Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary FORCE BLUE Tour of Duty

June 3–18, 2025

FORCE BLUE and NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries staff team photo. Photo: Eric Roberts/NOAA

As part of FORCE BLUE’s National Marine Sanctuaries Tour of Duty, two veteran divers, Jonathan Schleyer and Terrence Tysall, joined NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and partners on an expedition to Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary—a place sacred to Native Hawaiians and home to remarkable biodiversity and history beneath the waves. Their participation brought a unique combination of skill, professionalism, and teamwork to the mission, contributing to archaeological documentation, dive safety coordination, and media production.

Honoring History and Culture

Working alongside Michael Wilson of the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS), the team revisited a culturally and historically significant anchor and windlass site first discovered by PVS in 2021. Together, they produced high-resolution photogrammetry, 360° imagery, and traditional field documentation to create a comprehensive site plan that integrates Indigenous Knowledge and Native Hawaiian perspectives. This collaboration builds on NOAA’s memorandum of agreement with PVS and strengthens ongoing efforts to protect and interpret maritime and cultural heritage sites within the sanctuary.

Diver holds a dive slate underwater and is drawing an anchor — FORCE BLUE Veteran Terrence Tysall creates a drawing/schematic of an anchor from a shipwreck. Photo: Nick Zachar/NOAA

Documenting Maritime Heritage

In addition to cultural site documentation, the team surveyed and recorded six historic shipwrecks and anchor sites, including the 19th-century Two Brothers whaling ship and the World War II–era USNS Mission San Miguel. These efforts help guide sanctuary management decisions, add to the National Anchor Database, and preserve irreplaceable stories from Hawai‘i’s maritime past.

Freediver swimming down towards an old Tripot artifact holding a 360 camera on a pole. — FORCE BLUE Veteran Jon Schleyer freedives to investigate an artifact from the *Two Brothers wreck* and collects footage using a specialty camera for a future Sanctuaries 360 video. Photo: Nick Zachar/NOAA

A photomosaic model of the “Unknown Wreck” site that was stitched together from thousands of photos captured underwater while swimming along predetermined transects and at a specific height above the target. Within this model, the ship’s anchor and windlass are visible. Credit: Kailey Pascoe, Arizona State University/Jon Schleyer, FORCE BLUE

Advancing Reef Science and Storytelling

The expedition also supported long-term coral reef monitoring led by Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar Kailey Pascoe, advancing understanding of reef health in this remote region. FORCE BLUE media specialist Jon Schleyer worked with NOAA’s film team to capture 6K cinematic video, drone footage, and 360° virtual reality content that will bring these discoveries to classrooms and communities across the country.

two divers holding camera equipment with underwater housing and strobes sit on the edge of an inflatable vessel, ready to enter the water. — FORCE BLUE Veteran Jon Schleyer and NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar Kailey Pascoe prepare to enter the water with camera equipment designed for creating photomosaic imagery of coral reefs. Photo: Kate Thompson/NOAA

Continuing Service Through Conservation

Through this partnership, NOAA and FORCE BLUE are advancing the goals of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and the EXPLORE Act (Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation)—fostering stewardship, honoring cultural heritage, and connecting veterans and communities to ocean conservation.