NatGeo featuring Malta’s underwater heritage today

The National Geographic Channel’s TV series “Buried Secrets of WWII” will feature a number of underwater cultural heritage sites around Malta and Gozo, airing today for global audiences, according to a press statement sent to Business Malta. Heritage Malta, the national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage, collaborated with the TV network on the show.

Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU) was involved in the production Episode 6: Island Under Siege, which focusses on narratives that took place in 1940 when Axis powers attacked Malta. Heritage Malta says that the support of UCHU was “fundamental” in its contribution of the underwater sequences which will make the episode “more intriguing”.

“National Geographic’s productions are in line with UCHU’s outreach campaign at informing the general public about the importance of the underwater cultural heritage. By teaming up with National Geographic, Heritage Malta has facilitated the sharing of Malta’s cultural heritage with an international audience,” said Heritage Malta’s Acting CEO, Noel Zammit.

Heritage Malta established UCHU to create a department that was specifically responsible to identify a number of underwater sites so they could be studied, protected and made accessible to all in a controlled and managed way, the press statement says.

Heritage Malta is also working on establishing underwater archaeological parks off the shore of the Maltese Islands, which would carry many benefits, according to HM, such as enhancing the protection of the archipelago’s “unparallelled and precious underwater” cultural resources. Additionally, such sites can further enhance the tourism package the island nation can offer to divers, as Malta has embarked on its way to becoming a market leader in the field of deep water wreck diving, the press statement stresses.