DWP
DWP started with a phone call from Karuna Eberl in 2003. At
that time, I was the Southern Region Representative for the
National Association of Black Scuba Divers, and she was
producing a documentary called the “Guerrero Project” and
needed some black divers to interview. Having found me on
the NABS web site, I enlisted some of my NABS friends Erik
Denson, Goldie Singleton, Major Nimiock, and Rod Singleton to
be interviewed for this documentary about the search for the
slave ship The Guerrero, as told through a book by Gail
Swanson. The documentary also tells the story of treasure
hunters and archeologists and their opposing views on where
the lost ship (The Guerrero) was now located.
A year into the project, I had the pleasure of meeting Brenda
Lanzendorf, the archeologist at Biscayne Park and “star” of the
documentary. Her passion for the search and unwavering
support for preserving our national marine sanctuaries was
inspiring! During one of our meetings she mentioned to me
that Biscayne Park had a lot of wrecks needing to be
documented. And, with Brenda being the only park
archeologist, she needed help! I went home and contacted
many of my NABS brothers and sisters, beginning the
correspondence with “Tired of the same old dives? Let’s Dive
With a Purpose!” Eric Denson was the first excited
respondent, with Erly Thornton and Rod Singleton coming on
shortly their after. Soon, these 3 NABS experienced divers
were taking an underwater archeology course and DWP was
born! Today, 52 NABS divers have completed the course and
16 have become instructors. Included in this number are 3
young divers from the local youth organization I co-founded,
the Tennessee Aquatic Project and Development Group, Inc.
(TAP).
Diving with a Purpose has become an integral part of the park’s
yearly activities and each year has expanded in its reach.
Unfortunately, the driving force of the program is no longer
with us. Brenda Lanzendorf passed away last year but, her
legacy continues!
My life has been enriched by the experiences had through the
Diving with a Purpose program and in the process 52 African
American archeology enthusiasts have been born!
Ken Stewart
DWP Program Director
