Fernando Pereira

28 April 1964, France

Has worked with Franck Goddio since 1992.

Fernando started diving in 1977, and became a professional diver in 1986 – working on all types of diving work… oil rigs, raising boats, bridge, port, and dock construction, etc. He studied electricity and mechanics. He was also a diver in the French Navy for one and a half years and later worked as a diving instructor. Fernando does all the digital video camera work for our projects, besides the full-time diving.

When he was asked what his favorite discovery is… he said “The next one!”. He has found many interesting artifacts… and is looking to the future ones! “I love diving, especially discovering things… history… You can pass long days working and searching, but the moment you find something important or beautiful, is thrilling – the very moment that you discover it.”

What he most likes to find on the shipwrecks or submerged cities are the personal effects of someone. Every site had people who died there, and when you find their personal things… it really makes you think of that person, how they lived and died… it is a very emotional aspect of this work. Some finds of this type were a shoe found on “l’Orient”, Napoleon’s shipwreck from the Battle of the Nile, sewing needles (you imagine the sailors sewing!), and a cooking brazier --- Fernando imagines the person cooking there, and then the people who ate their meals together…

What he finds very interesting in Franck’s projects is the whole grand affair… from the inception, gathering the team, the equipment, the boats, finding the correct site to excavate, how to accomplish the project efficiently, and then finally doing the job. It is always sad when a project ends… but fortunately we always have another one waiting for us! Also, the diverse group of people that are brought together to accomplish each project is really interesting. They come from many different backgrounds, and would probably never meet otherwise… so he enjoys knowing and working with this unusual group.