James Delgado

Jim joined SEARCH in 2017 and is among the world’s leading experts in maritime archaeology and cultural heritage. He is responsible for ensuring operational and research excellence, implementing strategic initiatives, and expanding the company's international footprint. Jim is also SEARCH's lead on Clotilda-related research and senior advisor to the Drain the Oceans series on National Geographic.

Jim has over 40 years of professional experience having most recently served as the Director of Maritime Heritage in the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries for NOAA. Previously, he served as President and CEO of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, the world’s leading scientific and educational organization dedicated to the understanding of humanity’s seafaring history. Jim was also the Executive Director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum in British Columbia, Canada, Head of the US government’s Maritime Heritage Program for the US National Park Service, and the first historian for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the San Francisco Bay Area where he participated in the restoration and interpretation of Alcatraz.

Author, co-author, or editor of more than 30 books, Jim has served as keynote speaker and presented to more than a hundred conferences and his work has reached hundreds of millions of viewers as host on six seasons of a National Geographic series, The Sea Hunters, as well as scientific programs on Discovery, History Channel, A&E, and National Geographic. His live expedition broadcasts at Pearl Harbor and at the wreck of the USS Independence were each telecast to over one million viewers. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and The Explorers Club, and most recently was made an Officer of the Order of Civil Merit by His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain. Jim lives in Washington, DC.