A lost fortune in silver may still lie buried beneath New York Harbor. Discover how vibracoring technology helps estimate burial depth, refine detection strategies, and guide modern treasure recovery efforts in the historic Arthur Kill Waterway.
In 2001, Aqua Survey, Inc. embarked on its first true archaeological mission beneath the waters of Egypt—extracting sediment cores from the lost city of Heraklion and the ruins of Cleopatra’s submerged palace. What seemed like routine vibracoring quickly became something far more significant: each layer of sediment held clues to a centuries-old mystery. Guided by strict preservation rules and a sense of purpose, the team wasn’t just collecting samples—they were uncovering the story of how an ancient city vanished beneath the sea, one razor-thin slice at a time.
By Ken Hayes Fifteen years before our arrival, villagers working along the Mekong River floodplain in Bokeo Province, Laos, began uncovering unusual artifacts—several 6-12-inch bronze Buddha statues, lead religious medallions and other bronze artifacts that clearly did not belong to contemporary village life. Their discoveries pointed to something larger: the likely presence of a major Buddhist temple buried somewhere beneath the sandy soil. But how could a temple simply vanish? The answer lay beneath our feet. The site sits on
Bokeo Buddha Expeditions – 2025 Flag 112 Return Ceremony on October 13, 2025 at The Explorers Club, Manhattan, NY. Expedition Title: Bokeo Buddha Expeditions – 2025 Flag Number: Flag 112 Expedition Leader:Kenneth Robert Hayes, MN ’22 Expedition Dates:March 9–25, 2025 and June 5–17, 2025 Sponsoring Organizations:Aqua Survey, Inc. (ASI) / Lao National Museum / Bokeo Province Provincial Authorities Location:Greater Golden Triangle / Mekong River, Bokeo Province, Lao PDR Contact:hayes@aquasurvey.com March 2025 Expedition – Summary Don Savanh Island, Bokeo Province, LAO
In 2025, Aqua Survey, Inc. joined archaeologists from the Lao National Museum to locate a colossal bronze Buddha believed to have disappeared beneath the Mekong centuries ago. While the statue remains hidden, the team’s efforts uncovered a sandstone stela identifying the long-lost temple that once stood on a river island between Laos and Thailand.
Aqua Survey is looking to hire boat captains and deckhands to join our crew.
Aqua Survey is looking to hire boat captains and deckhands to join our crew.
http://vimeo.com/736142454/40c0dfdfea Our surveying and sampling projects are typically inshore or nearshore on vessels < 40-foot, mostly along the Eastern Seaboard. If you or someone you know is interested, we are now hiring for the following positions: USCG licensed boat operators Deckhands Send resumes to info@aquasurvey.com for consideration Phone: 908-788-8700, ask for Garrett
My wife has accused me of collecting interesting friends as a hobby. I plead guilty as charged. In 2000, I was tasked to find a keynote speaker for the Hudson Delaware Regional Chapter of SETAC (The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) annual meeting. I decided to invite longtime Princeton resident, Stan Waterman to speak. I gave him a call. He immediately said yes, with one caveat, he wanted me to come over to his home and have lunch with
https://vimeo.com/267824686 The shoreline’s shifting interface has long defied traditional survey methods. One of Aqua Survey’s specialties is creating engineering-quality 3D models of this transitional zone by merging two high-density data collection methods. Aqua Survey solves this challenge by combining water-side multibeam sonar with above-water photogrammetric techniques to build precise, engineering-grade 3D models of the transitional zone of your site. See how Aqua Survey turns the toughest land-water surveys into a desktop-ready reality model. Watch multibeam bathymetry merge with high-resolution photogrammetric
https://vimeo.com/839833046 Fast-track your sampling schedule with ASI. If you need sampling or survey assistance on your project, call today for a consultation at (908) 347-2955 or email us at info@aquasurvey.com
https://vimeo.com/732542352/d809a39883 We’re excited to introduce the newest additions to our fleet: The Manasquan, The Sandusky, and The Packanack — three purpose-built vibracoring vessels designed to expand Aqua Survey’s capabilities in sediment sampling. Built for performance, safety, and precision, these vessels are engineered to tackle challenging field conditions while delivering high-quality core samples for environmental assessments, remediation planning, and regulatory compliance. Whether we’re working along the coast, in rivers, or on inland waterways, these vessels allow us to serve our clients
Aqua Survey is excited to reveal that we have officially added three new sediment sampling vessels to our fleet. Each one was designed by a marine architect to vibracore efficiently and be robust enough to handle the rigors of electro vibracoring. Introducing: The Manasquan, The Sandusky, and The Packanack. The Manasquan was recently deployed on its inaugural job; collecting vibracore samples along the Schuylkill River. Watch our reveal video below. https://www.aquasurvey.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Aqua-Surveys-New-Fleet.mp4 If you need sampling or survey assistance on your
Native American Princess turned Wealthy Puritan It probably can be said for most that lived in the 1600’s, but for sure, Jane Sandusky did not live an easy life. A Native-American believed by the Hayes family to be of Sandusky heritage, Jane was born near modern-day York, Maine in about the year 1622. Sometime before 1646, she married a Puritan named Stephen Flanders. At the time, when a white settler married a native it was common to claim that the
Mission Success – ASI / Geonics collaboration results in safer future for Lao children Another UXO clearance mission was just successfully completed with a Geonics EM61-LX2 and the ASI Pointer in Khammouan Province, Laos along a proposed transmission line. Laos is per-capita, the most heavily bombed country in the world. They’d like to become “the battery” of Southeast Asia via hydroelectric dams. In a mountainous, monsoonal, sparsely populated country with (electric) power-hungry neighbors, it is an obvious direction for the Lao