Bringing history to the surface

Working Week speaks to Rob Rondeau, a marine-aviation archaeologist currently diving to find Bristol Beaufighters in the fjords of Norway, some shot down on Black Friday - 9 February 1945

Has aviation always interested you?

As a marine archaeologist, my work has taken me to many remote locations and I've spent hours stuck in small airports having flown in a variety of aircraft. I always enjoy chatting to the pilots and engineers.

Have you encountered many aircraft wrecks in your dives?

I've seen a variety of wrecks, and one thing that I have noticed is that if the aircraft can ditch successfully there's a good probability that it will still be intact on the sea bed. It's as if the aircraft falls like a leaf as it floats down.

Why this particular expedition?

I am Canadian. Black Friday marked the highest loss in a single day of Canadian airmen during the Second World War - 11 airmen lost their lives. When I was in Norway in 2005 I knew very little about the raid and the high loss of life. I was there on a completely different project, surveying a shipwreck to the south. But, I was moved when I learned more. It's important for Canadian and Norwegian history.

It's partly self-funded but also partly sponsored. We know the locations of some of the aircraft, but we also want to find the unfound ones. This really has been a labour of love. I started doing my research and also got in touch with one of the survivors. We will repatriate any remains that we find. Warbirds are a great topic of interest for many people and especially for Royal Canadian Air Force 404 Sqd. For those families with someone unaccounted for, closure is important.

What are the challenges and is this a good time to go diving?

We're going at this time of year because we'll be going deep - the wrecks are between 60m (197ft) and 80m down. We'll have better visibility because there won't be any of the summer vegetation. We'll also be making long dives, so we've got to be really careful surfacing to avoid decompression sickness. This is not a dive for recreational divers. And because of the depth we'll be breathing a mix of helium and oxygen so we'll be a little squeaky talking on the radio!

What qualifications and experience do you need?

I graduated with a degree in Archaeology (BA Hons) when I was in my early 20s. I was unique in my class though because I was also a rated commercial diver. That's how I put myself through school. After graduating, I worked for a number of contract marine archaeology firms in South-East Asia and elsewhere. In the 1990s I worked for the top private contractor with the State of Florida - Historical Research and Development of Indialantic, Florida. I went on to become their senior archaeologist. In 2000 I started my own company, www.procomdiving.com

You need to be an experienced Scuba diver - in addition to having formal university training as an archaeologist. Working underwater is very different compared to working on land. In addition to the many challenges, it's also physically demanding. But, it's exciting!

Source: Flight International