SEARCH is pleased to announce that Dr. Frederick H. Hanselmann (“Fritz”) is joining the company as Senior Project Manager within SEARCH2O, our maritime program. In addition to project management, Fritz will also serve as our Diving Program Director, ensuring that our maritime archaeologists are among the most proficient and safety-conscious in the industry.
Prior to SEARCH, Fritz was a faculty member in the Department of Marine Ecosystems and Society and part of the Exploration Sciences Program at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami, where he directed the Underwater Archaeology Program.
With over 20 years of experience in all aspects of underwater archaeological research/field operations, Fritz has directed projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America. He has been featured widely in the press and media, including documentaries and programs on the National Geographic Channel, the Sundance Channel, the Travel Channel, and the South by Southwest Film Festival, among others. He is also the author of Captain Kidd's Lost Ship: The Wreck of the Quedagh Merchant, co-author of The Maritime Landscape of the Isthmus of Panamá, and a contributing author to Pieces of Eight: More Archaeology of Piracy.
Fritz earned his PhD from Indiana University. He is a technical, cave, and closed-circuit rebreather (CCR) diver; a certified SCUBA instructor; a former Nautical Archaeology Society tutor; and a Fellow of the Explorer's Club.
Welcome to SEARCH, Fritz!