Wreck Diver
It’s easy to picture an archaeologist at work, labouring under the hot sun, meticulously sifting soil and unearthing precious artifacts; but that’s not how Tāne Renata Casserley works. With the same spirit of exploration as his tūpuna, Tāne dives to the bottom of lakes and oceans around North America to survey and document shipwrecks.
Long before road and rail were developed to meet mass transportation demands, the Great Lakes were the superhighway of North America. However, safe passage was not always guaranteed, thanks to sudden storms, dense fog and human error.
Nicknamed Shipwreck Alley in the 19th century, Thunder Bay at Michigan’s Lake Huron has a large concentration of wrecks representing over 100 years of shipping history. From there, marine archaeologist Tāne, who is the National Maritime Heritage Co-ordinator for NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration), oversees projects at 14 underwater parks throughout the United States.
“It’s like Disneyland. We have schooners with three masts standing upright on the lake bottom. The ship’s cargo is still there, preserved and these wrecks are 150 years old. The first time I saw it, it blew my mind,” says Tāne.
“We’re exploring areas that haven’t been seen since that ship went down because they are so deep and remote. It’s so exciting to be there but it’s also exciting to tell those stories to other people and share that experience.”
Finding new ways to share wrecks otherwise inaccessible to the average person is a challenge for Tāne, who is currently spearheading a project using modern technology to create an interactive experience.
“We’re going to dive on a shipwreck in Thunder Bay and using a video satellite internet link, broadcast to kids in their classroom. They can talk to us underwater and ask questions. The biggest shame in high school is that kids are not given a passion for history. Sharing with them the excitement and history they never knew was in their backyard is pretty cool.”
Had a similar program been available to him in school, Tāne’s path to becoming a maritime archaeologist might have been a little smoother.
An avid snorkeler and free diver, Tāne was born in California and raised on the island of Maui in Hawai’i. Despite an obvious love of the ocean, Tāne focused his energies on earning a Bachelor Degree in Psychology. When he discovered psychology wasn’t for him he went back to school to become a chef.
As much as he loved his second career choice, he became burnt out and sought advice from his mother, Jane Unaiki Broughton. Jane is Ngāi Tahu on her mother’s side, from the hapū of Kāti Huirapa, and connects to the Parata whānau. On Jane’s father’s side she is Ngāti Kahungunu.
Before moving to California with husband John Casserley, Jane studied archaeology and anthropology at the University of Otago.
Her passionate endorsement inspired Tāne and he set out to study archaeology at the University of Hawai’i. It wasn’t until he was looking for experience in the field though that his love of diving and anthropology were combined.
A professor noticed Tāne’s love of scuba diving and history and suggested he look into maritime archaeology, which studies and interprets shipwrecks.
At the time, Tāne’s response was: “They pay you to do that? It’s actually a job?”
He says to be able to combine those passions was sort of “magical”.
Tāne is one of just a handful of people in the United States with his level of expertise and experience. He would love to apply his knowledge to a project back home in Aotearoa.
“It would probably be one of the most difficult vessels you could ever search for, but I would love to find a Polynesian voyaging canoe. They may have found waka and war canoes but none of these long-distance voyaging canoes.”
For Tāne, finding a voyaging waka would be a dream fulfilled.
