Built for ocean explorers and researchers

Industry:

Underwater archaeology & maritime exploration

Timeline:

2 months

Impact:

2.7x increase in link clicks to project data

Live website

Collage of custom WordPress website for underwater archaeology research shown on tablets and phones

A team uncovering shipwrecks had a site that was sinking

The Shipwreck Survey is an international research group that documents shipwrecks, trains field school students, and shares new discoveries from beneath the waves. Their work is academic, adventurous, and incredibly photogenic.

But their website? Less Jacques Cousteau, more Geocities.

Pages were out of sync. Layouts didn’t scale. Updates were tricky. And the overall vibe was more under construction than underwater discovery. It had some charm, sure — but if your mission is global, your website can’t feel like a university side project.

They needed a redesign. A custom WordPress website for underwater archaeology research that respected their work, showcased their photography, and made it easy for visitors to dive in and get involved. All without overengineering, adding boring fluff, or losing the quirks that made the project special in the first place. A thoughtful approach to maritime exploration storytelling design brought their mission to life and ensured the site reflected their work beneath the waves.

“We want to keep the diver’s helmet, but… make everything work.”

We kicked off with a detailed message from the project lead:

“I’d like a fresh design. The content mostly stays, but we’re adding a research page, a blog, and maybe a donate button. Also, the current version doesn’t behave well on mobile, and honestly, it’s never felt… quite finished.”

That’s an understatement.

The old version had charming graphics, but under the hood, it was fragile. Sections broke on different screen sizes. Pages weren’t using reusable layouts. Editing content required a mix of duct tape and prayers. Images looked flat or out of place. Some animations were clunky; others broke entirely.

The idea? Solid.

The execution? Patchy.

The challenge? Build something that looks handcrafted but runs like a clean machine.

They also wanted to keep the branding — colors, fonts, background textures — but update the way they were applied. And this time, they wanted the site to support:

Structured research entries by location and year
A clean signup process for field school programs
Reviews (from real people) to add credibility
Optional blog functionality for future content
A PayPal donation feature
Smart forms that didn’t feel like a tax return

So yeah, not a small wish list.

Our goal? To create a custom WordPress website for underwater archaeology research that balanced beauty and performance. Whether it was designing intuitive field school signup UX or integrating structured research data, every feature had to serve the mission while enhancing the experience.

Hero of the underwater archaeology website with “Dive into underwater archaeology” headline over dive images

We rebuilt the ship without losing the soul

We approached this project the same way they approach a shipwreck site — with care, precision, and a plan to document everything properly.

Step 1: Content triage and site map overhaul

We started by reworking the page flow into something that actually worked:

Home: clear mission, visual storytelling, call to action
About us: team bios, vision, and subtle design flourishes
Join us: overview + detail pages for field schools, with sign-up functionality
Research: new section, organized by project, with images and downloadable content
Blog: future-proofed by duplicating the research layout for editorial posts
Contact: smart form, social links, no dead ends

We also added room for real reviews (TripAdvisor style), visual section dividers, and lightweight interactions to guide visitors through the content — without overwhelming them.

Step 2: Smart WordPress build

The original site was locked down, hard to edit, and technically fragile. We rebuilt it on WordPress, creating a custom WordPress website for underwater archaeology research that allowed us to:

Set up reusable templates for research and blog entries
Integrate new projects without breaking design
Let the team upload images, adjust layout blocks, and tweak copy on their own
Add donation and sign-up forms with minimal fuss

No more calling a developer for every edit. Just real control, in a clean CMS.

Step 3: Keep the brand, lose the friction

The team was attached to specific graphic elements — contour lines, compass textures, diver helmets, and old-world cartography vibes. We kept them all. But instead of sticking them on top like stickers, we baked them into the design using:

Soft SVG textures and masked backgrounds
CSS fades and layering
Mobile-optimized image handling
Typography and spacing tuned for clarity

The result: a site that feels thematic, yet modern — perfect for maritime exploration storytelling design.

Step 4: Ironing out the small stuff

The devil is in the details, and this site had plenty of little things that needed attention — and fixing:

Buttons that required two clicks to open content? Fixed.
Text alignment that broke in Safari? Resolved.
Moving background effects that felt gimmicky? We froze them.
TripAdvisor reviews with weird layout issues? Prepped for plugin upgrade.
Signup scrolls that didn’t lead anywhere? Removed the noise.
Low-res logos in the footer? Replaced with high-res SVGs.

We worked through 20+ specific UX and layout points to deliver a custom WordPress website for underwater archaeology research that’s clean, fast, and functional.

Tablet view of research expedition WordPress site listing Bonaire and St. Eustatius projects

Full-width island header within the maritime exploration storytelling design

What we delivered

In short: a fast, focused, and mobile-friendly custom WordPress website for underwater archaeology research that finally matches the spirit of The Shipwreck Survey.

Here’s the breakdown:

Modular layouts for growth
The new “Research” and “Blog” sections use shared templates. Now, every new expedition or update can be added in a few clicks — keeping the design consistent without extra dev time.
Fast, stable hosting
We moved them onto our Shared Webhosting (3GB RAM) with cPanel, daily backups, free SSL, and email-ready setup. Their previous hosting setup was slow and unsupported — now they’re on infrastructure that won’t buckle under a blog post.
Clean design with brand character
From the muted color palette to the stylized header lines and the gentle motion effects, the final result feels like them — but now polished, clear, and effective. It’s the perfect balance of maritime exploration storytelling design and functionality.

Tech stack details

CMS: WordPress
Hosting: Shared Hosting (3GB SSD, SSL, cPanel, backups)
Fonts: Brandon Grotesque (titles), Roboto (body)
Custom design elements: Compass textures, contour overlays, helmet iconography
Add-ons:
- PayPal donation integration
- TripAdvisor plugin support
- Blog-ready layout
- Reusable forms for signup and contact
- Mobile-optimized image system

About-us section showing training facilities on the underwater archaeology website

The final result: a website that finally makes sense

No more pixel drift. No more floating text blocks or unreadable headers. The new Shipwreck Survey site is a custom WordPress website for underwater archaeology research that runs like a well-maintained schooner: fast, reliable, and designed for the real world.

Visitors can now:

Learn what the project does (without guesswork)
Dive into real research stories by island or expedition
Sign up for field school programs with seamless UX
Read up on the team behind it
Send a message or donation — quickly and clearly

And best of all? The team can manage the site on their own, with full creative control and no need for constant support.

Publications and expeditions cards on the research expedition WordPress site

Expedition program detail blending text and imagery within maritime exploration storytelling design

Want your research, nonprofit, or project to stop looking like a forgotten blog?

We get it. You’ve got bigger things to do than fix page alignment issues or explain to your board why the “Donate” button disappears on mobile.

Let us help you turn your outdated site into something that actually works — and feels like you. Whether you’re looking for a custom WordPress website for underwater archaeology research or need help improving your field school signup UX, we’ve got you covered.

→ Book a quick 30-min video call — we’ll show you exactly what to fix.

Clear, fast, and no pressure. Just answers.

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