Odyssey Marine Exploration was founded in 1994 by deep-ocean shipwreck pioneers John Morris and Greg Stemm based on the following beliefs:

• Billions of dollars in cargo and priceless historical artifacts and treasures have been lost in the deep oceans.
• The technology exists to find and recover these treasures and artifacts.
• Good business and sound archaeological practice can co-exist and thrive together.
• The treasures and the knowledge recovered from the deep ocean should be shared with the world.

From the start, Odyssey's business plan envisioned the discovery and archaeological excavation of many different shipwreck projects over an extended period of time. This successful strategy has enabled us to bring the world's finest deep-ocean technology and equipment together with the most qualified and brightest researchers, technicians and archaeologists from all corners of the globe and we continue to attract the best minds in this emerging industry.

The quest to discover and share the ocean's treasures

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that there are more than three million shipwrecks worldwide - an amazing cornucopia of cultural goods transported by mankind for more than 3,000 years. Until fairly recently, most of these astounding treasures have been virtually inaccessible to archaeological excavation due to their extreme depth, often thousands of feet below the ocean's surface. And yet, Odyssey's search and recovery expeditions have confirmed that many of these wreck sites are either completely disintegrated or are steadily deteriorating due to destruction by both human and natural intervention. In effect, the world's quest to capture the invaluable knowledge these shipwrecks hold is a race against time.

Odyssey has become the world leader in the field of deep-ocean shipwreck exploration. We employ state-of-the-art technology including side-scan sonar, magnetometer, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), and other advanced science and technology to locate and recover shipwrecks at depths previously unreachable in an economically feasible manner.

Although we depend on technologies that have been developed at great expense in other fields, primarily the military, oil and telecommunications industries, we use our unique expertise to modify and customize these technologies specifically to locate shipwrecks and to conduct archaeological excavations thousands of feet deep.

Odyssey's shipwreck projects go through several phases beginning with research and development and search operations. The archaeological excavation stage is followed by conservation and documentation. Throughout every phase, the Odyssey team is passionate about our mission to share the ocean's treasures with the world. Through television, the internet, books and other publications, educational programs, traveling exhibits  as well as a Virtual Museum accessible to anyone and by allowing collectors to own a piece of history from a shipwreck's cargo, there is an opportunity for everyone interested in shipwrecks to participate in Odyssey's fascinating discoveries.