For Immediate Release
Vancouver, BC, April 15, 2025
Advancing Marine Surveying in the Search for Historic Shipwrecks
McElhanney is proud to announce its role in an exciting marine exploration project featured on the Crave TV series (Canada) and History Channel (US), The Death Coast. This new, documentary-style series follows the search for shipwrecked artifacts off the coast of Nova Scotia, an area rich in maritime history and long associated with tales of hidden treasure.
Our bathymetric team played a critical role in this groundbreaking effort, providing industry-leading hydrographic survey expertise to uncover traces of the past.
A Unique Opportunity for Exploration
The project took shape when McElhanney’s Ryan Howlett learned of a rare opportunity to conduct an extensive underwater survey. Due to government restrictions in place since 2010, treasure hunting in Nova Scotia’s waters had been off-limits. However, in 2023, a newly granted permit allowed third-generation treasure hunter Jeff MacKinnon to resume the search. Recognizing the historical and technical significance of this endeavor, Ryan collaborated with Jeff to present the project to Forte Entertainment, ultimately securing its place as a featured documentary.
“Surveying has always struck me as the perfect intersection of history and discovery. When we learned about the project and had the chance to meet Jeff, his passion for collaborating with Veterans to preserve artifacts at risk due to climate change was inspiring. I knew right away it would be an excellent fit for McElhaney”, said Ryan Howlett.
With the project moving forward, McElhanney’s bathymetric specialists — Brad Becker, Marcell Iseli, and Graham Christie — were brought on board, utilizing state-of-the-art sonar technology to scan the ocean floor for remnants of centuries-old shipwrecks.
“From solving marine engineering problems to finding flood mapping solutions, I love what I do at McElhanney on a day-to-day basis but it’s not every day you get to work on a project such as this. It was a great experience to step outside that box and support a passionate team looking for artifacts with such a historical significance”, said Marcell Iseli, Business Leader.
Precision Mapping and Data Analysis
Despite environmental and logistical challenges, our team successfully conducted high-resolution hydrographic surveys. Using advanced sonar equipment, McElhanney’s experts meticulously mapped an area covering approximately 32 football fields.
The survey focused on detecting shipwreck remains by identifying high-density artifacts such as anchors and cannons, which tend to remain stationary despite oceanic shifts over time. Through extensive data analysis and interpretation, our team uncovered a trove of artifacts, strongly suggesting the presence of two historically significant wreck sites.
McElhanney’s contributions to the project extended beyond data collection. Our team provided specialized services, including:
- Custom installation and calibration of Norbit’s sonar survey equipment
- Execution of high-precision bathymetric surveys
- Comprehensive data processing and interpretation
- Expert analysis to identify and verify potential artifacts
Looking Ahead: Future Exploration
McElhanney’s continued involvement in these efforts will further demonstrate our expertise in hydrographic surveying, geospatial analysis, and marine exploration on an international scale.
Tune In to Witness the Discovery
Audiences can watch McElhanney’s work in action on The Death Coast:
- April 1st and onward – History Channel (U.S.)
- April 8th and onward – Bell and Crave TV (Canada)
New episodes will air weekly, offering an inside look at how modern technology and expert hydrographic surveying are reshaping our understanding of maritime history.
For more details on the TV show, visit the official announcement from Bell Media: https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/tv/usa-network/the-death-coast/
A very special thanks to Jeff MacKinnon and Forte Entertainment for making this project come to life, as well as contributing partners, Norbit (marine technology equipment experts) and QPS (data processing and visualizations specialists).
For information on our bathymetric services, please visit: /bathymetric-surveying/
Media inquiries, contact: marketing@mcelhanney.com
About McElhanney
Established in 1910, McElhanney is an award-winning, employee-owned professional consulting firm providing geomatics, engineering, geospatial, planning, landscape architecture, and environmental services. With 30+ locations across Western Canada, McElhanney serves cities & communities, energy & resources, and transportation & transit sectors.
McElhanney’s purpose is to amaze their clients, care for their communities, and empower their people. They care deeply for their employees and the communities they serve with dedicated resources to improving Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in their workplace and the McElhanney Cares program which provides charity donations or sponsorships for staff-identified charities. For more information, visit www.mcelhanney.com.
