Favorable Relationship with the Dominican Republic Government:

Deep Blue is engaged in underwater survey, exploration and recovery of important historical treasures and artifacts. The company is very grateful to the government of the Dominican Republic for granting them the privilege of working in their territorial waters. Deep Blue operates in the D.R. under contract with the Dominican National Office of the Ministry of Underwater Culture (Subacuatico), who granted them survey and recovery contracts on the North Shore.

Deep Blue wishes to acknowledge the management and staff of Subacuatico for their professionalism, cooperation, and courtesy as they work together with Deep Blue in revealing artifacts of historical significance to the world. As a result of their contracts, Deep Blue is in the early stages of recovering significant historical artifacts that are important to understanding the history of this magnificent country, which was home to the first European colony in the New World. Many of the recovered artifacts are returned to the government of the Dominican Republic for their own use as national treasures and many are housed in the Deep Blue museum in Samana.

Deep Blue Methodologies:

Deep Blue is a company that brings together rapidly developing technology and a wealth of experience in both underwater recovery and business development. We work only on thoroughly researched and permitted shipwrecks using responsible methods that address environmental concerns to ensure preservation of valuable marine antiquities. The dive crews are highly qualified and have extensive backgrounds in artifact locating and recovery. Their areas of experience and expertise include research, salvage, survey, and all phases of diving. In addition, the company owns, or has access to, the latest technologies and equipment that are used for determining exact locations of viable dive sites. The company has a commitment to retrieving all artifacts with the least environmental impact. Of course, the preservation of archaeological values is always a top priority.

To meet their goals, the company employs a full time archeologist who assists with the recording of all finds and ensures that they are handled according to strict guidelines. He also maintains relationships with local and national government officials in the host nation.

The Recovery Process:

Starting with the best possible research for the acquisition and interpretation of available information, Deep Blue is able to find general locations of notable shipwrecks. Subsequently, decisions are made by the advisory board regarding which sites to pursue. Exact locations are then determined by an able crew, using state-of-the-art equipment and procedures. Recent advances in equipment and technology have eased the search burden. Sidescan sonar, improved magnetometers, satellite imaging, and aerial reconnaissance are all very helpful in locating sites and objects of interest.

In addition to the boat crews, which include a number of professional recovery divers, the company also employs a full time archeologist, Alejandro Selmi, who ensures that all recovery operations are conducted in accordance with accepted guidelines. Further, the company has a seasoned team of attorneys, compliance specialists, and consultants to ensure compliance with securities, legal, and environmental concerns.

The Fleet:

The company currently operates three research and recovery vessels:

• The Karli Ann is a 77 foot, 88 ton recovery vessel based in Samana Bay in the Dominican Republic. This is the company’s primary research and recovery vessel and is the base for most diving operations.

• The Lady Laura is a 40 foot survey ship that the company leases from Captain Billy (captain of the Karli Ann). This ship is currently in service in the Dominican Republic in tandem with the Karli Ann.

• The Kerri Lynn is the newest member of our fleet and is the sister ship to the Karli Ann. She is currently docked in Samana while being retrofitted for diving operations.

Some Additional History:

Deep Blue Marine Inc. was formed for the purpose of recovering historical and priceless artifacts, gold and silver from the depths of the ocean. Like all new businesses, Deep Blue had to first find an identity of its own and form a business plan that would make sense for the management and shareholders. The companies that had a strong presence in the industry were basically divided into two groups: those who worked under permit with different governments, and those who tried to work in international waters, thus skirting the problems of permits and so forth.

Deep Blue took the tack of working exclusively on permitted wreck sites with disclosure to appropriate national agencies wherever these wrecks were located. We also realized that it would take several years in some cases to obtain the permits required to perform our work within those guidelines. With this in mind, we initially pursued subcontracts with other companies that had the rights to shipwrecks in areas of interest to Deep Blue Marine.

We worked in several different areas, including Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, and Lake Powell, Utah. In 2007 we signed a contract with Tracy Bowden of Caribe Salvers Inc. to recover artifacts from a ship that had sunk off the coast of the Dominican Republic in 1782.

This 74 gun French vessel had fought on our side in the War of Independence. It was a copper-bottomed ship carrying 350 sailors, 350 marines, and about 40 other deck hands. On its return home, the Scipion was engaged in battle with two English vessels in the Mona Passage, off the east coast of the country of Hispaniola (now the D.R.).

After a prolonged battle, with a few casualties on each side, the captain of the Scipion was able to elude the British and sought refuge in Samana Bay. Here, unfortunately, the ship struck two coral reefs which opened the bottom of the vessel and she quickly went down in about 30 feet of water. Most of the crew made it to shore, but the vessel was a complete loss.

In August of 2007 Deep Blue began diving the wreck site and recovering artifacts. We recovered over a hundred lifting blocks from the masts and sail. Additional finds included dead eyes, cannons, muskets, rail guns, cannon balls, musket balls, pottery, vases, and coins. We found numerous personal items such as buttons from shirts, jackets, and breeches; buckles from shoes, coats, garters and hats; knives, forks, spoons, plates, pots and pans, hair combs, and hair brushes. We also found thousands of brass nails that were used to hold the copper sheeting on the bottom of the ship, along with rope and anchors. We pulled up timbers and hips fittings. Every day new artifacts were uncovered and brought to the surface. By the end of the 2009 dive season we had recovered thousands of individual artifacts.

Deep Blue Marine Shipwreck Museum:

Deep Blue received 37.5% of the recovered artifacts from the Scipion site, and many of them are housed in a museum we funded and built in the town of Samana. The thinking here is that we would rather let people see the history of this ship rather than sell these artifacts and have them gone. The museum is strategically located right next to the dock where cruise ship patrons disembark to visit the city.

In addition to the many artifacts recovered by the Deep Blue team, the Subacuatico Ministry of the Dominican Republic government has generously donated several artifacts from their conservatory in Santo Domingo for temporary display in the Deep Blue museum. The addition of these artifacts helps reveal and illustrate the history of early maritime life in the New World. Deep Blue appreciates the cooperation of the Subacuatico office in helping provide museum visitors a significant and meaningful learning experience.

The Future of Deep Blue Marine:

As with all things in the future, we can only plan and then work toward those plans.

That being said, we feel that Deep Blue has a very promising future. We have recently secured a 30 month contract for 40 miles of shoreline on the north shore of the Dominican Republic. We have already located 12 shipwrecks in this area. Our research and recovery efforts so far have uncovered coins and artifacts from the early 1500’s on one site and coins from 1739 on another site less than a mile away. At this point we are merely scratching the surface.

We anticipate a successful recovery effort on the 12 sites we have located, as well as a number of additional sites that we expect to find. Much of the recovery is expected to take place this year and next. To date we have recovered over 600 silver coins and numerous other artifacts, including jewelry and jade figurines, dating back to the early 1500’s.