James Hunter is the Australian National Maritime Museum's Curator of Naval Heritage and Archaeology, and he'll be giving a fascinating presentation on the ANZ/Inspiration Stage at the GO Diving Show ANZ in September.
James received his PhD in maritime archaeology from Flinders University in 2012, and MA in history and historical archaeology from the University of West Florida in 2001.
He has been involved in the fields of historical and maritime archaeology for over two decades and participated in the investigation of several internationally significant shipwreck sites in the United States, including the American Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley and the Emanuel Point Shipwreck, a Spanish galleon wrecked in Pensacola Bay, Florida, in 1559.
James’ doctoral research explored the history and archaeology of torpedo boat defences utilised by the colonial and early national navies of Australia and New Zealand. He was appointed to his role at the museum in January 2015, and has participated in several of its maritime archaeology projects, including shipwreck surveys of Australia’s first submarine AE1 in Papua New Guinea, the World War Two light cruiser HMAS Perth (I) in Indonesia, and the search for, and identification of, the wreck site of James Cook’s HMB Endeavour in the United States.
The GO Diving Show ANZ
This annual event, taking place this year on 28-29 September at the Sydney Showground at the Olympic Park, is aimed at showcasing the very best of our underwater world to everyone from raw novices who are either contemplating getting into diving, or have completed their entry-level courses, to advanced divers, right through to technical divers and veteran CCR divers.
There are an array of stages – the Main Stage, the Photo Stage, the Australia/New Zealand Stage, the Inspiration Stage and the Tech Stage – that will play host to dozens of speakers from around the world, as well as a host of interactive features to suit young and old, from VR diving experiences, trydives, a demonstration pool, Bruce the rodeo shark, mermaids, and much more.
Surrounding the stages and features will be a broad range of exhibitors, from tourist boards and tour operators to resorts, liveaboards, training agencies, retailers, manufacturers, and conservation organisations.
The 2024 GO Diving Show UK, now in its fifth year, attracted more than 10,000 attendees over the weekend, and spanned an area of 10,000 sq m of exhibition space, and the Australia and New Zealand variant aspires to reaching this level in coming years.
Entry to the inaugural GO Diving Show ANZ is completely free – register here to get your tickets for what is undoubtedly the diving event of 2024 in Australia. There is plenty of parking on-site and the venue is easy to get to with plenty of transport options, so get the dates in your diary now and prepare for an epic weekend celebrating all forms of diving.
