hundreds of miles. Accompanied by informational signs and laminated booklets that can be taken underwater, divers and snorkelers can immerse themselves in a self-guided or guided tour of an entire region or country's underwater artifacts. These tours can also point out geological, biological, and other underwater fascinations along the way.
Maritime Archaeological Park
Maritime parks turn a single underwater site into a unique experience for divers and snorkelers. They can explore the submerged remains of cities, explore the depths of the ruins, and discover sites of historic events, all complete with informational maps and signs. These parks allow people to truly get a feel of the impact the sea has on civilization, while standing in the very place that the inhabitants lived centuries ago.
Who We Are
Tradewinds Archaeology was founded by Trevor Gittelhough, a Maritime Archaeologist and lifelong sailor and adventurer. His earliest memories are of the shipyard where his dad built their family boat: a 45’ trimaran named Jammin. When he was five years old, he and his parents boarded Jammin and took to the sea. They didn’t return for nine years. Gittelhough spent his childhood among boats, ruins, and the people around them. Living at sea taught him patience, determination, and self-reliance. Everyone can teach you something if you watch and listen. Constantly meeting different peoples and being immersed in various indigenous cultures gave him a deep appreciation for history, traditions, lifeways, and the fundamental role they play in collective identity. His travels instilled in him a deep love for humanity, in all its diversity, and a passion for historical and cultural preservation.
With a B.A. in Archaeology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a M.A. in Maritime History from East Carolina University, Gittelhough’s academic foundation is supported by over a decade of experience in archaeology, both terrestrial and underwater. In the process, he has worked with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as non-profit and business sectors, in the research and conservation of prehistoric and historic resources.
With over fifteen years of dive experience, Gittelhough has explored many varieties of marine, riverine, and lacustrine environments, both as surface crew and as a diver. This is rounded out with expertise of vital research technology including sub-bottom profilers, magnetometers, side-scan sonar, ROV’s, UAV’s, and GIS. He is also trained and certified as a HAZWOPER technician with specialization in unexploded ordnance.
Hundreds of thousands of vessels have disappeared into the depths, and even more traditional sites have been submerged by rising sea levels. These sites have important historic and cultural meaning to local communities and the world and must be preserved. With the growth occurring in developing economies, many of these resources are at risk. It is our mission to conserve and protect these heritage sites, while continuing to assist in the sustainable development of growing economies.
Contact Us
(949)742-1894