Maritime Heritage

Filmmakers Capture Maritime Heritage in the Monument

Over the years, underwater filmmakers have traveled to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands alongside scientists to document the place and the work that the researchers are doing. Dive in and swim alongside the underwater archaeologists as they survey the shipwreck sites on the seafloor in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The videos will help you understand the dynamic conditions that make the remote atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a challenging place for sailors!

The film clips you will see were all shot by Stephani Gordon of Open Boat Films. In August of 2008, she collected video footage of maritime archaeologists working in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands off of the NOAA research vessel Hiʻialakai. The short film she created, Lost on a Reef, documents the work that maritime archaeologists do to understand and interpret the seafaring stories and shipwreck sites in the Monument. This 16-minute film is available to anyone upon request.

Click here to watch the full film (You will be directed to a non NOAA server)
Lost on a Reef
Lost on a Reef (with English subtitles)