Category: Blog

Hello! Justin Judge here.

It is with great pleasure that I extend my greetings to you as the new DiveNI Coordinator, taking over from Sally Stewart-Moore. As Sally has moved over to other ventures, I have taken up the role as Marine Biodiversity Officer at the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR), National Museums NI.

My background is structured from several aspects of working in the marine realm. I have worked for several years as a marine consultant, specifically as a Marine Mammal Observer. I have also been involved in numerous conservation projects, e.g., elasmobranch population assessments and marine research, where I have recently completed my PhD in marine food web ecology. I am also a BSAC Sports Diver and Snorkel Instructor.

To refresh your memory or for those that are unaware of my role at CEDaR, I am responsible for collating marine data in Northern Ireland from a range of stakeholders, e.g., from governmental bodies to citizen scientists, supporting the collection, management and dissemination of marine data via a central hub. The formation of this database is helping to inform and steer policy- and decision-making.

As I am sure you are aware, Sally has achieved an incredible amount through the creation and maintenance of DiveNI. I am very excited to pick up where she left off. Definitely big shoes to fill!

I look forward to meeting you all at some point in the future, hopefully above and below the water!

In the meantime, if you have any questions, ideas or feedback, please email info@dive-ni.com

 

Justin Judge

DiveNI Coordinator

Marine Biodiversity Officer (CEDaR)

Undoubtedly, our most famous wreck is that of La Girona, a galleous of the Spanish Armada, which, overladen with people and treasures, hit the rocks off the Giant’s Causeway in 1588 and sank.

Of the 1300 people on board, only 9 are believed to have survived and the treasures remained on the seabed for some 400 years before finally being discovered by a team of divers from Belgium in the late 1960s led by Robert Stenuit.

In this video we hear from Greer Ramsey, Curator of History from Ulster Museum, as he talks us through the journey of La Girona and the artefacts that were recovered, alongside Dan Snow who visited the site for The One Show and History Hit back in 2017.

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