Jim is honored with two lifetime achievement awards
Throughout a career spanning more than four decades, Jim has earned international recognition as a
maritime archaeologist, historian, author, and explorer. His work has advanced the understanding of
shipwrecks, underwater cultural heritage, and humanity’s enduring relationship with the sea. Jim has
been recognized with two lifetime achievement awards that reflect a lifetime spent bringing the stories
of our seafaring past to life.
Credit: Felix Kunze
Explorers Club William Beebe Award for Underwater Exploration
Jim received The Explorers Club William Beebe Award for Underwater Exploration on April 18, 2026.
One of the Explorers Club’s distinguished rotating quadrennial awards, the honor is named for pioneering explorer and naturalist William Beebe and is presented to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to underwater exploration. Jim was recognized for a lifetime of achievements in underwater discovery, deep-sea exploration, and the preservation of our seafaring heritage.
“I am humbled and honored to receive this award. I’m mindful of the extraordinary contributions of William Beebe, and of the women and men who preceded me in receiving this award. I also want to thank and acknowledge the guidance, the help, and the many contributions of all of my colleagues with whom I have worked on the various expeditions and projects as we collectively sought to discover, document, and share the history of the oceans and humanity’s long-standing involvement with the global ocean, through our field of underwater archaeology.” James Delgado
Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club is a multidisciplinary society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration, and resource conservation.
Watch Jim’s award presentation. Visit the Explorers Club website.
Credit: National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
Jim received the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award on June 2, 2026
The award is one of the highest recognitions in the fields of ocean exploration, maritime heritage, and marine conservation. Presented during the 25th anniversary of Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW), the award recognizes individuals whose work has made an exceptional and lasting impact on our understanding and stewardship of the world’s oceans and coastal heritage.
“It is an honor to receive the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, cognizant of those who have come before and those who will follow. This year’s theme and emphasis on maritime heritage is appreciated by all who seek to share the stories of our links to the oceans, lakes and rivers, of how this interaction shaped our history as humanity and will profoundly shape our future.” James Delgado
Established in 2000, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is the official nonprofit partner of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, supporting a network of marine environments that stretches from Massachusetts to American Samoa, and from the Great Lakes to the Florida Keys.