About
Captain Joseph Amaral J.R.
Captain Joseph Amaral Jr. gained nationwide acclaim when he discovered the captain’s ring on the famed shipwreck De Braak off the coast of California. The success of his various shipwreck recovery missions was featured in numerous national publications, including Time magazine.
The multi-year project he led in Nova Scotia, which recovered the remains of the 1762 shipwreck L’Auguste, was extensively filmed for the Discovery Channel documentary titled A Treasure Ship's Tragedy. Captain Amaral is considered a true expert in sea recovery and shipwrecks and is highly regarded in the field.
Photo by Arnie Carr
Photo by John Fish
After an extensive career as a professional commercial diver, Captain Amaral became a much sought-after consultant for shipwreck and plane wreckage recovery and marine salvage, offering his expertise in investigation, deep-sea technology, archaeological recovery, and military logistics.
He continues to consult on complex projects for insurance companies, large corporations, governments, and private client recovery missions about procedures, risk management, and the environmental impact of deep salvage recovery.
He grew up on Cape Cod and became a diver at a very young age. At 18, right out of high school, he followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the army. He first attended infantry and then demolition training. Next, he went to jump school and then joined the third special forces group. He underwent rigorous training at a scuba school in Key West, Florida, run by Navy SEALs. He was shipped out to the 10th Spectrum forces group in Bastos, Germany, where he remained for a year and underwent rigorous training, including jumping and intense night operations.
He was on a 12-man member strike force, with the whole team coming down on a levy for Vietnam. Captain Amaral went to Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces Group, where he got wounded twice, but resiliently bounced back and remained there until he was put out of the military after his second injury. He is the recipient of two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star for Valor, and numerous recognitions for his combat distinguished service achievements. Captain Amaral was a Coast Guard-licensed Captain and held a 500-ton master's license to operate vessels on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Photo by Chris Silver