Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Quicksands Archaeological Survey

Expedition Overview

Archaeologists and ecologists from the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) and the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), with funding support from NOAA Ocean Exploration, conducted an exploratory marine archaeological remote sensing and diving survey to locate and characterize archaeological sites within an area of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) known as the “Quicksands,” located west of Key West, Florida. The project team boarded the research vessel M/V Makai on June 14, 2021, and departed for the survey area approximately 30 miles from Key West, where they conducted research until June 27.